Sonrise!

Cheryl McGrath

The Spirit broods over the earth. He is calling to the sons of God: “Awaken, Arise”. A key word

for this hour is “emergence”. A season of emergence is proclaimed, as the sons of God awake to

the Voice of the Spirit and begin to emerge upon the face of the earth. Those who discern the

hour and are watchful of the seasons of the Lord are even now discerning with their spiritual

senses a new and marvelous thing breaking forth. They are alerted to a changing of season.

It is a season that comes with little fanfare or celebration, yet it comes in the perfect timing and

complete power of the Father. It comes like the rising of a new dawn on the earth; it comes with

the brilliant light and glory of a newly created day emerging on the eastern horizon. As surely

and as silently as the morning sun sends out her rays to kiss the darkened earth, so surely and

silently does this season dawn with the Kiss of the Son upon the earth’s weary, weeping face.

And as certainly as each new day brings expectations of change, so this new season comes with

expectations of great changes whose appointed times have come, and which will not be held

back or delayed any longer. Yet few will notice, and few will comprehend the significance of

this hour for which creation has yearned and Heaven celebrates.

Yes, the long-awaited Word has gone forth, determined from the dawn of time in the secret

council of Elohim – flowing forth from the Son, approved by the Father, to be birthed by the

Spirit – now carried forth by angels and declared with power. And once again, the Spirit hovers

over the face of the waters. The waters are of nations, tribes and peoples, but these do not know

or hear the song He sings. The song He sings over the earth in this hour is a song that brings

forth a mighty awakening and stirs a growing restlessness deep within the spirits of those to

whom it is sung. It comes even as a sudden gentle wind on a still day, fanning into flame the

smouldering embers of fires long thought dead. It comes as a new, yet ancient tune, strangely

familiar to those who will now be compelled to play it, sing it and dance to its beat. It comes

from the deepest longings of the Father’s heart, having been bathed in His own holy tears. It

comes with a fearful shout of victorious triumph from the lips of the Son, startling His enemies

into a frantic and final escalation of unparalleled wickedness.

And as this song of emergence, this creative call to resurrection life, arises in the spirits of the

very sons of God, now and in the days that come, a responding sound will begin to rise from the

earth. It is simultaneously the sound of war and the sound of heaven, appearing among men. It is

the sound of resolute marching; it is the sound of clashing swords; it is the sound of many voices

united together by the Spirit of Adoption, by whom they cry out as one “Abba, Father!”. It is the

sound of two kingdoms colliding on a scale not ever before witnessed by mankind!

And as this awesome revelation of sonship reverberates throughout all creation, the King’s

enemies will flee powerless and confused before those who carry it forth. Powerless, because

death cannot defeat those who have already died. Powerless because there is no demonic strategy

in the face of truth proclaimed by the Spirit of Truth. Powerless because as one mortal body is

destroyed, many more shall arise in that one’s place. Powerless because men, women and

children will now walk the face of the earth in the stature and image of that Firstborn Son whose

exploits are forbidden even to be spoken in the darkest, vilest haunts of hell.

And powerless because these ones know who their Father is and therefore know who THEY are!

Having come forth from the dust of the earth, they have followed the Firstborn into their eternal

realm, quickened by the Spirit and no longer bound to the earth from which they were formed.

They have obtained the heavenly inheritance of joint-heirship with Christ and are declared to be

the sons of God with power!

And so shall be the manifestation of the sons of God to all creation, the season of which we now

enter. Let him who has ears to hear, hear what the Spirit decrees. It has begun!

Received 4 – 7 June, 2004

Cheryl McGrath

Copyright 2004 Cheryl McGrath, Great South Land Ministries, Australia. This article may be

copied or reproduced freely providing copyright notice and contact details remain intact.

THE REVELATION OF THE SONS OF GOD

Part One

Note: The words “son”, “sons” and “sonship” in this article are used in the spirit of Gal. 3:28.

In other words all references to “sonship” here are references to the Father-child relationship

between God and His children, regardless of gender, race or age, and do not refer specifically to

the male gender.

For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God.

Romans 8:19

He that overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall by My son. Rev.

