THE PROPHETIC IMPLICATION OF THE FEASTS OF ISRAEL TO THE CHURCH – Part 1

By

Wole Olakunle

Any attempt to interpret the Bible especially the conclusion of all things, without a solid grasp of the hidden timelines in the scriptures such as the Feasts of Israel, the tabernacle patterns leading to final evolution of the Temple, the dream of Nebuchadnezzar about the kingdom, the 70 weeks of Daniel among others will lead to an inaccurate conclusion that is way off from the divine intent. Literal interpretation is good and vital but divine mysteries are concealed within the scriptures and wrapped in symbolic form. Lased in the scriptures are prophetic themes intricately woven together. Hence it will take an absolute comprehension of the scriptural lines to be able to decode these keys. Ever since God drove man from the garden, the interpretation of this event shifts from its original literal form to assume a spiritual dimension. No longer will they be fulfilled literarily but now expressed spiritually. Hence if we can understand their literal appearance in scripture and functionality, then a gentle view with the eye of the Spirit will unveil its spiritual code.

If the church continually focuses only on the literal forms of scriptural appearance, it will only settle for the secondary expression and not the primary intent. The symbolic code unveils the Most holy place as the ministry of the cherubim is at work to drive out intruders. The so called end times or Divine conclusion can not be located with three or four scriptures but to understand the divine theme of the entire Bible. How the New Testament is the Old Testament revealed and how the Old Testament is the New Testament concealed. Both testaments speak the same thing. They are a build up on one another. Divine confirmation must run through both. The divine intent are cased and concealed in the two so that they both agree and bring confirmation to hidden prophecy. The theme builds itself together through the intricate weaving of The Spirit progressively from the first Book Genesis until we arrive at the final book Revelation which contains the key to the final puzzle. No wonder it is the most difficult to understand. The whole divine project is to bring the restored man back to the garden to be filled completely with the glory earlier lost. We call it re-genesis that is bringing man back to the garden. Let’s bear in mind that the Cherubim was given the assignment to keep the fallen man away from the garden so as not to eat the tree of life in his fallen nature

Genesis 3:24 So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.

This ministry is still at work till date. The veiling of scriptures is to drive away intruders with heavy, difficult-to-understand symbols. So only those who are able to decode the symbols can unveil the divine intent. This is given to disciples.

9 Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.

10 And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables?

11 He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.

12 For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.

13 Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.

14 And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:

15 For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.

16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.

17 For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them. (Matthew 13:9-17)

The Greek word for disciples is mathētēs which means a learner, that is, pupil: - disciple. Kingdom mysteries are only given to those with this attributes, not those who are filled with the error of their ways, those who believe they know everything. We must come afresh before the Lord, to be taught of Him, not to condemn what we do not understand. Quite a sizeable number in the church might not be very familiar with this topic, but the wrong response will be to begin to criticize or fight against it instead of sitting down to learn. We must check the Spirit not the flesh ensuring that the Word of God becomes the evaluation standard. The Church will keep adjusting, reaching to new positions in the Spirit until we are totally like Christ.

Having said that, you will find diverse symbols in Scriptures especially the Book of Revelations such as the day of the Lord, trumpet, the lamb, New Jerusalem, beast, white horse, dragon, book of life, Lamb's wife, the city was pure gold , the street of the city was pure gold, cloud, the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven , meet the Lord in the air, descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, with the trump of God, the dead in Christ shall rise first, and the angel of the church among others. They are veiled Metaphoric symbolic codes. Any literal interpretation will lead to wrong conclusions which are inconsistent with Bible themes.

10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet, (Rev 1:10)

Isaiah 58:1 ¶Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins.

The voice as a trumpet clearly indicates a message because the voice is a medium for giving message.

Therefore the book of Revelation captures in another form the events leading to the fall, leading us back to the place of our fall to herald us to the finish. That re-genesis means the tree of Life leading to immortality is hidden in the book of revelation. Once man can break the seal in the book, the access to the tree of life will now be granted. Continual feasting of the tree of life will produce eternal life leading to the emergence of the immortal sons and death is defeated.

He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God. Rev 2:7.

The word paradise in that scripture also means EDEN.

The feasts are so strategic and important that it formed part of the reasons God instructed Moses to tell Pharaoh in Egypt TO LET His people go.

