Prophetic Word for Worship Leaders: God is Releasing the Thunder of His Throne Roo
God is releasing the thunder of His throne room!
A prophetic word for worship leaders, psalmists and songwriters
At the beginning of the year, I felt impressed that the Holy Spirit was releasing 8 unique “Roars of the Lord.” These were not exclusive for 2018, but I believe they would be boldly pronounced this year and we would see them start reverberating through the body of Christ. One of these roars was specifically identified as “The Roar of Throne Room Thunder.”
What in the world did this mean?
“Come Up Here!”
I prophesy that we are in a season where the Lord is calling His worship leaders and songwriters to “Come up here” (see Rev. 4:1). You can “come up” because there is a door open in Heaven. Jesus has opened the door for you, through the shedding of His blood, to actually step through this open door into the heavenly realm. For true worshippers, like John the Beloved, the door to this realm is wide opened!
The Lord is calling worship leaders out of the celebrity syndrome that has infected some in the contemporary worship movement. He is not looking to entrust those wanting to fill an album or write the next worship “hit.” God is seeing translators. Yes, translators of the sights and sounds of His realm. The ones most qualified to translate Heaven are the ones who are most familiar with its centerpiece, the One seated upon the Throne.
The sacred invitation He is extending is for whosoever, but it is highly exclusive. It’s an invitation to friendship and intimacy, for the intimates of God hear His whisper, and those who hear His whisper of intimacy are most qualified to release His roar of authority. “Worship warriors hear the whisper and release the roar!”
The intimate ones are being summoned into the counsel of the Lord. Like Elijah in the Old Testament, who could boldly claim that he stood before the Lord (while standing on Earth), so the Lord is also calling friends to take their place in the heavenly realm that Jesus’ blood opened the door into. There is a door standing open in Heaven, and it’s the doorway to hearing the sounds of throne room thunderings.
Two Key Portions of Scripture for Worship Leaders: Isaiah 6 and Hebrews 12
The Lord keeps pointing me to these two portions of Scriptures, as I believe they give blueprints for what the Spirit is speaking to the worship leaders of this hour.
The Song of Heaven
Isaiah 6:1-4
In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train[a] of his robe filled the temple. 2 Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3 And one called to another and said:
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;
the whole earth is full of his glory!”[b]
4 And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke.
Again, the Lord is calling to you “Come up here. Come up where I am. Don’t try to bring Me down to your level.” This is not a negative statement, as a “God” fashioned in our own image is not worthy of worship. Rather than try to make God more acceptable for general consumption, the invitation being extended is quite the opposite. Don’t bring God down here; go up to where He is. See Him as He is.
Isaiah saw the Lord as He was. Isaiah lifted his eyes, tilted his gaze. The point of Isaiah 6, verse 1 is that Isaiah saw the Lord as He was, and that is the amazing invitation to you, worship leader. See the Lord as He is and write about that. It’s great to write songs about the wonderful things God does for us, how He moves in our lives, His love, grace and mercy. Keep it up. But different songs have different assignments, and I see the Spirit is seeking those He can quite literally posses with a song that is birthed because your eyes “saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up.” I prophesy that in this season, your spiritual eyes shall see the Lord as He is, and you shall write out of your encounter. The Earth, starting with the church, needs to hear songs again that declare Who God is!
This is the hour where there are songs about the nature of God being given as gifts for His intimates and friends. He wants to give you songs that translate the sounds being released in the heavenly realm. Why is it that certain songs release a thunder that impacts the atmosphere as they are sung? Some songs simply contain lyrics that were birthed in Heaven. These lyrics are in agreement with heavenly activity, and thus, say “Amen” to the choruses being heralded around the throne of God. As words from Heaven are sung on Earth, they carry and release a measure of glory.
There was a time where church competition was based on who had the better music; this is no longer the case. Everyone has gone “contemporary,” for the most part. It’s possible for even the smallest of churches to have professional musicians and amazing vocalists. Songwriters are popping up all over the place and churches, large and small, are beginning to release their own worship albums. All of this is fantastic! May the songs of the Lord canvas the Earth. While all of this music is great, all of it is for nothing if there is no anointing or Presence of God upon the worship. We don’t worship for entertainment purposes. Worship is not the prelude to the “real church service.” It’s not warm up. It’s not performance-based. Worship is a response to the worth of God, and likewise, worship is an encounter with the Person and Presence of the Worthy One being exalted.