21:7

For lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone, the flowers appear on the earth, the time of

singing has come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land. Song of Songs 2:11-12

The Call to Sonship

There are many in the church who aspire to mature sonship, but there are many less who have

learnt the secrets of walking in it. All who enter the Kingdom are called as sons of God, but few

are willing to meet the cost of becoming MANIFESTED sons. For those who object: “but

sonship belongs to ALL believers at the new birth”, I would agree and disagree. It is one thing to

enjoy the TITLE of son and heir and the privileges that come with that position. It is quite

another thing to submit oneself to the school of obedience and unjust suffering that produces

within us the character of the Firstborn Son, to whose image all other sons are to be conformed.

(Rom. 8:29) A wise father recognises all his sons as his sons, but also marks and celebrates the

day of maturity when a son can be trusted with the responsibilities of a functioning heir. It is at

that time that the Father’s endowment of authority in that son becomes apparent to the world.

So we are talking here not simply about the inheritance of sonship through faith, but more

specifically about the unmistakable MANIFESTATION of that sonship, here on this earth and in

this mortal life, that must be witnessed by creation. Those who, in the coming days, will be

revealed to all creation as “manifested sons” of God will be those who have yielded to the

Spirit’s training in ALL aspects of sonship, which includes the Father’s discipline (Heb. 12:6-8),

and the embracing of the Cross.

There is no mysterious exclusion zone surrounding this event the scriptures refer to as “the

manifestation of the sons of God” (KJV). We should not be deceived into believing this company

of sons who will be revealed are an elite group of super-saints, endowed with a level of holiness

not available to the average believer. On the contrary, the invitation to walk as one of these

manifested sons, whom the scriptures say the whole of creation is longing to see, is an open one,

available to all born-again children of God. The scriptures also make abundantly clear, however,

that attaining this measure of mature sonship will involve significant cost to the flesh for those

who sincerely seek to respond to it.

For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many

sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. For both He who

sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of one, for which reason He is not ashamed

to call them brethren… Hebrews 2:10-11

What form will this manifested sonship take when it appears? What nature of people are this

company of believers we are told creation waits for with “anxious longing”? There is one thing

of which we can be certain – as the revealed sons of God they will bear an uncanny resemblance

to their elder Brother, the Firstborn Son!

In the World but Not of the World

That you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a

crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world…. Philippians

2:15

As has already been stated, we are dealing here not just with the concept of sonship, but with

MANIFESTED, or REVEALED, sonship. A contemporary dictionary definition of the word

“manifest” is this: “clearly apparent to the sight or understanding; obvious.”

Jesus manifested His Sonship whatever He did and wherever He went. He didn’t have to work at

being different – it was clearly evident to all who crossed His path that He just WAS. His

connectedness to Something or Someone outside the common understanding of this world was

glaringly obvious and unquestionably uncomfortable for many. People were either drawn to Him

or repelled by Him. His manifested Sonship flowed directly from the depth of His unbroken

communion with His Father.

So shall it be with all those whose sonship will be revealed as they walk the earth. Who they are

may not be understood or acceptable, but that they are not of this earth shall certainly be

MANIFESTED in ways that are clearly and unmistakably obvious. Certainly signs and wonder,

miracles, powerful delivery of the Word, great grace, joy, holy lifestyles and diversities of gifts

and functions will accompany them. However, even more significant than these, manifested sons

will EXPOSE peoples’ hearts, motives and intentions. As the glory of the Father, the grace of the

Son and the holiness of the Spirit are increasingly revealed in and through them, their very

presence will expose all that is of a different spirit, and for this reason they will be severely

persecuted. People will either be drawn to the glory residing in them, or, by the working of the

antichrist spirit, they will intensely oppose them.

Prophetically Proclaimed, Yet Obscure

Just as the coming of the Firstborn Son was prophetically proclaimed, yet of humble and un-

notable circumstances, so can we expect it to be with those who walk in mature sonship.

Prophets had foretold the coming of Jesus and His birth was marked by heavenly signs which

were observed by star-watchers far to the east. Yet, apart from the oriental Magi, some Hebrew

shepherds close to Bethlehem, and probably some animals sheltered in a stable, few alive in

Israel at the time of Jesus’ birth were aware of the momentous significance of the time in which

they lived.

John the Baptist was sent in the spirit of Elijah as a forerunner to herald this long-awaited

manifestation of God’s Son on the earth. For his efforts his life was cut short and his message

silenced. Similarly, for some years now prophetic voices have been prophesying the imminent

appearance of what has been called a “faceless, nameless” generation of holy people, who will

move in the Spirit’s power yet seek no glory for themselves. As with the Firstborn Son, the rising

generation of manifest sons will arise from seeming obscurity and unexceptional beginnings.

