The Ultimate Generation
By David Bryan
Jesus says of this generation, “nothing shall be impossible to you” (Matt. 17:20). This is Kingdom authority that transcends all authority of its time. “No weapon formed against it will prosper!”
Not only did God “predestine” the church before the world began, but He also allowed men at certain times to look into many of the things that He had planned and predestined to be a part of its unfolding and revealing. John the revelator looks beyond the veil of time and space and writes the following to define what we will call “the ultimate generation.”
“And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory” (Revelation 18:1).
Notice that I have highlighted the fact that John sees “another angel.” His reference to this angel as “another” seems to point to his attempt to describe an angel that was quite different than all others he had seen before it. This is “another” and not the same as others by virtue of God’s choosing and highlighting it to reveal something that would otherwise be hidden to man. God is drawing John’s attention to this angel, just as God is drawing attention to this generation and the days we are now living in. What this particular angel possesses causes it to stand out against the background of the time it was revealed in.
“Ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.”
I Peter 2:9
The angel John is describing seems to be a different kind of angel than those he witnessed carrying the vials, or blowing the trumpets. This angel seems to refer to the type of angels that were spoken of in Revelation 2 and 3, which represent a group of people in a particular place, time, or generation… the “angels of the church.”
Notice that John records specifically that this particular angel’s origin was from heaven. At first thought, we must ask ourselves, well “aren’t all angels from heaven?” But John notes more specifically that it wasn’t just the fact that this angel was from heaven, but more specifically the power and ability of its operation in the earth was from heaven. In other words, the angel’s power did not come from the present world (or age) with all of its intellectual resources, but this angel was operating on power from another dimension, power from above. This helps in further defining WHO this angel really represents. The Apostle James wrote that every good and perfect gift “comes from above” (James 1:17). Again, we read in the book of Acts (the origin of the church) and find that what we possess as a people came “from heaven.” We’re on to something here…
“And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting”
Acts 2:1, 2
Jesus Christ – the initiator and founder of this great experience and generation said to those of His day, “I am from above…I am not of this world” (John 8:23). There were those of His day that could trace the source of their foundations or experience back to some council, board meeting, or humanly engineered or governed experience, just as there are many groups and denominations of our time that could do the same. In Paul’s day, there were those who said, “What we have comes from John the Baptist.” (Acts 19) In Jesus’s day, they said, “What we have comes from Abraham.” But I am glad to tell you that as a first partaker of the regenerate power of the Holy Ghost, that what we have comes from Heaven!
Not only is this angel’s point of origin from another world, but it was recognized by John as having “great power.” This angel (or generation) is seen as having “great power” because it is recognized as power, not of its own accord, but it is significant of Divine power and supernatural authority. Evidently, this angel has been entrusted with this great power. This is the same power spoken of in Matthew 28:18 when Jesus said, “All power is given unto me in Heaven and in Earth.” Again we hear Jesus say to His disciples, “Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven” (Luke 10:19, 20).
Notice that He says don’t rejoice that you have this power, but rather rejoice that your origin and destination is not of this world! He gave us power not to tread here alone, but to live free from this world, and to liberate others as well.
“…having great power.”
Here we are again, “Ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth” (Acts 1:8).
This “power” is not only described as the power to accomplish, but it is simultaneously and more effectively described as the power to “know,” understand, or unlock previously guarded information. This power is the unction from the Holy One that John said causes us to “know all things.”‘ This is a direct fulfillment of the “Spirit of Truth” that Jesus said would come upon us and would teach us all things. Now that’s power! When Jesus handed Peter the keys to the Kingdom, He gave him that power. This was not only power to accomplish, but power to open doors of understanding and authority like never before!
Jesus says to this generation, “Nothing shall be impossible to you” (Matt. 17:20). This is Kingdom authority that transcends all authority of its time. It can be declared to this generation unequivocally, “No weapon formed against it will prosper!”
John then records not only the immediate difference in appearance of the angel, and not only the origin and power with which it operated, but also that the whole earth was “lightened” or illuminated by the glory that shone from it. The whole earth was lightened, or we could say, “the whole world was illuminated” or brought to understanding by the light that shone from this great gospel. Interestingly enough this is the identical illumination that the Apostle Paul was referring to when he said, “…the eyes of your understanding being enlightened (or illuminated); that you may know…” (Ephesians 1:18).
The purpose of this light is to bring understanding to all the residents of the earth in a time of perilous darkness. This would be a direct fulfillment of the prophecy spoken by Zechariah when he said, “…it shall come to pass, that at evening time it shall be light (illumination or understanding)” (Zechariah 14:7). Amen! The Greek word used here is photidzo, meaning understanding or illumination.
