Mantles of God

By Les D. Crause

Discover what you have as a believer in Christ and how to activate it.

Most people are familiar with the Bible account of Elisha receiving the mantle of Elijah and how this is a picture of someone passing on their anointing for ministry to someone else.

It has often been taught that some of the great men and women of God of the past have passed on their unique mantles of ministry to others. And there is also some teaching on how this continues to take place today.

But most believers would never benefit from such teaching, because they are not at that higher level of ministry and have no way of getting close to those who have risen up as leaders in the Body of Christ.

Apostle Les D. Crause has been training the Fivefold Ministry for nearly 20 years, and recently the Lord led him to extend his training to all ministries in the Body of Christ and not just the Fivefold Ministry.

The launch of the School of the Supernatural led to a fresh look at the subject of ministry mantles, and he discovered that mantles in the Scripture were actually nothing more than different kinds of garments.

A mantle often identified the kind of work a person did, and each garment worn was a different kind of mantle. In fact the word mantle itself was mostly interchangeable with the word garment.

The Lord showed him that this concept could be translated into a spiritual meaning where a mantle could mean any kind of ministry function, and not just the Prophetic ministry as indicated by the mantle of Elijah.

New Mantles From God

With this new approach to the subject, he looked into the Scriptures and received revelation from the Lord concerning ministry mantles, and a whole new world of understanding opened up.

He discovered that not only did each different ministry carry a unique mantle, but this was not limited to leaders only. Every believer can receive mantles of ministry and now it was possible for everyone to seek the Lord for specific mantles in the Spirit.

As the School of the Supernatural entered its second year it was time to introduce the full teachings on the Mantles of God, and the subject began to expand into something far bigger than anticipated at first.

Now we can present to the world and the Body of Christ, his first official publication on the subject entitled Mantles of God. The book includes some content from lessons given to the students of the school via WhatsApp on a weekly basis.

This is the most comprehensive teaching you will find anywhere on thi

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: May 6, 2022
• ISBN: 9781471707025

Book preview

Mantles of God

By Les D. Crause

Mantles of God

ePub Edition

Copyright © 2022 by Global Business Ministries International All rights reserved

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All rights reserved under International Copyright Law.

Contents may not be reproduced in whole or in part in any form without the express written consent of the publisher.

Scripture quotations are taken from the Global Business Ministries (GBMV) version of the Bible.

The content of this book was transcribed from original live teachings given by Les D. Crause.

Available on most major ebook stores.

ISBN: 978-1-4717-0702-5

Imprint: Lulu.com

Section 01 - The Mantles of Anointing

Chapter 01 - Introduction to Mantles

Isaiah 6:1 says this.

In the year that king Uzziah died, I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and the hem of his mantle filled the temple.

The term mantle is often used when we refer to someone who operates in a supernatural ministry. Today we don't wear mantles anymore, so sometimes it can be a bit confusing, knowing exactly what is being referred to when we speak about a mantle.

In Bible times however, the mantle was a standard piece of clothing. The real mantles were actually robes or coats that a person wore over their clothes.

Very often the kind of mantle or coat that the person wore, would give an indication of what they did. It would show what their activity or their work was, or what their qualification or leadership position was. You could often assess a person by the mantle that they wore.

Mantles in the Bible

Here are a few significant mantles that are mentioned in Scripture.

Firstly we read of Aaron's coat. Aaron, who was the first High Priest, was given a special white linen mantle to wear, which distinguished him as the High Priest.

So when you saw him with this specific mantle, you knew that he was the High Priest. He was the only one who wore that kind of garment.

Fishermen also wore a specific garment. I know that because in John 21:7, we read an example of where Peter was naked and he heard that Jesus was there. And it says that he put his fisherman's coat on him, tied it around him and threw himself into the sea.

This means there was a specific fisherman's coat. If you saw a guy wearing the fisherman's coat, that was the mantle of a fisherman.

Of course a king had a special robe. It was a special mantle which he wore that distinguished him as a king. In the passage that I shared at the beginning, Isaiah saw the Lord as a king seated on His throne, and he saw the mantle of the Lord coming down.

Isaiah was standing in the temple at the time. He was offering sacrifices and was standing before the brazen altar where they offered the sacrifices.

