INTERNATIONAL HOUSE OF PRAYER ATLANTA

THE GLORY OF INTERCESSION SEMINAR

SESSION 01 –BIBLICAL FOUNDATIONS OF INTERCESSION

I. Created for Intimacy and Destined for Dominion

A. In Genesis 1, we see a pattern of creation established as God creates

everything “according to its kind.” Over and over again, God first creates an
original and then a counterpart. This pattern is clearly demonstrated as God
creates grass, herbs, fruit trees, and the entire animal kingdom. God
creates everything with a counterpart in order to generate life.

B. As God created an ascending order of glory, the angels observed His

genius with great enthusiasm and joy (1 Pet 1:12, Job 38:7). After creating
ten originals and their counterparts after their own kind, God does
something different. To the dismay of the multitudes of onlooking angels,
God breaks His clearly established pattern of creation. In His eleventh act
of creating, He creates one in the likeness of another, instead of creating an
original. Rather than speaking and calling forth life, God forms man out of
the dust of the earth. Suddenly the angels realize that man is not an
original, but rather, the counterpart to One that already exists—God,
Himself.

C. God created a new order of beings that was to be the counterpart of the
pre-existent, uncreated Original, the second person of the Trinity. The
counterpart, Adam, was created for union with Jesus, the Original.
Undoubtedly this brought much astonishment to the angelic ranks. Why
were these created ones given so much nobility? Why were humans
exalted to such heights? Surely God’s plans to glorify a creation made of
dust seemed incomprehensible to them.

Genesis 1:26-28 “Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image,
according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea,
over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over
every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in His
own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He
created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful
and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the
sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the
earth.”

D. In these verses, God makes an unbelievable proclamation: “Let us

make man in our image, according to our likeness; let them have dominion
over all…” God is the only One with all dominion, and yet He imparts His
authority to those made in His image, that they might serve as His
representatives in the earth.

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SESSION 01 – BIBLICAL FOUNDATIONS OF INTERCESSION

E. God forever joined Himself to humanity when He created Adam as a

counterpart to Himself. He designed an eternal union that would generate
divine life through the rest of created order.

F. The human spirit was designed in the likeness and image of God. This
speaks of God’s desire for intimate partnership with us. Our internal
makeup is created in the likeness of God, which means we were designed
for fellowship with God. We were also created in God’s image, which
speaks of our official function. We are designed to rule and to reign, to
govern with God.

G. God designed dominion to flow out of intimacy. The clearest depiction

of this is in Genesis 2 when God planted a garden and gave Adam the
responsibility of tending it. The garden was the place where God would
come down and meet with Adam; it was the place of encounter. Adam’s
responsibility was to tend the garden for it was there that He would
fellowship with God, be filled with the divine will, and be empowered to
govern.

H. There is a deep cry for intimacy and dominion within each one of us.
We were destined for greatness; we were made to be near God. However,
at the fall, mankind became something we were never designed to be:
slaves. We were designed to rule the planet, to have dominion over all.
We were never meant to be enslaved by anything. At the fall, man’s access
to God became severed and he became a slave, unable to govern with
God.

II. The Search for An Intercessor

A. Since the Fall, mankind has been innately and irreparably estranged
from God. Humans lost their greatest glory: communion with God. The
wickedness of the heart of man has eternally separated Him from God,
whose name is Holy. This fundamental breach was painfully realized as the
sons of Adam tumbled into the depths of depravity.

B. Intercession is the act of standing between to opposing parties with the

aim of resolving enmity or division. It’s the feat of intervening on the behalf
of another. At its core, intercession is human interaction and intervention in
the affairs of God. Intercession exists because of hostility between two
parties, but its aim is always full redemption.

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C. Since the divorce in the Garden, God has always taken the posture of a
lovesick Bridegroom who misses His wife. His people are like a bride who
has forsaken her husband, made herself His enemy, and is playing the
harlot with other men. As a jealous husband with a broken heart, He
continually calls to His bride to return to Him, dreaming of the day, when
she will once again walk in the Garden with Him and they’ll enjoy the beauty
of unbroken fellowship. Throughout the tapestry of history, God has found a
handful of men who were willing to draw close enough to Him, to hear His
heart, listen to His cries, bear His burdens, and partner with Him in
becoming His mouthpiece to bring forth His plans in the earth.

