By Stephen Bennett   

Over the last 20-30 years there has been an amazing restoration of powerful Christian music and worship throughout the world. It is a part of what the bible terms the re-building of the Tabernacle of David (Acts 2:16).

The Lord sowed music into the world and is now reaping it back for His full purpose in this era – for the nations to turn their hearts to Him in worship. This process that has been in restoration for hundreds of years yet quickening in recent times.

Reaping the House of Judah

‘Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, that I will sow the house of Israel and the House of Judah with the seed of man and the seed of beast. And it shall come to pass, that as I have watched over them to pluck up, to break down, to throw down, to destroy, and to afflict, so I will watch over them to build and to plant, says the Lord’ (Jeremiah 31:27-28).

This prophecy in the Old Testament, is a picture of historical and present truth relating to music restoration. Judah is one of the ancient tribes of Israel.

The word Judah in the Hebrew is Yada, and means praise, or the tribe of the uplifted hand – it represents God’s music. The prophecy says the House of Judah will be sowed with the seed of man into the earth, and eventually reaped back for building and planting purposes. As a loving Father, the Lord has watched over this His-story for centuries.

The language in verse 28, of plucking up, destroying, building, and planting, is prophetic action in a process with an apostolic result – building (see Jeremiah 1:10). God sowed music into His world, and has been watching over His seed of song and sound for a long time. Now is the hour when He is building His governing Church in the new apostolic reformation to complete all things. He is also reaping the house of Judah as it were, in that process – music.

Kingdom Principle of Sowing and Reaping

The whole bible is based on the kingdom principle of sowing and reaping. Dying and reforming is a recurring cycle from Genesis to Revelation. Jesus, the ultimate reformer, sowed the word of God on good ground, and He expected a multiplication of return on the seed sowed (see Matthew 13:1-23). He sowed Israel, and she has been restored and reaped back in our time.

During World War 2, the devil tried to kill and destroy the seed of its people prior to Israel becoming a nation in 1948. It is no surprise that over the centuries music has also been a part of the sowing and reaping process – especially the reaping we have seen in recent decades.

Two thousand years ago, Jesus the promised seed was sown into the world on account of the Father’s love. Today the risen Savior is reaping the fullness of the Church; constructed and built with millions of believers (the fruit of His seed over the last 2000 years) who are the living stones of Christ. The adding of believers to the Church has been exponential over the last 50 years. Why? It is time for global harvesting, and God wants millions more people in eternity with Him.

We have seen great fruit in Christian music in our day, because God sowed the seed of music into the world. There is an even greater multiplying in the reaping yet to be seen on earth – the ingathering of harvest in these last of the last days, the restoration and re-building of the apostolic Tabernacle of David – the Church.

Building and Planting for Harvest

God is building and planting his powerful ruling Church, to contain and facilitate the reaping of souls. The 1990’s were declared as the decade of harvest. There have been some revivals, spiritual refreshing and moves of God in that time, but not the end-time harvest. The Church was not ready for it.

Through apostolic restoration, the proper order is preparing and establishing the Church to be in a governmental posture, with the spiritual maturity to gather and contain harvest.

There has been much rooting out and pulling down by God over the centuries. The Lord is now reaping the sown seed of the House of Judah – music. This is part of a global tabernacle for the harvest of souls.

Music has a major role in releasing the harvest with awesome praise, prophetic decree and proclamation. When seed is sown you reap back multiplication and increase – you do not get back the same seed. It’s a kingdom principle, and today the music fruit is multiplying rapidly.

Kings of Praise

David was King of Judah – the King of praise – in Christ we are the same. We can be kings of praise in our own small worlds, but God wants us to move forward like David – to bring the apostolic kingship of sound to the nations. David’s life progressed to rule the nation of Israel. We must follow his example, and in the emerging apostolic Church we must impact the nations through our music.

Through David’s authority as King of Israel he established the Tabernacle of David; its ultimate purpose is for the nations. ‘All nations whom You have made shall come and worship before You, O Lord, And shall glorify Your name’ (Psalm 86:9).

It is time now for the Church to come out of any religious presumption and into the proper order (as was required of King David by God). The purpose for divine order is found in the pattern God gave us in David’s Tabernacle – especially so for music. God is completing His reaping and building process now.

The result is a flourishing, powerful apostolic Church, governing and spiritually potent. Singers and musicians are an important part of this, and must be planted to be a part of apostolic teams, breaking down the strongholds over churches, cities, and nations. You are part of the reaping of the House of Judah; the global re-building of the Church patterned in the Tabernacle of David.

‘Let the heaven and earth praise him … for God will save Zion (type of the Church) and build the cities of Judah (praise!) and possess it!’ (Psalm 69:34-35).

