In the early 1970’s Jesus appeared at a prayer meeting and placed His hands on my shoulders and said, “I ordain you to preach My gospel.” He started up the staircase where I was sitting, and I leaned back and touched the hem of His garment. He stopped, looked back, and smiled at me, then ascended to the top of the staircase and disappeared. A man at that meeting did not know what was happening, but he was aware that something wonderful had happened.
Several years later I was in another prayer meeting in a different state and I was caught up to a place far above the earth where I found myself standing between Jesus and Peter, James, and John. Paul was also there; he walked from our right to our left a few feet in front of us and disappeared from sight. Jesus told me that I had been born before my time and the knowledge I had received would be usable, but I must wait until God had completed a work in His people. He told me several other things and I returned to my body, which ached tremendously for weeks after this experience.
The knowledge I had received was the revelation of Himself. Looking back I can honestly say that I cannot remember one thing concerning the kingdom of God and the mystery of God that I have learned from man. Everything I know has come directly from heaven. This may sound pompous, but it is the absolute truth. I still remember that as a young Christian listening to my pastor, I often felt he and I were reading different Bibles. This has been my experience with preacher after preacher. For most of my younger years I gave others the benefit of the doubt and doubted myself. I believe this was due to my having PTSD, which I have struggled with for years.
Then one day the Lord gave me a vision in which I saw His mystery unfolding and unfolding and unfolding. It soon surpassed my understanding and I could no longer comprehend what I was seeing. Still, it continued unfolding. From that day on the Lord began instilling confidence within me, confidence that He had been leading me the whole time. It took several years for me to overcome the tendency to doubt myself and to accept that He was leading me. Now I have no doubt the knowledge I received was just that, knowledge I had received, not learned, knowledge received by way of revelation; it was the revelation of Jesus Christ.
Some people get frustrated with me when I won’t give their opinions any thought. I try to explain to them that I know what I know, and therefore their opinions on this subject and that subject are nothing more than their opinions, and have nothing to do with the truth. They think I’m just a stubborn old goat. The truth is the Holy Spirit won’t allow me to entertain the opinions of man. Some think I’m someone who thinks he knows everything, or that I think my opinions are more truthful than the opinions of others, but nothing could be further from the truth. I’m acutely aware that I know very little, and therefore I strive to form no opinions.
The knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ is a part of me, and to even pretend that I might be considering something other than this knowledge is out of the question; I would be betraying the One who loved me and gave Himself up for me. I will not do that.
The Lord set me apart from my mother’s womb (He was seen by the nurse on duty in both the delivery room, and the room assigned to my mother and me after my birth). And, when the time came, Jesus took me by the arm, led me to an altar, and knelt in front of me (He held my arm and walked me down the aisle and knelt in front of me; I was born again without uttering a word). There He became unto me a life-giving Spirit, breathing the Holy Spirit into me. He then began training me up in the way I should go and revealing Himself to me.
I read no books other than the Bible. I study no man, no denomination, no theories, no opinions (not even my own). I listen only to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The knowledge I have received (not learned) —- the knowledge Jesus spoke of —- is knowledge that has come not from man, nor through man, but directly from a revelation of Jesus Christ.
These experiences are very sacred to me and I share them with the Lord’s permission,
Jon David Banks, God’s most unworthy servant
P.S. Please weigh everything I say on the scales of the Word of God.
jondavidbanks.com 