“And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, thus saith the LORD Israel is my son, even my firstborn, and I say unto thee, let my son go, that he may serve me and if thou refuse to let him go behold, I will slay thy son, even thy firstborn (Ex 4: 22-23). “And afterward Moses and Aaron went in, and told Pharaoh, thus saith the LORD God of Israel, let my people go, that they may hold a feast unto me in the wilderness (Ex 5:1).

Clearly, their Exodus from Egypt was connected to a feast. They must leave Egypt to worship the Lord. Their migration from Egypt actually signified the beginning feast called Passover. Hence hidden in the feast is the core issue of migration or Exodus.

The feast points to divine movement which eventually becomes our movement. Passover became the foundation for the unveilings of the other feasts. Feasts details God’s movement in seasons aptly termed dispensations. Feasts are distant markers. They calibrate divine events. Feasts unveil hidden divine events. They bring about their prophetic fulfillment once they are discovered by prophetic eagle eyed men like Daniel who discovered that the 70 years desolation of Israel as prophetically spoken by Jeremiah has ran out its due course and Israel was due for restoration. They are divine timelines. They are dispensational oriented.

Incidentally the last feast, Tabernacles also celebrated Israel’s journey in the wilderness, how they lived in booths (tabernacles) on their way to the finish (Canaan). Feasts carry divine phases of movements from the beginning (Passover) to the ultimate finish (Tabernacles).

The time of divine completion of all things or finish has to do with a solid understanding of the feast. They carry more divine weight than their literal outlook. God hides divine things in that literal encasement. Therefore they are symbolic representation of a divine mystery. The Lord Jesus on several occasions prefers to use earthly literal symbols to explain spiritual realities referred to as parables. The Feasts of Israel is one of the unlocking keys to understand the finish. The Tabernacle of Moses and the evolution to the Temple, the 70 weeks of Daniel, the message of the 7th Trumpet among others are the other keys to immortality door called the finish. They all come under the Gospel of the Kingdom which is the gospel we subscribe to.

WHAT OTHERS HAVE TO SAY ABOUT THE FEASTS

Any serious study of Bible prophecy should begin with the feast days of Israel that are found in the law. The feast days provide us with the basic outline of the plan of God of salvation for the individual, as well as an outline of God's plan (as Paul states) to "put all things under His feet." Too many books on Bible prophecy show very little understanding of the feast days, resulting in some popular but misleading views.

-- STEPHEN JONES

The feasts were yearly gatherings or holy convocations of the people of Israel for worship at Jerusalem. The laws regulating these assemblies were given to the Children of Israel by God on Mount Sinai. The feasts were given as seasons of divine appointments with God for worship and they were established as eternal ordinances that were to be observed by every generation of Jews. The spiritual significance of these feasts has been lost by the church because they were looked upon as Old Testament observances. Nevertheless, the truths relating these feasts to the life of the church are now being restored and we now know that these feasts spiritually foreshadow specific aspects of the God’s plan of Salvation for humanity.

SAMUEL OYELESE

SEVEN MAJOR FEASTS OF ISRAEL

Leviticus 23:1-44

1. FEAST OF PASSOVER – Lev 23: 5, Exodus 12: 3 – 14
2. FEAST OF UNLEAVENED BREAD – Lev 23: 6 – 9
3. FEAST OF FIRSTFRUITS – Lev 23: 10 – 14
4. FEAST OF PENTECOST OR WEEKS – Lev 23: 15 – 22
5. FEAST OF TRUMPETS – Lev 23: 23 – 25
6. THE DAY OF ATONEMENT – Lev 23: 26 – 32
7. FEAST OF TABERNACLES OR THE INGATHERING – Lev 23: 33 – 44

Leviticus 23:1 ¶And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, Concerning the feasts of the LORD, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are my feasts.

3 Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the sabbath of rest, an holy convocation; ye shall do no work therein: it is the sabbath of the LORD in all your dwellings.

4 ¶These are the feasts of the LORD, even holy convocations, which ye shall proclaim in their seasons.

FEAST OF PASSOVER

5 In the fourteenth day of the first month at even is the LORD'S passover.

FEAST OF UNLEAVENED BREAD

6 And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread unto the LORD: seven days ye must eat unleavened bread.

7 In the first day ye shall have an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein.

8 But ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD seven days: in the seventh day is an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein.