Apostolic Power is with Judah

In the book of Genesis (before David’s time), Jacob (or Israel) prophesied over his sons from his deathbed. One of his sons was Judah (who represents the tribe of the uplifted hand of praise).

Jacob said to him, ‘Gather together that I may tell you what shall befall you in the last days’ (Genesis 49:1).

Jacob’s prophecy in the book of Genesis, is also a prophetic picture of the apostolic power of music and song in the Church today – the last days of governing power.

‘Judah, you are he whom your brothers shall praise; your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; your father’s children shall bow down before you. Judah is a lion’s whelp; from the prey, my son, you have gone up. He bows down, he lies down as a lion; and as a lion, who shall rouse him? The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh comes; and to Him shall be the obedience of the people’ (Genesis 49:8-10).

Let’s discover this amazing word.

The Hand

The hand of Judah represents uplifted hands in praise and worship to God. Jesus Christ was a descendant from this tribe, as with David.

The five fingers of a hand also represent God’s grace (the number 5), and also the five-fold ministry of the apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor and teacher. The thumb is like the apostle; he crosses the palm, touching and supporting all the others (I can see you playing with your fingers now). Without the apostolic thumb, the hand won’t work as it is designed – except maybe scratching around.

Scratching time for the Church is over! ‘I have found My servant David; with My holy oil I have anointed him, with whom my hand shall be established; also My arm shall strengthen him. The enemy shall not outwit him’ (Psalm 89:20).

The full hand of power is established in the heart and worship paradigm of David. It is apostolic and full of grace; the enemy cannot stand against this and is defeated.

The bible says, when the earth is full of His praise, and His glory covers the heavens, ‘rays of flashing light’ will go forth from the Lord’s hand (Habakkuk 3:4). In the King James Version this is referred to as horns of power. This has a mighty influence in the spirit and on the earth.

The prophet singer Heman exalted the horn of the Lord; it was his job in the Tabernacle of David (see chapter 30 Singers in the Proper Order). This awesome power is hidden in God’s hand. When Elisha’s musician played, the open hand (which was closed) of God’s almighty power came on the prophet, enabling him to prophesy (2 Kings 3:15). ‘You open your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing’ (Psalm 145:16).

There is great provision in the open hand of God. When the hand of the five-fold ministry gifts are fully restored in the Church, we will see great power released in the Church, and music will be at the forefront. The hand of the fivefold ministry gifts shall pin the enemy down.

In His Hand is Our Heritage in Jacob

Prior to the children of Israel entering into the Promised Land, Moses spoke a final blessing on Israel (before he died on Mt Nebo).

‘Yes, He loves the people; all his saints are in your hand; they sit down at Your feet; everyone receives your words. Moses commanded a law for us, a heritage of the congregation of Jacob’ (Deuteronomy 33:3).

We have an awesome heritage in Jacob. We are all in God’s hand of power; we have to come to that realization. Music and song are pre-eminent in releasing God’s hand of power, however, we must be people sitting at Jesus’ feet receiving His word (see Luke 10:39).

Remember Mary? She did the greater thing rather than being too busy like Martha. Our inheritance is on our generation’s horizon. Moses continued, ‘he said of Judah: “Hear, Lord, the voice of Judah, and bring him to his people; let his hands be sufficient for him, and may You be a help against his enemies”’. (Deuteronomy 33:3).

The voice of God in our sound is permeating the earth; we must bring Jesus through that voice to the people – in all the governmental power that is in the hand of God. The palm of His hand is the palce where we dwell savely.

What we have in our own hands with music is sufficient, and God will help us. When we use our hands to create music (with God’s help), there will be great victories against the enemy and the cities and the nations will open up to God. Asaph tells us, ‘In Judah God is known… in Israel, … His Tabernacle… His dwelling place Zion (you, the Church), (It is there… ) … He broke the arrows… the shield… the sword… the battleaxe… Selah’ (Psalm 76:1-3). In Judah the enemy’s artillery is destroyed. ‘Flash forth lightning and scatter them’ (Psalm 144:6), yes Lord!

The Hand of War

Genesis 49:8 shows us that the glory and power through music (Judah), stands firm on the neck of our enemy the devil. When he is pinned down that way the devil cannot do anything except growl and wriggle. Apostolic governing song and sound will pin down our enemies.

The Old Testament tribes always camped around Judah, which was often the leading tribe to go first in battle against the enemies of Israel. We camp around Judah first thing every Sunday morning with our praise. Those who encamp, are a Body armed and ready in the Spirit of God – because Judah is ready – to just sit and watch on Sunday, and be tickled and entertained, is not the calling.

Jacob tells us that Judah is like a young lion. When he has made a kill he is not proud, but bows down and lays before the Lord in reverence of worship – like ‘an old lion’ (KJV). Judah is also likened to an old lion – one who is aged with wisdom and battle experience, yet with the energy, vitality, and the power of a young lion.