He was worshiping God and he had an open vision. He saw the Lord up there, and he saw the mantle of the Lord and the bottom part of His hem was hanging in the temple.

It filled the place with glory, and amazing things began to happen to Isaiah, but we are not going to go into that in detail. It is however, one of the signs of what happens when the mantle of God's presence comes into a place.

The prophets also had a mantle. We read of Elijah the prophet who had a specific mantle. It was a hairy or furry kind of thing that was very distinct for the prophet. We see that Elijah eventually left that mantle behind when he went up into heaven, and Elisha picked up that same mantle and began to wear it.

So there is a specific mantle for the prophet. But we are still looking of course at natural clothing items.

The Purpose of a Mantle

What was the purpose of a mantle? One of the first purposes was to identify a person's rank. When the king wore a robe, you knew here was the king. When the High Priest wore his robe, you knew he was the High Priest.

If a fisherman wore his robe, you knew he was a fisherman. There was even a teacher's or Scribe's robe. So you could identify these people and what their activity in life was, based on the mantle that they wore.

Those are all natural mantles. Today we don't have quite the same thing. People don't go around wearing specific mantles.

They sometimes do it in traditional environments. For example they still wear robes in the universities, and in the legal environment they still wear wigs. These are all hangups from the past, where specific garments were worn to identify a person.

Spiritual Mantles

The Bible also speaks about spiritual mantles, because in the Old Testament, what was literal became symbolic. It became spiritual and became an allegory in the New Testament.

One of the first mantles to consider when we look at a spiritual mantle is a mantle of authority. Jesus carried authority. When He did those things, the people would marvel and say,

Wow, what authority has been given to this person!

They even questioned Him once and asked,

By what power or authority do you do these things?

The Mantle for Office and Ministry

When we come to the spiritual realm, God offers a mantle for different ministries and there are different kinds of mantle. So I want to start by showing you firstly that there are two main different kinds of ministry mantle.

There is the mantle of those who qualify for and are promoted into Ministry Office; that is the apostle, the prophet and the teacher. Those all have the possibility of rising up to a higher level in ministry.

That is the office level. And when a person rises up into that office level, they are given a mantle of authority.

We haven't often seen mantles in the Spirit for the prophet and the teacher. We have seen other things. But when we place somebody into Apostolic Office, we always see the kingly robe that is placed on them.

When we place somebody into Apostolic Office, we always place the apostolic mantle upon them. It is a mantle of authority.

When it comes to ministry however, things are a little bit different. The mantle for ministry is not a mantle of authority, but a mantle of ability.

In the original Greek there were two words translated power. There was exousia which was the power of authority, and dunamis, the power of ability. We will look more at that as we continue.

The Mantle of Authority

The mantle of authority is given only once and it remains. So when the apostle is placed into office, they are given the mantle or the robe of the Apostolic Office only once. It never needs to be repeated. They now qualify and stand in that office, and they have the right to wear that mantle.

Kings were specifically anointed. But what I want you to look at here, is the fact that this kind of mantle is given once only and is never repeated.

So if we go back to the anointing of the kings, we see that Samuel originally anointed Saul to be the king. And even though Saul turned his back against God and the Spirit of God left him, he was nevertheless anointed and given a mantle of authority to be the king.

David continued to recognize that mantle, and he refused to touch Saul, to kill him and to destroy him.

He said, How can I destroy the Lord's anointed.

It was given once and could not be taken away. David himself received that same kind of kingly anointing. It happened when Samuel came to his father's home, called him out, anointed him with oil and anointed him to be the next king of Israel.

From that day forward, David carried a specific anointing to be king. He wasn't yet officially the king. It took many years before Saul died and David could step into his place. But David was given once only that anointing which now made him a king.

Jesus is the Model

Of course our ultimate model is the Lord Jesus Himself. In John 1:32, John speaks concerning the day when Jesus came to be baptized and the dove came down. It says,

And John bore record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it remained upon him.

I want you to notice something here. The dove didn't just land and fly away. It remained upon Him. Then John says in verse 33,

And I did not know him: but he that sent me to baptize with water, also said to me, Upon whom you will see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, he is the same one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.

This specific mantle is given once and it remains. It is not taken away.

The Mantle of Power

Sometimes there is a mantle that is only needed for a specific situation. The mantle comes upon a person and they function under it for a while, then it lifts. They don't wear that mantle permanently.