There will seldom be anything about their physical appearance, personality, or reputation that

would cause them to draw the world’s attention. In fact, we should expect the most notable

aspect about them, according to worldly standards, to be their ordinariness! (1 Cor. 1:27-29).

They will truly be examples of God choosing the weak and foolish to bring to nothing the

wisdom of the world.

I believe that another reason these walking in manifested sonship will be “nameless and faceless”

is because there will simply be too many of them for the world to create a celebrity class from

them. Though the world may attempt to impose it’s fame on some, they will shun worldly

recognition and all that comes with it, just as Jesus did (see John 6:14-15). Their only motivation

will be to be about their Father’s business while walking as living witnesses of His love.

This is not to imply that men and women walking in manifested sonship have not been raised up

by the Spirit at other times. Many names could be listed of those who have embraced this costly

calling throughout Christian history, including more recent examples like John Wesley, Mary

Slessor , Smith Wigglesworth, Maria Woodworth-Etter, Sadhu Sundhar Singe, Dietrich

Bonhoeffer, and countless others. However, these have been individual forerunners, making way

for a greater company of manifested sons to be revealed by the Spirit when the appointed time

arrived and creation’s yearning should be fulfilled.

Driven into the Wilderness

We can expect that those walking in manifested sonship will have known times of deep

loneliness, testing and hiddenness, or what is commonly called the wilderness experience. Jesus

the Firstborn Son was not spared this experience, nor will His brethren be (Luke 4:1). They will

most certainly have wrestled with the temptation to follow a more comfortable and rewarding

life-path by the world’s standards than the narrow, unrecognised path they’ve chosen. They will

have experienced firsthand the pain of being misunderstood, misrepresented and written off by

church associates, friends and even family. But they will also have learnt the secret of

overcoming in such trials through the power of the Spirit and the grace of Christ. Therefore they

will not display a victim mentality, whatever persecution or hardship they may endure. Though

they may be dressed in rags, they will walk in the holiness of priests and the authority of kings

which shall not depart from them.

Belonging to the Fellowship of Suffering

The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then

heirs–heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be

glorified together. Romans 8:16

The reality of the Cross and the fellowship of the suffering of Jesus will be more than theoretical

concepts in the lives of these manifested sons of God. The scriptures leave us in no confusion or

doubt over the fact that the path to glory and resurrection life leads through the Cross, not around

it. Therefore they will know Jesus intimately in the place of suffering as well as the place of

power. It is precisely because they have yielded to the application of the Cross in their lives that

they shall be granted the authority of resurrected sons.

These manifested sons will engender great fear in Satan’s kingdom because the fear of death will

not have any hold on them. At the same time each one of them will be a living revelation of the

reality of God’s grace keeping and sustaining His own. All those who suffer for and with Jesus

have a special kind of fellowship, not only with their Lord, but also with each other, that is

unknown to those believers who choose to circumvent the Cross. This too will be a mark of these

mature sons – they will know each after the Spirit, and not after the flesh, and consequently their

fellowship with one another shall be deep and rewarding in a way the world cannot comprehend

(2 Cor. 5:16). For this reason they shall be granted the sacrificial grace of the Firstborn, enabling

them to lay down their lives for one another.

Naturally Supernatural

So it is written: “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam, a lifegiving spirit.

The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual. The first man was of

the dust of the earth, the second man from heaven. As was the earthly man, so are those who are

of the earth; and as is the man from heaven, so also are those who are of heaven. And just as we

have borne the likeness of the earthly man, so shall we bear the likeness of the man from heaven.

1 Cor. 15:45-49

Manifested sons will have shed the Adamic earthbound nature of the man of dust and will

therefore bear the image of the last Adam, the heavenly man Jesus, without any sense of shame.

They will have truly become sons of heaven and will demonstrate through word, deed and

lifestyle, the supernatural power demonstrated by the Firstborn. Many will display, when

required, authority over nature and the created elements. They will fulfil the command given to

Adam and Eve, to “subdue the earth” (Gen. 1:28). Having died to the earthly nature of the man

of dust (or earth), with its natural limitations, and “put on” by faith the Heavenly Man, they will

no longer be bound to the laws of nature that govern the earth. Rather, having indeed become

raised up together to sit in heavenly places in Christ, creation will recognise and submit to them,

even while they walk in mortal bodies.