9 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

FEAST OF FIRSTFRUITS

10 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest unto the priest:

11 And he shall wave the sheaf before the LORD, to be accepted for you: on the morrow after the sabbath the priest shall wave it.

12 And ye shall offer that day when ye wave the sheaf an he lamb without blemish of the first year for a burnt offering unto the LORD.

13 And the meat offering thereof shall be two tenth deals of fine flour mingled with oil, an offering made by fire unto the LORD for a sweet savour: and the drink offering thereof shall be of wine, the fourth part of an hin.

14 And ye shall eat neither bread, nor parched corn, nor green ears, until the selfsame day that ye have brought an offering unto your God: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.

FEAST OF PENTECOST OR WEEKS

15 ¶And ye shall count unto you from the morrow after the sabbath, from the day that ye brought the sheaf of the wave offering; seven sabbaths shall be complete:

16 Even unto the morrow after the seventh sabbath shall ye number fifty days; and ye shall offer a new meat offering unto the LORD.

17 Ye shall bring out of your habitations two wave loaves of two tenth deals: they shall be of fine flour; they shall be baken with leaven; they are the firstfruits unto the LORD.

18 And ye shall offer with the bread seven lambs without blemish of the first year, and one young bullock, and two rams: they shall be for a burnt offering unto the LORD, with their meat offering, and their drink offerings, even an offering made by fire, of sweet savour unto the LORD.

19 Then ye shall sacrifice one kid of the goats for a sin offering, and two lambs of the first year for a sacrifice of peace offerings.

20 And the priest shall wave them with the bread of the firstfruits for a wave offering before the LORD, with the two lambs: they shall be holy to the LORD for the priest.

21 And ye shall proclaim on the selfsame day, that it may be an holy convocation unto you: ye shall do no servile work therein: it shall be a statute for ever in all your dwellings throughout your generations.

22 And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not make clean riddance of the corners of thy field when thou reapest, neither shalt thou gather any gleaning of thy harvest: thou shalt leave them unto the poor, and to the stranger: I am the LORD your God.

FEAST OF TRUMPETS

23 ¶And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

24 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall ye have a sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, an holy convocation.

25 Ye shall do no servile work therein: but ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD.

THE DAY OF ATONEMENT

26 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

27 Also on the tenth day of this seventh month there shall be a day of atonement: it shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD.

28 And ye shall do no work in that same day: for it is a day of atonement, to make an atonement for you before the LORD your God.

29 For whatsoever soul it be that shall not be afflicted in that same day, he shall be cut off from among his people.

30 And whatsoever soul it be that doeth any work in that same day, the same soul will I destroy from among his people.

31 Ye shall do no manner of work: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.

32 It shall be unto you a sabbath of rest, and ye shall afflict your souls: in the ninth day of the month at even, from even unto even, shall ye celebrate your sabbath.

FEAST OF TABERNACLES OR THE INGATHERING

33 ¶And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

34 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the feast of tabernacles for seven days unto the LORD.

35 On the first day shall be an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein.

36 Seven days ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD: on the eighth day shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD: it is a solemn assembly; and ye shall do no servile work therein.

37 These are the feasts of the LORD, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, to offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD, a burnt offering, and a meat offering, a sacrifice, and drink offerings, every thing upon his day:

38 Beside the sabbaths of the LORD, and beside your gifts, and beside all your vows, and beside all your freewill offerings, which ye give unto the LORD.

39 Also in the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when ye have gathered in the fruit of the land, ye shall keep a feast unto the LORD seven days: on the first day shall be a sabbath, and on the eighth day shall be a sabbath.

40 And ye shall take you on the first day the boughs of goodly trees, branches of palm trees, and the boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook; and ye shall rejoice before the LORD your God seven days.

41 And ye shall keep it a feast unto the LORD seven days in the year. It shall be a statute for ever in your generations: ye shall celebrate it in the seventh month.

42 Ye shall dwell in booths seven days; all that are Israelites born shall dwell in booths:

43 That your generations may know that I made the children of Israel to dwell in booths, when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.

44 And Moses declared unto the children of Israel the feasts of the LORD.

(To be continued in the next edition)

Sources:

Sam Oyelese – The Mountain of God

Stephen Jones – The laws of the second coming

WELCOME TO OUR WORLD

Welcome to the official website of The Third Temple – Church of the First Born. We hope you will find it interesting, and our prayer for you is that you shall be blessed, increased and challenged as you view our website.

