Ephod of Caiaphas or the Robe of John The Baptist

I was going to give another brief update on ministry, but I read this post on a young man's Facebook page and immediately knew this was a more important word than anything I could say.

In each generation God raises up young voices with the heart of God beating so strongly in them it literally shakes a generation. I believe Andrew Peters is such a young man. He calls me somewhat of a spiritual father to him, but really he teaches me more than I teach him!

Andrew is currently serving in the Army in another country. While he is serving our country militarily, he also has his face in God's face; and he is hearing from him. Please read the following word he posted on his Facebook page. If you are on Facebook, connect with he and his wife Nikki. When he gets back from his tour next fall, look for us: I'm going to be the one carrying his Bible for him while he preaches revival meetings across the country! It's a long writing, but please read it all; I think you will know in your spirit God is NOT through our young people or with America yet!

'The Church is trading in the Ephod of Caiaphas for the Robe of John the Baptist.'

In Biblical times, what a person wore, what they dressed in was very much connected to who they were. Clothes not only conveyed social status, but also we closely connected, often signifying, your identity in this present world.

In the passage about Bartimeaus receiving his sight the Bible tells us in Mark 10: 49-50 that 'Jesus stopped and said, "Call him." So they called to the blind man, "Cheer up! On your feet! He's calling you." 50Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus.'

That cloak identified him as a blind man. He threw that cloak down in faith that he was about to receive his sight. He cast off his old identity of a blind man in faith before he even received his sight and new identity from Jesus! Can we in faith cast off the old self, the old identity and pick up our identity in Christ. I declare that 'the one that makes all things new is on the inside of you. Cast off the old self and put on Christ!'

The same is seen in those that had leprosy. Those that were Jewish with a skin disease had to wear garments that showed that they were unclean, that they had leprosy that IDENTIFIED them as having leprosy. Why do you think Naaman was so desperate to be made clean from his leprosy (2 Kings 5)? By day, his clothes showed that he was the general of the armies of Syria, but by night, under his identity, under his clothing, he had to peel off the bottom layer of clothes from his skin, the last layer of his identity to cover up who he really was.

We see this identification through garments even today. How do you know that I'm a U.S. Soldier? It's because of the uniform I put on and the boots I lace up every day. How do I tell the navy apart from the air force? It's the uniform that gives the identification.

How do you distinguish the affluent from the impoverished in society? I know all of you are more holy than me and don't notice such trivial things, but I notice the clothes a person has on. For instance, would you give money to a beggar wearing Armani? I thought not.

This same characterization of identity through garments is seen in the Church. Where she once wore garments, not of worldly affluence, but of divine power she has traded in for the attire of an adulteress, given to the other lovers than our true bridegroom!

Where she once wore the Armor of God, ready for war, she is now content with comfortable silken garments as a sign of affluence gained through earthly endeavors.

This type of bride may 'win' many people, but it will be of the most shallow version of Christianity imaginable. God is not concerned with numbers, He is concerned with depth, He is concerned with a genuine heart. I refuse to raise up a generation that when all is said and done God will say of them 'you praise me with your lips, but your hearts are far from me (Is. 29:13).' Far be it from me God to pour out my life and have such empty fruit!

Yet this garment that of laziness and worldly affluence the church proudly wears. The church loves the adornment of the garments of Pharisees! Woe unto us that desire this prosperity, this so-called success, at the expense of true Gospel of the Kingdom, true depth in won souls, true persuasion that the Gospel is true and of utmost eternal significance as opposed to it simply being a good moral decision!

This is not new. I am reminded in a conversation St. Francis of Assisi had with the Pope. The pope proclaimed, 'No longer can the church say as St. Peter, 'silver and gold have we none.' And St. Francis proclaimed, 'True! And no longer she say 'rise up and walk' either!'

We have a form of Godliness, but lack the POWER thereof!

The Church at large is in a bad way right now. But I declare that there is a Remnant Rising! And this Remnant will begin to take of the Ephod of Caiaphas and begin to clothe the Church in the Robe of camel's hair that John the Baptist wore.

The Church is ridding herself of the clothing that identifies her as a Pharisee, steeped in tradition and the praise of man, taking off the garment that is saturated with hypocrisy and the pride of man.

And the Church is adorning itself in the robe of John the Baptist, putting on a new identity. The identity of a forerunner! The identity of a trailblazer! The identity of a true prophet! The identity the Church that will win the lost and see them have 'fruit in keeping with repentance,' not fruit that is only shown in an offering and butts in seats, but fruit that is shown in broken addictions, empty wheelchairs, and healed lives!

Jesus spoke of John the Baptist saying, 'What did you go in the wilderness to see? A reed swayed by the wind? If not, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? No, those who wear fine clothes are in kings' palaces. Then what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet! (Matt. 11:7-10).