Copyright 2004 Cheryl McGrath, Great South Land Ministries, Australia.This article may be

copied or reproduced freely providing copyright notice and contact details remain intact.

THE REVELATION OF THE SONS OF GOD

Part Two

Discerned by Apostles and Prophets

As a firstborn son, Jesus was presented by Mary and Joseph in the temple at Jerusalem,

according to the law (Luke 2:22) The gospel of Luke records that on that occasion a man named

Simeon came “by the Spirit” into the temple. Taking the newly born Jesus up into his arms, he

proclaimed Him to be the salvation of God, bringing light to the Gentiles and glory to Israel. He

then blessed Mary and Joseph, and shared a more personal prophetic word with Mary.

Simeon, who the scripture calls just and devout, had been waiting for the consolation, or

comfort, of Israel. The Greek word translated as “waiting” would be more accurately understood

as “looking for with earnest expectation”. The “consolation of Israel” was a term used for the

coming of the Messiah. So we understand from this passage that Simeon had been waiting with

great anticipation for the Messiah’s appearance, or coming forth, in His people, Israel.

Luke then records that right at that moment a prophetess named Anna came forth proclaiming

the praise of God. “And she coming in that instant gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spake

of him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem” (Luke 2:38). Anna’s husband had

died while she was still a young woman and she had devoted the remainder of her life to serving

God in a ministry of intercession at the temple. Both Simeon and Anna were people whose lives

had been set apart for the Lord’s service. They were watchers of the seasons, able by the Spirit of

the Lord to discern the times they lived in.

How many others were in the temple that day we cannot know, but we do know the temple in

Jerusalem in Jesus’ time was a magnificently impressive structure and the centre of worship for

Jews throughout Israel and the ancient world. In fact, just the internal area alone covered

approximately 35 acres. So it is safe to surmise that on most days there would have been a great

multitude in and around the temple, worshiping, meeting, sacrificing, teaching, trading, and

undertaking a diversity of other tasks. Yet, only two of them, sensitive to the Spirit and alert to

the spiritual atmosphere, recognised the entrance of Israel’s Messiah, God’s own Son, into the

temple that day.

Prophetically, I believe Simeon and Anna, represent apostles and prophets of this present age,

who are given to watch and discern the seasons of God and who are sensing the imminent

revealing of the sons of God to creation. Anna is representative of the true prophets of the Lord,

who carry an intercessory burden for the revelation of this great company of sons on the earth.

Simeon represents the true apostles, whose greatest passion is always to see the coming forth of

Christ in His people (Gal. 4:19). Just as Simeon lifted up the newly born Son of God in the

temple, true apostles will always lift up Christ that He might draw all men. This coming

company of manifested sons will be discerned first by apostles and prophets who, by the Spirit,

are expectantly watching for them.

Sons and Servants

Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not

consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a

bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. Phil. 2:5-7

There is a currently popular teaching which implies that since New Covenant believers are sons

and heirs of God, cultivating a servant’s heart signifies a failure to appropriate full sonship. This

false teaching is a distortion of the following passage written by Paul to the Galatians:

And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out,

“Abba, Father!” Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God

through Christ. Gal. 4:6-7

The purpose of Paul’s letter was to solemnly warn the Galatian church, whom he had

established, about the danger of submitting themselves to the Old Covenant ritual of

circumcision, which false teachers were attempting to impose on them. Paul is saying that

submission to the Old Covenant law for a New Covenant believer is equal to a slave who has

been given freedom willingly returning to enforced slavery. He is comparing life under the law

with life in the Spirit. This passage has nothing to do with the servanthood born of humility

modelled by Christ.

The Firstborn Son did not consider servanthood something to be despised, and nor will any true

son of God (John 13:13-16).On the contrary, the manifested sons of God will demonstrate to the

world the true meaning of humility. They will hold the fruits of the Spirit in high value because

they are the character of Christ. Jesus was able to discern the appropriate times to demonstrate

both His servant’s heart and His kingly authority, and He walked comfortably in both. Likewise

will all the manifested sons of God who follow after Him truly be sons who serve, and servants

who rule as sons..