This website is committed to the enthronement of Christ which is our core emphasis. We are open to the prophetic and the apostolic thrust on the earth and this site is richly influenced by this salient realities.

You will find information about the ministry, the set-man, ministry developments, articles and other interesting resource on the site.

Once again, thank you for visiting the site and we hope you will make it a regular one. May our Lord Jesus bless you.

CHURCH SERVICES

FELLOWSHIP TIME:

Wednesday – 6pm

Sunday - 9.30am

VENUE:

6, Ramos Street, Off Agege Motor Road, Moshalashi B/stop, Surulere, Lagos.

OUR VISION

Our emphasis is the Gospel of the Kingdom, which is not only the finishing gospel but the original apostolic building pattern.

We are FULLY persuaded that the PRESENT emphasis of the Holy Spirit are the RECOVERY and RESTORATION of the lost Apostolic building pattern through the gospel of the kingdom which will not ONLY bring back the glory of God to the church, but also the perfection of the church. We are running with a defined program, plan and evolving strategy to accomplish our vision. Our methodology is drawn from the tabernacle, and OUR gate key (specific to us) to unlocking the divine code that will manifest the Melchizedek sons is THE THIRD TEMPLE.

The Third Temple is established on the premise of the church heading towards the finish. It emphasizes a people moving towards the Most Holy. The first tabernacle was built by Moses, and then Solomon built the second Temple. The Third Temple Ezekiel saw in Ezekiel 40-48 was never built. It was in a spiritual form unlike the others which were physically built. It will therefore be fulfilled in Christ and his brethren. Temple meaning shifted in Christ. It was no longer physical building but people.

Matthew 24:1 ¶And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple.2 And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.

Christ in the above invalidated the physical temple structure at that time. The Temple Christ referred to was built by Herod for the Jews. Christ then went on to refer to himself as the Temple. The temple now took on a human form.

John 2:19 Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.20 Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days?21 But he spake of the temple of his body.

Not only is Christ a temple, believers were also referred to as temples. They are the Third Temple. The fulfillment of Ezekiel vision.

1 Corinthians 3:16 ¶Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? 17 If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.

The restoring gospel for the finish is the gospel of the kingdom Jesus said "this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all nations then the end shall come..." (Matthew 24:14). This prophecy was given as a sign of the end of the age and the emergence of God’s kingdom on the earth. It is centered primarily on the establishment of the heavenly will on the earth. We believe that we are witnessing the beginning of the fulfillment of the prophecy as ministries declaring the gospel of the Kingdom are springing up at diverse part of the earth with the third world witnessing a boom in such. Areas such as the Caribbean, Asia, Latin America and Africa are the leading centre for this kingdom move, though this kingdom move has witnesses in every part of the world.

These emerging kingdom ministries and churches are the final aspect of the divine agenda of God for the restoration of the church back to the apostolic pattern that Jesus Christ established way back with the early church. This means that this present generation will likely witness the return and restoration of the glory of God hitherto lost in the Garden of Eden and come to the realm of fullness or immortal life.

VISION SUMMARY

1. LOOKING AT JESUS. BECOMING LIKE JESUS. CHANGING INTO HIS IMAGE.

Man must not be allowed to occupy our temple; if he does he becomes our god. Only God must occupy the throne of our heart. We must respect men even our leaders but not worship them. Only God we must worship.

2. LOCATING THE PURPOSE OF OUR CREATION, THE DIVINE INTENT.

Only through Jesus can we truly locate the purpose of our creation. Jesus is the embodiment of the divine intent. Only through Him can humanity find her true identity.

“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6)

3. GOING BEYOND THE RELIGIOUS VEILS, EARTHLY LIMITATIONS AND CORRUPTIONS.

Jesus is no religion. Jesus is the word became flesh and Him alone we must seek to become. Only through Jesus can we find the perfect and acceptable way to please the Father and free ourselves from earthly encumbrances and corruptions.

4. REACHING INTO THE VERY HEART AND PRESENCE OF THE FATHER.

The Father is our destination. He must be the only one that drives our existence. We must reach for His heart and long for nothing but His presence. Nothing else will do. The Father is our eternal reward. Pleasing the Father must be our eternal ministry. His presence is vital and His heart, the strength of our pursuit.

“Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.” (Psalms 16:11)

5. UNDERSTANDING DISPENSATIONS AND THE DIVINE MASTER PLAN.

There is the need for believers to understand biblical timelines within the overall divine master plan. The church runs according to dispensations within the divine master plan. Interpretation and understanding of the timelines must be through the eyes of Christ who is the central theme of the Bible from Genesis to Revelations. Each of the sixty six books of the Bible is a dimension of the unveilings of Christ, with the capstone being the book of Revelations.

6. MOVING FROM PENTECOST TO TABERNACLES.

The Lord established the Feasts of Israel as a vital timeline in the church’s migration towards the finish. Developing a finishing mindset is very vital as the Feasts provide the divine clock to track divine movements, truth restored, position attained as a people marked for the finish. Interpretation and symbolic understanding of the feasts must be through the eternal light of Christ. Pentecost is the fourth feast of Israel, there is the next feast. That is where we believe the church must move to. We are between the transition from Pentecost to the remaining three feasts of Trumpet, Atonement and Tabernacles.

7. SETTLING FOR NOTHING BUT THE FULLNESS OF CHRIST.

The fullness of Christ is the seal of our pursuit. It is not the fullness of the flesh or man. We must never settle for partials but fullness. It lies in Christ and we must pursue it.

Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: - Ephesians 4:13

NEWS

BILLY JOE DAUGHERTY DIES AT 57

Megachurch pastor Billy Joe Daugherty died early Sunday morning after a brief battle with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. He was 57.

A memorial service will be held Nov. 30.

Daugherty, founder of 17,000-member Victory Christian Center in Tulsa, Okla., announced last month that he had been diagnosed with cancer, spawning a global prayer chain for his healing.

In a statement released Sunday, church leaders said Daugherty "experienced his ultimate healing by entering into the presence of God." They said the pastor passed away peacefully at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, surrounded by his family.

"We are sad to lose the presence of our pastor, shepherd, father and brother," the statement said. "We are thankful, however, for his life, love and influence on the individuals and ministries he inspired for the last 30 years."

Although known for his teaching on faith, health and prosperity, Daugherty avoided much of the controversy that has surrounded many Word-Faith preachers, including his mentors Oral Roberts and the late Kenneth Hagin Sr.

Committed to world missions, Daugherty helped plant ministries around the world. He founded the International Victory Bible Institute, which has campuses worldwide, and Victory World Missions Training Center.

In Tulsa, Daugherty founded Victory Christian School and the Tulsa Dream Center, which provides food, clothing and medical services to those in need. He and his wife, Victory co-pastor Sharon Daugherty, also host a television show, Victory in Jesus, that is broadcast worldwide, and the couple have written more than a dozen books.

"I am certain that to his very last breath he affected millions of lives for the gospel," said Bible teacher Marilyn Hickey, who befriended the Daughertys more than 30 years ago. "It is a great grief to me to think he is gone. ... He was like a rock to the body of Christ, but in leaving he left a lot more rocks, solid believers."

Kenneth Copeland, a longtime friend who has spoken at Victory's annual Word Explosion conference, said Daugherty was a man of utmost integrity. "He and Sharon are people of character and quality," Copeland told Charisma.

"Of course, we do not enjoy seeing him leave, but two things we know for sure: His place with Christ Jesus is assured. The second is that Sharon Daugherty is a powerful woman of God who will continue in the high standard, excellence and uncompromising ministry of the Word of God."

Bishop T.D. Jakes, who was scheduled to speak at Victory Dec. 20, said the global church has lost a treasure. "Pastor Billy Joe Daugherty was an extraordinary pastor whose leadership was only rivaled by his love for people of all walks of life," Jakes said. "The body of Christ has lost a general and a treasure of mammoth proportions. Our loss is heavens gain.

Born in Magnolia, Ark., Daugherty was raised in the United Methodist Church and married the daughter of a Methodist minister. He eventually became associated with independent charismatics after being baptized in the Holy Spirit while a student at Oral Roberts University (ORU), where he earned a bachelor's degree in 1974.

He and wife Sharon attended classes at Christ for the Nations Institute in Dallas before returning to Tulsa to serve as youth ministers at Sheridan Christian Center.