Worship leaders and songwriters, don’t pursue professionalism; pursue Presence. Encourage professionalism, as God deserves our excellence, but don’t let it be the end goal of your quest in creating a worship culture. Professionalism as the chief end will always be a distraction that often draws people to a personality or presentation style, not to the Presence.
Sounds from Heaven summon…
The people who participate in your worship gatherings need to hear the sound that draws the multiples. For on the Day of Pentecost, it wasn’t professional musicians or a hip preacher that ushered 3000 souls into the Kingdom; it was the sound of Holy Spirit outpouring. “And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting” (Acts 2:2). This sound does at least two things: It summons and it shakes.
In Acts 2, the sound summons the multitudes. “And at this sound the multitude came together” (Acts 2:6). It’s the roar of the Spirit breaking into the Earth that responds to the deep longing of 3000 hearts. What’s significant about the sound? Catch this, as it relates directly to the kind of songs that release Heaven on Earth. The sound that summoned the multitudes was not polished and professional (none of these things are bad, of course). The sound was not of natural human origin. The sound had a point of origin. Revisit the first part of Acts 2:2 – “And suddenly there came from heaven…” The sound originated in Heaven because it was released into the Earth.
It’s the sounds from Heaven that will summon those on the Earth. Worship leaders, hear and translate the sounds from Heaven that are to become soul-summoning songs in the Earth!
Sounds from Heaven always summon the spiritually hungry and thirsty because the “Deep” within every human being cries out for the deep of God. “Deep calls to deep at the roar of your waterfalls…” (Ps. 42:7). The deepest parts of humanity respond to the “deep” of God—His Holy Spirit. Yet, there is something that provokes this cry. “The roar of your waterfalls.” The sound. The sound of His outpouring actually awakens the deep places of yearning and hunger within humanity… for God!
What does the song of Heaven sound like?
It’s simple and timeless: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty.” (Is. 6:3)
The Lord is looking for those who will sing, once again, of His greatness and holiness. Of His unlike-ness. Of His set-apartness. There are songs that carry a unique throne room thunder. Whether it’s “How Great Thou Art,” “How Great is Our God” or “Revelation Song,” these songs feature timeless lyrics that are human words struggling to declare an affirming “Amen” to what is already being sung in Heaven. These are the songs that Heaven desires to deposit into the Earth in this hour. Why?
Consider the relationship between the song of Isaiah 6 and the sound that’s released. After we are introduced to the song of Heaven, ““Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!”[b we witness something that this song produces in the atmosphere. “4 And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke” (Is. 6:4). In response to the declaration of that song, things shook and a manifestation of royal glory was released.
The Lord says, as you sing the songs of Heaven, you can expect the sounds of Heaven to produce results on Earth. Souls will be summoned—that is one key dimension of demonstration you should expect. But furthermore, sounds from Heaven released as songs on Earth will release demonstration of Kingdom power.
Pause for a moment before I clarify this further. We don’t sing to get results from God. We don’t worship as a formula to make God move for us or perform a breakthrough. Not at all. In fact, such motives contaminate worship. Once more, it’s the intimates and friends of God who will be summoned into the counsel of the Lord to hear the sounds of the throne. These and only these can Heaven entrust with sounds that become thundering songs.
The Lord wants to give you songs in the secret place that release sounds in the public place. The secret place is open to whosoever is willing to prize intimacy with the King above all else. And just as Isaiah did, so you, psalmist of the Lord, will stand before the glorious King completely exposed. Authentic. There’s no place for hidden agendas in the Presence. There’s no place for a quest after Christian celebrity status. Such a driving motivation will not grant one a place in the counsel of the Lord—a dimension where whispers are shared with intimates and friends. This invitation is not for perfect people. All are faulty, all are failure-prone, and none of these shortcomings surprise God. He is simply seeking the open and honest ones, hungry for His glory. Yes, hungry for encounters with His manifest glory, but also hungry to see the name of Jesus receive the glory its due.
Sounds from Heaven release a shaking…
Heaven is looking to entrust worship leaders with songs that releases sounds—sounds that shake and displace non-Kingdom elements out of people and places! This is the summons of Hebrews chapter 12, a key portion of Scripture for all believers and particularly, worship leaders, to grasp in this season. It outlines the dimension of glory we have been brought into.