III. A Look At Some of the Old Testament Intercessors

A. An intercessor stands between two opposing parties with the aim of

resolving enmity and restoring unity. Intercession exists because of
estrangement. The premier goal of intercession is always reconciliation.

B. God, whose eternal desire was to be intimately joined to humans,

mercifully began to search for one to bridge the gap that separated Him
from His beloved creation. Throughout the Old Testament, a search
ensues. God is intently scouring the earth looking for an intercessor to
reconcile humanity to Himself. In the end, God would conclude that there
are none found worthy, that there are none capable of restoring all things to
Himself. He declares that there was no intercessor and therefore His own
arm would have to bring forth salvation (Isa 59:16). We see the only
capable intercessor finally emerge in the advent of Christ.

C. Throughout the Old Testament, we see prototypes of intercessors, all

foreshadowing the coming Intercessor, whose purpose would be to
reconcile all things to Himself. These men and women understood the
honor that they had as humans in that they were able to interact with God,
influence the decrees of Heaven, and intervene in the affairs of humankind.
We will look at some of the intercessors featured in the Old Testament era.

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SESSION 01 – BIBLICAL FOUNDATIONS OF INTERCESSION

1. Abraham (the Friend who Drew Near)—In the life of Abraham,

we get a glimpse of what it looks like to be a friend of God. As
Amos declared, God will do nothing unless He first reveals it to His
servants, the prophets (Amo 3:17). In Genesis 18, we read the
account of God’s decision to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah and of
Abraham’s response. In verse 17, the Lord poses a stunning
question, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am doing?” Abraham
was a friend of God (Jam 2:23) and as a result God invited Him
into the counsel rooms of Heaven to partner with His heart. God
told Abraham that He had heard a great outcry against these cities
and that He was going to assess their wickedness for Himself. At
this, the angels who were standing in His presence, headed
toward the city, but Abraham drew near to God. Though God had
decreed judgment, Abraham appealed to and partnered with God’s
heart for mercy. With boldness in his heart to approach God,
confident of His mercy, Abraham began pleading with God to
spare the city if 50 righteous men were found. Eventually, God
agreed to spare the city if only 10 righteous men could be found.
Abraham knew that as an intercessor he could bring change and
actively participate in the affairs of Heaven even after God
declared His intentions.

2. Moses (Understanding the Ways of God unto Appealing to His

Nature)—In Exodus 32, while Moses was on the mountain with
God, receiving the Ten Commandments, the marriage covenant
between God and His people, the people at the bottom of the
mountain were committing adultery as they worshipped the golden
calf they’d created. God became enraged and vowed to destroy
them all. God declared He would start anew with Moses and raise
up a new generation. However, in verse 11, Moses intercedes on
behalf of the people, audaciously pleading with God to relent from
destroying the people. Moses appealed to the Lord’s nature and
His reputation. God responded to Moses’ cries and relented from
the harm which He said He would do to His people (Exo 32:14).
God desires to be merciful and searches for the intercessor who
knows His heart and will make an appeal to Him in light of His
nature.

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SESSION 01 – BIBLICAL FOUNDATIONS OF INTERCESSION

3. Hannah (Perseverance in Prayer)—Hannah was a barren

woman who pressed through the shame and pain of not being able
to conceive. She persevered in prayer, crying out to the Lord for a
son. She promised the Lord that if she conceived she would
dedicate her child to the Lord. Hannah’s intense intercession,
fasting and mourning, left even the priest thinking she was a
drunken fool (1 Sam 1:10-16). Yet the wisdom of Hannah’s
intercession was justified as the Lord not only gave her a son, but
also set him apart as a prophet. In a time when the Word of the
Lord was rare, God answered the cries of this mother, and raised
up Samuel as an anointed prophet who would restore the Word of
the Lord in the land of Israel (1 Sam 3:1). The Lord didn’t let one
of Samuel’s words fall to the ground (1 Sam 3:19). Undoubtedly, it
was Hannah’s prayers that paved the way for her son's powerful,
prophetic ministry.