Daugherty became senior pastor there in 1976 when the pastor retired, according to the Tulsa World. The church grew from 300 to 2,000 under his leadership, but a disagreement with church leaders caused Daugherty to leave in the early 1980s and start Victory. In 2007, the church moved into a $32 million, 5,000-seat worship center, built debt-free.

Daugherty served on the Board of Reference of ORU, and stepped in as interim president in 2007 when former president Richard Roberts resigned amid allegations that he misused university funds.

"The Oral Roberts University community mourns the loss of a truly gracious and generous kingdom leader," said current ORU President Mark Rutland. "Billy Joe Daugherty was not just a landmark in Tulsa, but a spokesman for the gospel beloved around the world."

In addition to his wife, Daugherty is survived by his mother, Iru Daugherty, and his four children, all of whom are in ministry: Sarah Wehrli, Ruthie Sanders, John Daugherty and Paul Daugherty.

The memorial service is to be held at 1 p.m. Nov. 30 at ORU's Mabee Center.

CHARISMA NEWS ONLINE

BILLY JOE DAUGHERTY REMEMBERED FOR HIS PASSION FOR EVANGELISM

Pastor Billy Joe Daugherty was remembered as a compassionate leader with a passion for evangelism during a four-hour memorial service held Monday in Tulsa, Okla.

Daugherty, founder of 17,000-member Victory Christian Center in Tulsa, died Nov. 22 of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. He was 57.

The memorial service drew 8,000 people to the Oral Roberts University (ORU) Mabee Center, and included remarks from such speakers as Bethany World Prayer Center pastor Larry Stockstill, ORU Board Chairman Mart Green and Nigerian Bishop David Oyedepo.

"Today we are celebrating a great man," Lakewood Church co-founder Dodie Osteen said. "Billy Joe Daugherty—a man of faith, a man of God, a man of integrity. The Bible says if we walk in integrity we will not stumble. I never heard of Billy Joe Daugherty stumbling because he walked in integrity."

"Everybody that I know in the world loved Billy Joe," healing evangelist Oral Roberts said by video. "They were touched by his remarkable Christian life and his desire to touch them and lift them up. ... His preaching was full of Jesus."

Through 30 years of ministry, Daugherty helped plant ministries around the world and founded the International Victory Bible Institute, which has more than 900 campuses worldwide; the Victory World Missions Training Center; and the Tulsa Dream Center, which provides food, clothing and medical services to needy families.

He served on several boards, including that of his alma mater, ORU, and was Oklahoma director for Christians United for Israel.

Daugherty's wife and Victory co-pastor, Sharon Daugherty, said her husband suffered with what seemed to be a virus in his throat in 1989. At that time, one specialist said Daugherty may have had a rare disease called chronic lymphatic leukemia, but the diagnosis was never firm.

Daugherty said three days later, while he was still in the hospital, her husband sensed God telling him he was healed. Soon after, Daugherty's health improved, and he continued preaching.

He showed no signs of the illness again until a year and a half ago when his neck began to swell during a trip to Rwanda. He was treated by the same specialist he had seen nearly 20 years before, and his health again improved until this summer when he was hospitalized with what doctors initially believed was a virus.

In October, when he announced that he had been diagnosed with lymphoma, he told his congregation he was standing in faith for healing while cooperating with medical professionals.

"He's the kind of person who wanted to stand strong and not cause people fear," Sharon Daugherty said. "He didn't want people to be shaken."

Christians worldwide joined him in prayer, and during the memorial service Sharon Daugherty cautioned them not to lose confidence in the power of prayer.

"I know sometimes people think, well if prayers, if they don't' go the way we thought that they were going to go we just stop praying. No, that would be like stopping breathing," she said.

"I just wanted to encourage you with Luke 18:1-men ought always to pray and not faint and not give up and not quit," she added. "That's very important because you and I need prayer. Prayer is communication with God the Father. No matter what we face in life, we need our communication with God."

She said her husband was motivated by a passion to reach people with the gospel and see them empowered. "Whatever he did he did with a motive to reach people," she said, adding that he launched the Bible schools and missions training center to that end. "He did it because he loved people."

A video tribute of Daugherty shown near the end of the service closed with the pastor giving an invitation to salvation.

Bible teacher Kenneth Copeland told Sharon Daugherty that the ministry's best years were to come.