Amazingly, you are able to enter into this dimension at any time because of Jesus’ blood. You have not come to a mountain that can be touched with human hands, where only one, Moses, could ascend. You are not being summoned to Sinai, as no human being but God’s chosen Exodus deliver could acceptably “come up here” in that hour.
Now, because of the blood of Jesus, you have been brought into a dimension called Mount Zion. You are able to “ascend” at any point, because you are already living in the ascended one. Paul reminds that you are seated with Christ in heavenly realms (see Eph. 2:6), which means you have access to the ascended reality of God’s glory realm at any time. He is a holy King and I do still believe there is protocol for entering His holy Presence. But once more, the glorious reality is that what was previously inaccessible and untouchable has been opened wide because of Jesus’ blood.
Ascend! Go up to where He is. Look upon Him. Ask the Spirit of God to give you eyes to see God as the Scriptures describe Him. You are not seeking an experience that is anti-Biblical. The basis for your entry into the realm of glory is what’s written in the Book. Should the Lord open your eyes further to see what’s in the unseen, everything must be measured and evaluated by what is clearly outlined in Scripture. If the Lord does not open your eyes to some kind of prophetic/seer anointing, I actually believe a supernatural encounter is still available. Yes, a supernatural encounter is available that’s just as important and powerful as if the veil were pulled back and you could see supernatural realities with natural eyes.
The Lord is saying “See Me as I am in My Word—and sing that! This will give you access to the sights and sounds of the throne room!” Prepare yourself, though. I believe, as God sovereignly desires, He will pull back the veil and reveal amazing supernatural realities to worship leaders in this season. Throne room encounters are coming! At the same time, recognize that you have the ability to initiate a supernatural vision of Heaven through your own free will… at any moment! How? Open the Scriptures and search for those glimpses of the realms of His glory. Immerse yourself in what’s written, as those are no normal words. They will burn within you. You will see the realities they describe. For you to walk in this measure of encounter in the Bible, I strongly suggest asking the Holy Spirit to be Your divine teacher and guide through your interactions with Scripture. Search out portions of the Bible that speak of God, as He is, just like Isaiah 6 describes. This is the place you will receive revelation from, and likewise, this is the dimension you will write out of! Through the pages of your Bible, you will begin to hear the sounds of Heaven.
Meditate on the portions of Scripture, like Isaiah 6, Ezekiel, Daniel, and the Book of Revelation that give definition to what kind of activity is taking place around the throne. Study carefully the songs of Heaven. Consider the nature of the One sitting upon the throne and how the Scriptures describe Him. His countenance. His awesomeness. His splendor. His beauty. These are invitations to hear, translate and release the sounds of throne room thunder!
The End Result: Songs are coming out of the Third Heaven and are breaking through the Second Heaven
At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.” 27 This phrase, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of things that are shaken—that is, things that have been made—in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain. 28 Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, 29 for our God is a consuming fire. (Heb. 12:26-29)
When glory sounds push their way from the third Heaven into the first heaven, shaking manifests. Briefly, there are many theological schools of thoughts that embrace a system of three heavenly realms. The first heaven is our physical atmosphere in the Earth, which includes everything that we can visibly see with human eyes. This includes the sun, the stars, the moon, etc. The third Heaven is the dimension that Paul writes of in 2 Corinthians 12—the realm where God dwells in unapproachable light. Note how he specifically describes this experience, as I believe it’s highly relevant to this prophetic word for worship leaders: “I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows. 3 And I know that this man was caught up into paradise—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows— 4 and he heard things that cannot be told, which man may not utter” (v. 2-4).
In this context Paul (Paul is describing himself) mentions that in this realm, he heard things. While some of these things could not be told, due to the level of glory on them, I do believe there are heavenly sounds that we are called to translate into songs released on Earth. The Third Heaven is the realm of God’s throne; it’s the dwelling place of the Almighty. For a people who live seated with Jesus in the heavenly realms, it should be common for us to translate what we hear in that place into this one. However, it will not be legal for you to share all of the sights and sounds you experience, as we see with Paul.
Recently, while speaking with a worship leader friend in the Dallas area, I was reminded of a warfare procession that takes place in the invisible realm as you receive these songs from Heaven.
Worship leaders, you always need to be well versed in spiritual warfare. I say this because in the process of receiving songs from the “third heaven” realm—the place of God’s throne room activity—there will be opposition. This is not because we should live our lives with the expectation that as we advance or experience blessing, the devil is going to inevitably hit us with his worst blow. We are not ignorant of the devil’s devices; at the same time, we do not amplify the devil beyond appropriateness.