This light has a purpose; it is significant of revelatory understanding. The Apostle Paul says, “God who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, has shined in our hearts giving us the light of the knowledge [or understanding] of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:6). This is the light of the revelation of Jesus Christ!
This light has a source: The source could not be simpler than that of the “Father of lights,”3 that “true light that gives light to every man that comes into the world”4 in whom was life “and this life was the light of men, this light shines in darkness and the darkness cannot comprehend it [or those who are in darkness cannot understand, therefore His light brings them understanding]” (John 1:4, 5).
Again, “They looked unto Him (the light source) and were lightened (or enlightened)” (Psalms 34:5).
This light is a people: “You are the light of the world: city that is set on a hill cannot be hid” (Matthew 5:14).
“The whole earth was lightened…” Think about that the next time you consider your light and influence to be small and insignificant! This is an absolute parallel to the prophecy of Daniel when he said, “They that be wise (or enlightened) shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars forever and ever” (Daniel 12:3), We need to understand just how powerful this generation really is: Jesus says to this generation, “Blessed are your eyes for they see and your ears for they do hear and you understand” (Matthew 13:16). We have been “illuminated” by the Spirit of God!
There is great merit to the fact that God instructed Daniel to, “… shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end” (Daniel 12:4). Because God knew that then and only then would there dwell a generation who would actually know what to do with the words that were spoken.
The Voice Of A New Generation
One final detail concerning this generation… The Bible says that this “angel” “cried mightily with a strong voice.” It is a voice of warning, a voice of revelation and understanding; a voice of great and notable authority.
In other times, when John heard an angel speaking or calling out, he records that the voice was “loud” or “great” but this is the one occasion in which we hear him describe an angel’s voice as being “strong.” “Loud” is of volume, and “great” is of stature or authority, but “strong” is of proven and gathered experience. In other words, this voice had gained its power and strength through time and tribulation. This voice is not the voice of one individual, but rather many individuals whose personal understandings and situations gathered and matured over time to become proven truth. This voice is sweetened with age and proven through experience. This voice is loud even when spoken softly, and it is great even when spoken by the weakest who believe it. It’s not the voice so much, but rather the content of the message!
This voice began its journey through such stuttering men as Moses saying, “Who is on the Lord’s side?”‘ And again at the foot of the mount saying, “Hear 0 Israel! “6 Joshua felt the force of its message as the Word befell him, and said, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord! ” We hear the voice continue to strengthen as it passes through the story of Esther and we hear her say, “If I perish, then I perish, but I will see the king!” S And of course, who can forget little David out in the field with the giant saying, “I come to you in the Name of the Lord of Hosts.”
It is the voice of the prophet Elijah in the valley with the prophets of Baal saying, “Make up your minds, gentlemen, which god are you going to serve?'” It is the voice of one “crying in the wilderness, preparing the way of the Lord.” This voice had gained such intensity that by the time it fell to John the Baptist, thousands went out to hear him. And finally, it was a strong voice that declared a whole new generation on the hill of Golgotha when Jesus cried, “It is finished,” When this voice was released in agony the rocks and the mountains trembled with fear, knowing this voice was not like any other.
This message was not strong because of the men who spoke it, because quite frankly, most of them were weak. Again, the voice is not strong because of the volume that men may or may not have spoken it with. But this voice is strong because of the enduring and proven content of its message. This great voice resounded on the day of Pentecost as the apostle stood to proclaim the greatest message of all time, “Repent and be baptized everyone of you in the Name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost” (Acts 2:38). I am glad to report that this voice and this message are stronger now than ever. Listen, folks, we need not fear for the content, let’s just open our mouths and speak and tell it like it is!
Jesus told Peter, “Don’t worry about what you will say, I will give you a mouth to speak with…”3 and He did! If we would trust God, He would speak the same message in our time and we would see many turned to righteousness. Remember, it’s not so much the speaker, it’s the content of the message that gets the job done… There is one more voice that cries after this angel, and it is the voice of the Lord. As we stand to be revealed as the “angel” of this generation, God will punctuate the words of our mouth with His mighty power! And what is the message that follows the revelation of this ultimate generation of people; but a message of separation and true holiness unto the Lord. Look closely, my friend, for an ultimate generation has been birthed before our very eyes.
This article “The Ultimate Generation” written by David Bryan is excerpted from Code Adam: The Search For A Lost Generation Is About To End written by David Bryan chapter 13.