4. Elijah (Prophet who makes Intercession)—Elijah prophesied

that a drought would hit the land for 3 years. After the appointed
time had passed he prophesied again that there would be an
abundance of rain released upon the land (1 Kings 17:1, 18:1).
The revelation that Elijah possessed filled his heart with
unrelenting faith that rain would surely come, despite the drought
that had ravaged the land. Elijah didn’t just prophesy that rain
would come; he interceded until the word came to pass (1 King
18:41-42). He understood that though God had promised rain, it
would only manifest if he gave himself to intercession, thereby
joining himself to God’s ability to carry out His will and fulfill His
plans. Through Elijah, we understand that intercession is coming
into agreement with the desires and will of the Lord and simply
calling forth that which God has decreed to be manifest in the
earth.

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SESSION 01 – BIBLICAL FOUNDATIONS OF INTERCESSION

5. Daniel (Faithfulness in Prayer)—As a young boy growing up in

Jerusalem, it is likely that Daniel frequently heard the prophecies
of Jeremiah as he warned the people that they were going to go
into captivity for 70 years. At 14 or 15, Jeremiah’s prophecies
came true and Daniel was taken captive to Babylon and made a
eunuch in the king’s palace. He was subjected to the occult
practices of the people, trained in their schools and surrounded by
idol worship. As a teenager, Daniel took a stance and committed
himself to fasting and prayer. He served in the king’s palace for
over 60 years and gave himself to intercession in the secret place.
He became an eyewitness of the incredible things God does in
response to prayer. As an 80 year old man, Daniel found himself
reading the prophecies of Jeremiah (Jer 25) and came to the
realization that the 70 years of prophesied captivity had come to
an end and the time had come for the people of God to return to
Jerusalem.

a. Daniel did not simply assume that this prophecy would come
to pass simply because God had spoken it. Daniel had great
understanding of the theology of God’s kingdom as it relates to
human involvement and cooperation. He understood that he
was living at the time of the fulfillment of this prophecy which
spurred him into a focused season of fasting, prayer, and
repentance. He realized the prophecy would not come to pass
unless humans agreed with the promises of God and called them
forth. (Refer to Jeremiah 27:18.)

b. In Daniel 9, we see Daniel humbly crying out to God asking

Him to set his people free and allow them to return to Jerusalem.
Through Daniel’s intercession, the prophetic promise of God was
birthed and his people returned home soon after. A couple of
years later, Daniel, who was in his eighties, entered into another
season of intense fasting, prayer, and mourning (Dan 10).
Through the life of Daniel, we see the dynamics of the
relationship between human weakness, in fasting and prayer,
and the heavenly power that shifts angels and demons through
spiritual warfare. In Daniel 10, as Daniel fasted and prayed, a
cosmic battle raged in the heavenlies and angels were
strengthened to dethrone principalities. Gabriel’s testimony
vindicated the power of the seemingly weak practice of fasting
and prayer. He assured Daniel that his prayers changed and
shifted things in the spirit realm and caused the purposes of God
to come to pass.

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SESSION 01 – BIBLICAL FOUNDATIONS OF INTERCESSION

6. Jeremiah (Understanding the Emotions of God)—Through the

life of Jeremiah, we clearly see the reward that belongs to the
intercessor: intimacy with God. Jeremiah was a prophet who was
well acquainted with the heart of the Weeping God. Jeremiah
fellowshipped with God and experienced the pain that was in
God’s heart as He handed the dearly beloved of His soul into the
hands of her enemies (Jer 12). Jeremiah was a friend to God in
that painful hour, amidst the indifference and complacency of the
people. In Jer 9:23-24, Jeremiah defines the glory of the
intercessor—knowing and understanding the heart of the Lord. He
admonishes us not to glory in riches, strength, or wisdom, but only
in knowing and understanding the heart of God.