Do you know why sometimes you experience resistance from the enemy when you make Kingdom advancement? It’s because, by default, when the Kingdom advances, darkness is pushed back. It’s reacting to being destroyed. Sometimes, we experience the fallout of darkness being dismantled in the second heaven realm. It’s not that the devil is “after you,” per se. You’re just proactively involved in tearing down his tyranny on Earth by being a catalyst for the unshakable Kingdom. Worship leaders, this could describe seasons of unusual warfare you experience. Your response? Keep hearing the sounds and keep translating the songs. Songs that exalt the holy One dismantle darkness because they announce the identity, supremacy, authority and glory of the superior King, and such an announcement causes everything in three realms to bow at Jesus’ name to the glory of God the Father (see Phil. 2: 9-11).
Your pursuit of intimacy with God and quest for His Presence positions you to hear the songs of Heaven, the thunder of His throne room. There will be intimate songs reserved just for you and the Lord, but I sense more strongly that there will be corporate songs that need to be released to the body of Christ in this hour—for this moment in history. These lyrics need to become words sung forth on the lips of God’s church, the Ekklesia, for they are decrees of agreement with the activity of Heaven. Heaven is looking to move, and one key forerunner of Heaven’s movement on Earth will be the song of the Ekklesia—the sound of God’s people!
As you know, something powerful happens when a congregation lifts up a corporate song, where those lyrics were birthed in the heavenly realm. A sound is released, and I prophesy that this sound is purposed to shake and shift things. It’s purposed to confront everything that is shakable and non-Kingdom. The throne room thunder of God carries the authority and glory from that realm to displace darkness and unleash Heaven’s reign.
These songs are fulfilling the mandate of Jesus for His church (Ekklesia) in Matthew 16:19 – “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth [n]shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth [o]shall have been loosed in heaven.” This, perhaps, is the most accurate English translation of what Jesus was saying. He uses the phrase “shall have been bound in Heaven.” You bind that which is already bound in Heaven. Likewise, you loose or release that which is loosed in Heaven.
Let me ask you a question: How do you know what’s bound and loosed in Heaven? You need to “Come up here.” With a foundation of the Scriptures navigating your encounters, I encourage you to seek the Lord intentionally. Don’t seek Him for songs, seek Him because He is glorious and keep your eyes open to hear the sounds of His throne room.
As these sounds are released to you and translated through songs, things that were birthed by darkness are opposed. Sickness is confronted. Demons are challenged. Depression is called out. Conviction collides with sin. Power is released, prisons are broken open. I repeat, the Lord wants to give your sounds that translate into songs that remove those things that are shakable (all of the works and influences of darkness).
The enemy wars against these songs because they announce realities that God is releasing. They are forerunners to what they describe in lyric form. They mobilize the Ekklesia, placing one unified cry upon the lips of God’s people.
Gone are the days of idle spectatorship in the body of Christ. Worship is not a performance, and these songs will demand engagement. They will cause controversy. It won’t by hype or manipulation; literally, I see these songs as ripping the veil and releasing heavenly realities, no—enforcing heavenly realities.
Supernatural Musical Notes
In a recent vision I saw music notes coming down from Heaven, being translated by the psalmists and worship leaders. As the sounds became songs, and the songs were sung forth, the shape of the music notes supernaturally changed into swords and keys. I see musical notes becoming swords and keys, cutting through and opening up. They are birthed in the throne of God (third Heaven), are breaking through the demonic opposition of the second Heaven (in the invisible realm of principalities, powers, and spiritual activity), and are releasing Kingdom realities into the here and now!
Andrew Fletcher, a Scottish writer and political activist, said: “Let me make the songs of a nation; I don’t care who makes its laws.”
Worship leaders, I leave you with this question: what do you want your nation to look like? All of us from our respective nations should answer this question in agreement: Heaven on Earth. That’s the culture we seek to transform every tribe, tongue, people and nation.
What you write and sing actually prophesies what your nation could look like. There is a war of songs being declared over nations and generations. Without a doubt, hell is inspiring a sound that seeks to define culture. While that is a glaring reality, what’s more real and powerful is that there are rumblings in the Heavenly Throne Room that are seeking ears to hear them and skillful hands to translate them. May your ears hear the thunderings. May your eyes see the glory. And may your hands skillfully translate these sights and sounds, bringing Heaven and Earth into further collision!