The Son’s Lordship

The Lordship of Jesus over every aspect of life for manifested sons will not be an issue they

continue to struggle with, having been finally settled. Where once a fierce battle may have raged

in this particular arena, there will now be evidence of a certain stillness and profound rest having

come to the soul of the manifested son. Any question over Jesus’ right to be Lord will have been

replaced by a deep experiential intimacy with Christ that is the rich reward of all who have

surrendered to His sovereign rule over their lives and their fate. With childlike sincerity they will

truly be able to say “for me to live is Christ”, and their lives will bear witness. This does not

mean to imply they will be super-spiritual, sombre, religious types. On the contrary, the joy of

daily fellowship with Christ shall flow freely from them and the sweetness of the communion

they enjoy with Him shall be their greatest treasure. These will be people who both know and

carry the manifest Presence of the Lord. Once it was said of David the Psalmist, “the Lord is

with him” (1 Sam. 16:18). Thus shall it be said of the manifested sons of God.

The Spirit’s Fellowship

One of the great tragedies prevalent in the contemporary church is the dishonouring of the Spirit

of God. The Bible reveals the Holy Spirit as one of the three Divine Personalities of the triune

Godhead. He is not merely a force or a warm-fuzzy feeling. He carries His own unique function

and authority within the Godhead and displays all the attributes with which “personality” is

defined , i.e. will, emotions and intellect. He is to be valued for Who He is, over and above the

gifts and anointings He can impart to us.

The Lord recently spoke to me of the displeasure He takes in the casual manner with which

many in His church behave towards the Holy Spirit. A great many of those who call themselves

by the name of Christ still regard the baptism of the Holy Spirit as an optional extra, to be sought

or passed over as they themselves choose. Furthermore, many who have been baptised in the

Spirit do not seek to be constantly filled and walking in the Spirit. These attitudes are offensive

to the Lord, who poured out His Blood to ensure His Bride would obtain the Holy Spirit (John

16:7). The cost for Pentecost was Calvary. There is a great need for repentance in much of the

church, not only for grieving the Spirit which is bad enough in itself, but also for treating with

contempt our Bridegroom’s most precious wedding gift to us.

Those who walk in manifested sonship will demonstrate an authentic relationship with the Spirit

of the Lord, and not simply give Him lip-service. They will be committed to seeking His counsel

and trusting and moving with His directions because they have grown sensitive to all His ways.

When the Spirit is grieved, they will be grieved. It is rather sobering to realise that when Peter

rebuked Ananias for lying to the Spirit, Ananias “hearing these words, fell down and breathed

his last.” It was not because Ananias had upset Peter that he lost his earthly life, but because of

the contempt with which He had treated the Holy Spirit. Many believe Peter commanded

Ananias’ death. A careful reading of the passage in Acts 5:1-6 will reveal this is not so. It was on

hearing Peter’s words that Ananias’ life expired. The apostle Peter was literally so grieved on the

Spirit’s behalf that Ananias was unable to continue even breathing in his presence! (We need to

remember that Peter walked in great spiritual authority.) The result was that “great fear came

upon all who heard these things”. The manifested sons of God will usher in a return to a true fear

of the Lord and respect for the Spirit that has not been known in the church since the days of the

early apostles.

The fellowship of the Spirit is a deep joy and comfort for those who grow to value His

companionship over and above His gifts. Furthermore, it will only be those who seek to grow in

sensitivity to the Holy Spirit who will be able to stand for Christ in the days ahead without

falling into confusion, fear and deception. Without getting to know the Holy Spirit as friend,

counsellor and teacher, we will not hear Him when He speaks to us, and that could mean the

difference between life and death for some. Jesus told His disciples: “You shall know the truth,

and the truth shall set you free” (John 8:32). Seek to know the Spirit of Truth, for only He can

reveal truth to you.

The Father’s Friendship

For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of

adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” (Rom. 8:15)

“Abba” is the Aramaic word for “father. It is the same affectionate word Jesus used to address

His Father in the Garden of Gethsemane (Mark 14:36), and expresses a particularly intimate and

close father-child relationship.

At the Cross Jesus restored the broken relationship between mankind and His Father. Under the

Old Covenant, Israel had known God as Creator, God of the Covenant, Almighty Judge and

Provider of the Law. The Jewish religious leaders regarded Abraham as their father, but not God,

for they could not imagine Him in such an intimate role (John 8:39). The Fathership of God was

only revealed to man through the Blood of Christ. It is profoundly a New Covenant revelation,

and part of our rich inheritance in Christ.