"You thought you've seen something in the past; dear heart you haven't seen anything yet," Copeland said. "The word that came alive in your heart and your life has ... grown stronger. So sorrow not, dear one, but rejoice. The greatest things are in your future."

In closing the service, Bible teacher John Bevere echoed that sentiment. He said Daugherty's life was given as a seed, and he challenged attendees to imitate the pastor's commitment to reach the lost.

"We are all sons and daughters of Billy Joe and Sharon Daugherty," Bevere said. "Now it is our responsibility to go and multiply his ways in Christ."

"There will be more people come into the kingdom of God as a result of this man's life going into the ground as a seed," he continued. "More will come to the Lord than his entire years of ministry on this earth. And it will happen. I speak it in Jesus' name."

In addition to his wife, Daugherty is survived by his mother, Iru Daugherty, and his four children Sarah Wehrli, Ruthie Sanders, John Daugherty and Paul Daugherty.

CHARISMA NEWS ONLINE

ABOUT LIVE MANNA MINISTRIES

Live Manna Ministries is the parent Ministry of THE THIRD TEMPLE – Church of the Firstborn.

EXPRESSION

The name of the ministry speaks of Manna which represents the word coming from heaven and “Live” speaks of an event happening now. Therefore live Manna speaks of what God is doing now. It speaks of continuous unveiling of fresh revelatory truths of dimensions of Christ that will cause us to accurately migrate into Him. Live manna is about knowing the present revelatory ingredients that will cause our life to be accurately patterned after Christ. Therefore Live Manna Ministry is dedicated to our coming into Christ. The expression and focus of the ministry is geared towards enthroning Christ first in our life, then the world. He must be Lord of us first before he becomes the lord of all. Our dimension of the apostolic is the enthronement of Christ – He must be lord of us first, then lord of all.

We believe Christ must be enthroned in our life first, thereby causing our lifestyle to properly articulate Christ, thus becoming anointed evangelism tool before other evangelism expressions can function accurately.

The second expression is our passion for teaching the word that support, strengthen and uplift the church to bring illumination to the world. The teaching is carried out heavily affected by the apostolic realities of today. The church being strengthened as it conforms to the image of Christ before it can bring illumination to the world. That will only happen when Christ is enthroned in our lives. The vision expression of preaching the cross and teaching the word in the light of the present (live) emphasis of the Spirit has it’\s root in the “enthronement of Christ”- He must be lord of us first, then lord of all.

CONFERENCES / SEMINARS

4 – 7 SEMINAR

• 4 – 7 SEMINAR

• 1. To midwife a safe transition from the fourth feast (Pentecost - 4) to the seventh feasts (Tabernacles - 7). To declare an exit and the dawning of a new day.

• 2. To build the appropriate mindset and the vital structure for orderly transition.

• 3. To bring to greater awareness biblical timelines such as the Feasts of Israel, tabernacle pattern and other time indicators in the scripture to help us understand the seasons and the appropriate response to the Spirit call.

• 4. To inspire believers whose life are now constructed on the new spiritual realities in the new season to remain focused, grounded and equipped as we move towards the consummation of all things.

• 5. To inspire utmost allegiance to the promptings of the Spirit thereby ensuring a departure from the “man-god” syndrome, so that only God will seat on the throne of our temple and not man. As we follow the leadership of the Spirit we seek to understand dispensations and tracking the phases of our own personal journey in the race towards the finish.

6. To provoke the participants to relevant thought and insightful dialogue centered on the restoring gospel of the Kingdom, thereby bringing greater illumination and clarity to the revelation of Jesus Christ. The free speaking atmosphere of thought and dialogue will facilitate greater networking as we share pieces of our discoveries with one another thereby edifying one another and ensuring that our life pursuit is firmly built on the continuous unveilings of Christ not fables.

• 7. To move from the Irrelevant to the Relevant, from Minor to Major, from Religion to Lifestyle, from Man to Christ, from Start to the Finish, from the Flesh to the Spirit, from Death to Life, from Passover to Tabernacle, from Man’s need to God’s need, from Consumer church to Kingdom church, from Babylon to Zion, from Outer court to the Most holy, from Brass to Gold, from Immature sons to the Firstborn sons and from the Physical temple to the Third temple (man at the finish – overcomers).