This is the matured apostolic Church. The questions arising from the prophecy in Genesis 49:9 are this: Who can come against the governing power of worship that is exercised in mature humility? Who can come against the true fear and reverence of God? The devil would not dare rouse Judah. If he did Judah will bite his head off with another song! Draw close to God and the devil will flee!

Apostolic music warriors will have the wisdom of God and the maturity of life to carry governing authority in their sound. In their music they are current and accessible.

These are sons and daughters of thunder, ones who can touch Christ the Rock at His heart, taking that cloak of power, and help turn a city or nation away from Hell. They are ones who say to God – ‘be my strong habitation, to which I may resort continually, (Psalm 71:3a). We will need to in these days.

David said, ‘Blessed be the Lord my Rock, who trains my hands for war, and my fingers for battle’ (Psalms 144:1).

The hand of five-fold ministry in the Church is to war on the five battlefronts represented by these ministry gifts. They are to destroy the enemies of God, like the principality of Jezebel who seeks to bring the Church down (see chapter 15 Jezebel and False Authority).

The Lord is training the hands of the Church all over the world to win the battles for the cities and nations. As the fingers of five-fold ministry in the Church are coming into their proper place (through the apostolic reformation), we can be completely effective as a Church. Mature Lion Kings, Simbas of power, standing not on Pride Rock, but on the Lord our Rock – Jesus Christ, who trains us to kill the Scars of the devil world (see the movie Lion King!). 

The Hand of Governing Authority

The Lord tells us that the scepter of ruling authority of the kingdom of God, and the power of governmental decree and proclamation through praise, shall not leave Judah until Jesus comes (Genesis 49:10). This governing authority in music has a major influential role before we see the return of Jesus. The sons of Korah echoed this truth in their song of love about Christ.

‘Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom’ (Psalm 45:6). True authority is rooted in Christ’s righteousness and living it. That character can hen be trusted with governing authority, the spirit of which will then be in our music bringing change.

The lawgiver will not depart from the feet of Judah. Ephesians 6:15 says our feet represent the gospel. If the real governing power of Christ is not in our song we do not have real effective spiritual power in these end days. The Lord will not allow that to happen for He is the lawgiver, and He will see His glory cover the earth. ‘… Judah is my lawgiver’ (Psalm 60:7b).

We execute the justice of the lawgiver through our music. It is the inheritance of the saints in our high praises (Psalm 149).

Shiloh

Shiloh means a place of rest. Shiloh is also a name referring to Jesus, and a picture of His Second Coming. Shiloh represents the glory of God. It was also the place of the first permanent home of the Ark of the Covenant (in the Tabernacle of Moses) after the initial conquest of Canaan (see Joshua 18:1).

Shiloh the place, became the main sanctuary of worship for Israel during the time of the Judges in the Old Testament. It was where Hannah prayed for a son, and the Lord appeared to Samuel when he was a boy, establishing him as a prophet (in the Tabernacle of Moses).

Shiloh is a place of prophetic birthing and decree. Christ is at the center of it all.

When we begin to walk in the real rest of God, in our relationship with Him, and with one another, we will carry increasing governing authority in our music. From this place of rest, prophetic revelation comes – mirrored in the life of the prophet Samuel in Shiloh. The devil will come to try and take away the presence and glory of God from your life when living in this posture. That is why we must have apostolic maturity; to be strong in the Lord, and understand what God is doing in these days.

Time to Carve Up!

‘Judah will plow’ (Hosea 10:11).

Music will carve the track. It was sown into the world and now it is being reaped. With the power of apostolic music, you have the authority to carve a swathe of healing and deliverance into the heavens and the earth. The waves of the Spirit of God are going to get bigger. You will need far more stability to ride the waves (like the surfers of the ocean on bigger boards), so you can stay afloat carving up the waves.

The bigger the waves, the more relaxed you have to be, and more focused, wiser, and skilled. The waves will then carry you a long way and you won’t fall off. It’s time to ‘take the drop and ride the big ones – the sets are coming!’ Keep your hands clean, your heart pure, and you will see the reaping of Judah in your musical life.

Go carve!

‘Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, which has not lifted up his soul to an idol, nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation. This is Jacob, the generation of those who seek him, who seek Your face. Selah lift up your heads, O you gates! And be lifted up, you everlasting doors! And the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty. The Lord mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O you gates! Lift up, you everlasting doors!  And the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, He is the King of Glory. Selah’ (Psalms 24:3).

Selah is a David lyric, © Dave – ‘Aeons Ago Incorporated’!

Reap!

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Chapter excerpt from “The Power of Apostolic Music” reprinted by permission of the author. Based in Australia, Stephen Bennett carries an Apostolic-Prophetic mantle in the area of music and communications.