I believe one of the deepest revelations the manifested sons of God will walk in will be freedom

from condemnation and the consciousness of the sin nature. This will be because they will have

yielded to the Spirit’s sanctifying work to such a depth they can freely call out “Abba, Father!”

with no sense of shame or alienation. The Holy Spirit, who has many names, is also the Spirit of

Adoption. While it was Jesus who reconciled us to His Father through His own shed Blood, it is

the Spirit of Adoption in us who brings the revelation of sonship and enables us to stand before

our Father without shame, because of the Blood.

The manifest sons of God will live, walk and function in the full freedom available to sons of

God because they have understood the totality of their justification, and that it is their own Father

who has justified them, because of the Blood. There are very few believers in this current

spiritual climate who have truly taken hold of this vital truth. However, without a revelation of

full justification through the redeeming power of the Blood of the Lamb, it is certain no child of

God can mature to manifest sonship.

ARE WE READY?

For we know that the whole creation groans and labours with birth pangs together until now. Not

only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within

ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. (Romans 8:22-23)

What does it mean that creation awaits the revelation of this generation of mature and holy sons

of God? To whom or what must they be revealed?

Firstly, they must be revealed to themselves. They must know who their Father is and

consequently know who they are. Struggles over worthiness, callings and the pre-eminence of

Christ must have been finally buried. Transition must have been made from carnal mindedness to

spiritual mindedness. The awareness of the King and His Kingdom must have gained precedence

over self-awareness. This does not mean that the war between flesh and spirit is over, or that

doubts, fears and human frailty no longer have any place in these manifested sons. It does mean,

however, that they have surrendered the ownership over their lives to Christ, and no longer

contend against the Spirit’s dealings with the soul. They are decreasing while He is increasing.

Secondly, they must be revealed to the groaning creation. Creation awaits the birth of the great

company of manifested sons of God from the earth, and as their coming forth grows closer, the

whole creation’s birth pangs are growing stronger and more frequent. Creation is not merely the

earth, but includes the heavens and all created beings. As these ones are revealed, Heaven’s

angels will rejoice and fallen angels will fear, but ALL creation will bear witness that a new day

has dawned upon the earth and the final battle over it’s ownership is about to be played out.

Finally, they must be revealed to the world. The wisdom of the Cross and the power of the Blood

must be attested to through a holy company of true sons who will reverse the mockery and

contempt with which the world has come to view those who bear the Name of Christ. The reality

of the resurrection must be witnessed to by those who cannot help but speak what they have seen

and heard. The world must be given the opportunity to taste and see that the Lord is good, that is

taste of His grace, for one final season before judgment becomes absolute and final.

The manifestation of the sons of God will cause great division amongst mankind, as light and

truth which are only found in Jesus Christ expose darkness and deception for what they really

are. As I mentioned at the beginning of this article, wherever manifested sons enter, their

presence will expose hearts and uncover sin. True holiness always manifests itself this way.

Individuals and nations will be confronted with the choice between repentance or continued

rebellion against the Lord. There will therefore be great glory, but there will also be great

suffering and intense persecution for those who are to be revealed.

Many in the church are not ready for the revealing of the manifest sons of God. Many are

distracted and disinterested. The spirit of antichrist will rise up against the manifested sons not

only in the world, but in churches and in families. Many in the church will turn upon them,

denouncing them, calling them before authorities, and even killing them, believing they are

serving God in doing so (John 16:2). Remember, if this happens to you, that is not you they hate,

but the image of the Firstborn you bear.

This invitation to mature sonship is indeed a costly invitation, but having considered the cost, let

us determine to seek its fullness not doubting “that the sufferings of this present time are not

worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us ” (Rom. 8:18)

For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God.

Consider the incredible love that the Father has shown us in allowing us to be called “children of

God” – and that is not just what we are called, but what we are. Our heredity on the Godward

side is no mere figure of speech – which explains why the world will no more recognise us than

it recognised Christ. Oh, dear children of mine (forgive the affection of an old man!), have you

realised it? Here and now we are God’s children. We don’t know what we shall become in the

future. We only know that, if reality were to break through, we should reflect his likeness, for we

should see him as he really is! (1 John 3:1,2 J.B. Phillips)

Cheryl McGrath

Copyright 2004 Cheryl McGrath, Great South Land Ministries, Australia. This article may be

copied or reproduced freely providing copyright notice and contact details remain intact.

www.greatsouthland.org