More than a prophet! Not just a prophet but a forerunner! This new movement is more than just a prophetic movement, a healing movement, an apostolic movement. We've had those. They have come and gone. This is a forerunning movement to a Holy Visitation. The garment the Church will begin to adorn herself in 2010 will identify her as a Church carrying the spirit and power of Elijah, preparing the way of the Lord. You have to realize that Jesus isn't just coming, He is here AND coming…and I'm not talking about the rapture! I'm talking about an Awakening!

The thing about John is that he had every right to wear the linen ephod of a priest. His father was a priest. John was a member of the Levitical order. Why couldn't he be the forerunner of the Christ, and still be a priest in the temple of his forefathers? It's because to take up a new paradigm you have to be willing to discard an old one. The structure of the new covenant cannot come through the infrastructure of the old covenant. You cannot pour new wine in and old wineskin friends.

So rather than be what, by birth, he had every right to be, he chose to go into the desert instead of a temple, adorn himself in camel's hair and a leather belt instead of a linen ephod adorned with pomegranates and bells, eating honey and locusts rather than the sacrifices of Israel.

Rather than be ministerially successful in the world's eyes, in religion's eyes, he chose to be labeled a radical, a heretic, a lunatic, even a cult leader. But I call him a revolutionary and a forerunner!

This garment identified him as John the Baptist. This humble garment has its significance, as I said, not just in showing the identity of John, but also in the garments that were laid down to wear this one. Who are you trying to please?

Men or God? The Church or God? Religion or God?!

I don't want to just look right I want to be right! I don't want to do it big, I want to do it right!

John first went into the desert not to 'prepare the way of the Lord and make ready a people.' John went into the desert to make ready John! John had to get repentance in himself before he preached it. John had to get the spirit and power of Elijah in himself before he released it. John had to get the heart of the Father and his wisdom in the desert before he could 'turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.'

This prophet of God so shone for God that those that heard his message went home to sleepless night with blistered souls broken in repentance. Truly he never raised the dead, but this man with the 'fire of God in his eyes, the authority of God in his voice, and the passion of God in his heart' raised a dead nation.

In the same way you will not be a part of this Remnant adorned in the Robe of John unless you prepare your heart. You can't take on corporate purpose and deny individual responsibility. You can't have a church that operates in the spirit and power of Elijah, part of the forerunning of a revolution, unless you yourself have sought God in your desert, consecrated unto Him!

Oh how I long to be a part of this Awakening! But first my identity needs to be changed. Your identity needs to be changed. I promise you, I'm not ready, and you're not ready. Don't fool yourself into thinking you are. 'Well I'm fourth generation Pentecostal. My grandfather is a preacher. I speak in tongues.' Your emotion and Pentecostal persuasions do not make you ready. Who should have been more ready than the Pharisees, the religious leaders of the day? Yet they missed it while prostitutes and tax collectors got it! Consider that God had been silent for 400 years, and what an army of priest couldn't do in that time God accomplished it through John the Baptist inside of six months!

I'm not ready, but I'm getting ready!

Let's take off this religious, linen, praise seeking ephod that the Body is wearing and adorn the Robe of John, taking on the title 'Revolutionary,' becoming a consecrated people, HOLY unto the Lord, even unto death. I don't desire a long life, but a full one! John the Baptist was beheaded before he was forty, yet Jesus said of him, 'I tell you no greater man has been born of woman.' He didn't waste his life friend. And neither will I! Declare this with me…

God, give me the Robe of John! God take religion out of me and replace it with Holy Revolution. So set me on fire in the desert, so set my church on fire, so set this movement on fire, so set Remnant on fire, that people would come from everywhere just to watch you burn in me! So set us on fire that everything around us is forced to adapt to our fiery nature! From this fire in me start ten thousand more! 'Fire begets fire!' I will not have ashes where I once had a fire. I will not carry a candle but a torch! Revival will not tarry because of me! It will not be said of your people in this hour 'there is none that stirreth up himself to take hold of Thee! (Is. 64:7). But let us seek you with all that is in me and 'suddenly the Lord WHOM YOU SEEK will visit His temple' (Mal 3:2). We declare the beginning of a great awakening, so take me into the desert to prepare me for its fullness to come!

I pray that you don't read this and think 'good word,' or 'wow, that kid is 23 and full of revelation.' Far be it from you! I pray you take this and say 'that was from God, and it's going to change everything about me.' I pray you take this and cast off the religion inside of you. I pray it convicts you to ask 'God show me if there be any wicked way in me.' I pray it pushes you to say 'God, I'm not ready for what's coming. No matter how much I think I am, I know I'm not. But your making me ready.' I hope it drives you to take off Caiaphas' ephod and put on the Robe of John the Baptist, changing your identity and role as the Bride changes hers.

In Him,

Andrew Peters

Remnant Ministries