7. Esther (Intimacy unto Authority)—Esther was a Jewish, orphan

girl who became the queen of Persia. God appointed her to this
position and gave her authority to overturn an Anti-Semitic, death
decree made against her people. Her intercessions were “for such
a time as this,” as the future of her people hung in the balance (Est
4:14). God used her as an intercessor, to call her people to fasting
and prayer that they might be delivered. Esther risked her life to
go before the King, confident of his love for her, and plead on the
behalf of her people. She exposed the plan of the enemy and
caused the Jewish people to be spared from complete
extermination. Esther’s example encourages us to draw near to
the King in intimacy and to come boldly before Him and ask Him
for justice for our people.

8. Anna (Preparing the Way of the Lord through Fasting and

Prayer)—In Luke 2:36-38, we are introducted to Anna, a young
woman who tragically lost her husband. After being married for
only seven years, she found herself a widow. As a young adult,
she made the wisest decision of her life as she committed herself
to serve the Lord in fasting and prayer, day and night in the
temple. Days turned into weeks, weeks into months, months into
years and years into decades. After spending 60+ years in prayer
and fasting, crying out for the promises of God to be made
manifest and Messiah to come to the planet, the wisdom of Anna’s
life was justified. She saw the answer to a lifetime of prayers as
she gazed into the eyes of a baby, named Yeshua.

IV. The Conclusion: There Was No Intercessor

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Isaiah 59:15b-16 “…Then the Lord saw it, and it displeased Him that there was
no justice. He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no
intercessor; therefore His own arm brought salvation for Him; and His own
righteousness, it sustained Him.”

A. In the Old Testament, men and women cried out in intercession and
pleaded with God on the behalf of a rebellious people. As they were pained
in their hearts, their eyes flowed with tears, and they went so far as to wish
themselves dead for the sake of their people. Yet, despite all their efforts,
they couldn’t bring the necessary reconciliation to restore man to God.
Many times, through their perseverant supplications, God relented and His
wrath was delayed for a season; but ultimately, judgment had to be
released against the sin and rebellion of the people.

B. Despite our rebellion, God did not forsake us or abandon us. When we,
His image bearers, turned away from Him, and gave our hearts to idols,
God displayed His own vulnerability and lovesickness and determined to
reconcile us back to Himself. God understood that a sinful, human could
never fully bridge the chasm that separated mankind from God, so He
determined to extend His own arm and bring forth His own Intercessor.

C. God looked for a man to bring salvation and justice to humanity. He

looked for one who would intercede, spanning the grave disparity between
Divinity and humanity. He looked for one who would be fully acquainted
with both opposing parties. The intercessor would have to be human to
bring justice for mankind, yet he would have to be without sin, to bring
justice for God.

D. Because of our wickedness and utter inability to return to intimacy with

Him, God took it upon Himself to intercede for His glory and for our
redemption. Isaiah depicts Christ as the “Arm of the Lord” who would
satisfy God’s desire for an intercessor and establish justice in the nations.

E. In the past, judgment had always been released upon the rebellious.
Here God unleashed it upon the Righteous. Previously, judgment had
always come upon the people. This time, God poured it out upon Himself.
God expressed His great desire and vehement love for humankind as He
became His own intercessor and purchased our redemption.

V. Jesus Christ, the Great Intercessor

1 Timothy 2:5 “For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men,
the Man Christ Jesus.”

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A. Seeing the discrepancy between the infinite perfection of His Father and
the horrific depravity of humanity, God the Son, stood in the gap and took
on the form of the alienated human race. In so doing, God would forever
bind Himself to man. Jesus made Himself of no reputation. He came to join
hands with the depraved, the abandoned, the rejected, and the mistreated.
He yoked Himself to us in our poverty in order that He might raise us to the
heights of perfection (1 Sam 2:7).

Isaiah 53:12 “Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great, and He
shall divide the spoil with the strong, because He poured out His soul unto
death, and He was numbered with the transgressors, and He bore the sin of
many, and made intercession for the transgressors.”

B. Jesus was numbered with the transgressors. He made intercession for

us, suffering in our stead. God released His own wrath on His Son so the
rest of humanity wouldn’t have to face it. It pleased God to crush Jesus so
that you and I would be able to experience true freedom (Isa 53:10).

C. Mercy and judgment meet in the intercessor. With one sacrifice, Jesus
forever satisfied the wrath of God and forever bestowed mercy on
humanity. Jesus is the ultimate picture of an intercessor. He became
intercession as He laid down His life so that redemption could come to us
all. The veil of separation has been torn, the written code that was against
us and stood opposed to us has been nailed to the cross, the sin that
shamed us has been forgiven, and now we have access to the presence of
God.

D. On the cross, Jesus showed us a new reality of love and the extent to
which love would go for the sake of others. Jesus wasn’t just dying to
redeem us; He was demonstrating the way of the Kingdom and calling for
believers to follow suit. Intercession requires the laying down of one’s life
that another might live. We must consider Jesus, “the Apostle and High
Priest of our confession,” the One who laid down His life for us all, leaving
us an example that we might follow in His steps (Heb 3:1, 1 Pet 2:21).

VI. Redemption—Restored to our Priestly Identity

A. Jesus came as the “Second Adam” to reverse the curse and restore that
which was lost in the Garden. Through Him, we have been redeemed to a
place of dignity and honor as we are seated with Him in the heavenly
places (Eph 2:6). We have become partakers of unfathomable love and
have entered into the glorious liberty of being sons and daughters of God.
The whole point of redemption is to restore us to intimacy with God and to
our place of dominion that we might rule and reign with Him forever.
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SESSION 01 – BIBLICAL FOUNDATIONS OF INTERCESSION

Revelation 5:8-10 (NIV) “And when he had taken it, the four living
creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one
had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are
the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song: ‘You are worthy to
take the scroll and to open its seals, because You were slain, and with Your
blood You purchased men for God from every tribe and language and
people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to
serve our God, and they will reign on the earth.”

B. In this verse, Jesus is declared to be the only One worthy to take the
scroll (the title deed to the planet), systematically release judgments to take
the planet back from the Usurper (Antichrist) and set up His own Kingdom.
In the book of Revelation, we get a glimpse of the end-time church, secure
in her identity as a kingdom of priests.

C. Before the return of Jesus, the church will become “the house of prayer”
that she is destined to be. The church will come into her priestly identity,
release the Kingdom of God in the earth, and actually inaugurate the Great
Tribulation. We will minister to the heart of the Lord and call forth His plans
and purposes in the earth.

D. In Revelation 5:8, the living creatures and elders are holding golden
bowls that are full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. This
gives us a glimpse into what is transpiring in the church on the earth. The
bowls that are full depict maturity coming to the prayer movement. The
Bride will be in complete unity with the Holy Spirit and in absolute
agreement with the leadership of Jesus. Through intercession, the church
will initiate end-time judgments and ultimately hasten the return of Jesus to
the planet.

E. Revelation 6:9-11 depicts the martyrs who have come out of the Great
Tribulation standing before the throne and crying out for justice to be
released in the earth. The prayer movement in the earth will join with the
prayers of the saints in heaven. As we cry out for justice, God will release
His judgments upon evil. The church is not going to escape the Great
Tribulation; we are going to be instrumental in releasing it.

F. Worship and intercession are at the forefront of God’s end-time action

plan. God is raising up an end-time prayer movement that will usher in the
return of His Son to the planet. All over the earth, the Lord is calling forth
watchmen, who will cry out to Him day and night, giving Him no rest until
Jerusalem is made a praise in the earth (Isa 62:6-7).

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G. The end-time worship and prayer movement has just begun. God will
forever rule His Kingdom through intercession. The Coming Kingdom will
be advanced throughout the earth through the vehicle of prayer and
worship.

H. Even during the Millennial Reign, when Jesus is physically ruling the
earth from Jerusalem, intercession will still be the primary means God uses
to administrate His Kingdom. We will continue to talk to Jesus and ask Him
to release His glory in all the nations. We will call forth His will and continue
to ask Him to increase the fullness of His government in the earth.

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