This is not a mantle of authority. It is mantle of power and ability to do something. We see this happening quite frequently in the Old Testament.

You can firstly see it happening with Samson. When the mantle of God's anointing came on Samson, he got extremely strong and he did amazing things. He carried whole gates and killed people with the jawbone of an ass. It was the mantle of God's strength that came on him.

We see the prophet Elijah in 1 Kings 18:46. He had just prayed and God said,

The rain is going to come back.

Then he said to Ahab,

You better get on your chariot and go home, because there is rain coming.

So Ahab went on his chariot, with his horses going full speed ahead. Then the mantle of God's anointing came on Elijah, and he ran so fast that he overtook the chariot with the horses.

That is super-human! But Elijah didn't receive the fast runner's mantle, so that thereafter he could compete in any sport and win. It wasn't a permanent thing. It only came on him for that moment.

Another example we see is with Moses and the 70 elders. You can see this in Numbers 11:25. God said to Moses,

I will take of the anointing (or the mantle) that is on you, and I will place that same mantle on the 70 elders that you have chosen from Israel.

That is exactly what happened. They all began to function exactly like Moses. They were carrying the same mantle.

Extras With the Mantle

There are often additional objects that are included with a mantle. So when God gives you a mantle of this kind, He will sometimes give you specific instruments to use with that mantle.

For example, one of them is a key. A key gives you the authority to lock and unlock. And so prophets in office, who have received the prophetic mantle of authority, have a key. It is either a golden key, a silver key or both, and it gives them authority.

That authority only works because of the mantle. Without the mantle that authority doesn't work. So once a prophet has received the mantle of the Prophetic Office, they have a key that they can use.

There is sometimes a ring. A ring in Bible days was the king's ability to sign and to seal decrees as we see in Esther. The decree was issued by Haman to destroy the Jews.

Another one of the emblems that is given with the robe or the mantle can be a crown. In the Apostolic Office, there is a crown or a headdress that goes with it, and this functions together with the mantle.

More on the Mantle of Ability

We have been discussing the mantle of ability. And I want to look at this in a bit more detail now, because this is the one that probably most believers are looking to operate in.

Those who have attained the Teaching Office, the Prophetic Office and the Apostolic Office are a unique group right at the top. They are the leaders in the Body of Christ, but the majority of other people are not left out.

Apostles, prophets and teachers are not the only ones who can have a mantle. Yes they are the only ones who carry the mantle of authority. That mantle has been given to them permanently, and they can put it on any time and wield that authority.

They don't have to receive a special anointing for a special occasion. We will look at that more as we go on.

It Comes When Needed

The mantle of ability is used only when it is needed. Let's look at some examples.

Peter was standing up preaching to the Gentiles in Cornelius's household. In Acts 10:44 and 45, we read that while Peter was speaking, the Holy Spirit fell on these people and the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out.

There was a mantle that came down on them while Peter was preaching. We will see later that this mantle is a universal mantle that is available to all believers through the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. So sometimes the mantle comes while you are sitting listening to the Word being preached.

If you are looking at one of the ways of getting this mantle, that is one of them. Find somebody who is anointed and watch them. Listen to them and hang onto their every word. Who knows, in the middle of that you may find a mantle falling on you, anointing you and giving you a supernatural ability.

It Can Be Imparted

This can also be imparted or transmitted. We see how in Acts 8:17, after Philip had gone to Samaria and had an evangelistic revival, many people came to the Lord. Then they sent Peter and John down to lay hands on them. It says,

Then laid they [their] hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.

What did they receive? They received the mantle of the Holy Spirit that came on them. So this mantle can be received through the laying on of hands.

It Appears To Be Unpredictable

This kind of mantle often seems unpredictable. It may appear come when you least expect it.

You may be sitting in a meeting, not doing anything specifically, when suddenly you feel an anointing of God coming all over you. It feels like someone dropped an item of clothing on you.

But then sometimes it leaves the same way. Just when you were starting to enjoy it, suddenly it lifts and is gone. That is what this mantle of power often feels like. It is not always active.

The mantle of authority is given once only, it remains and does not need to be activated. But the mantle of ability is always activated only temporarily. It does not remain active, but it comes to life only for the moment, for you to function in a specific situation. Then it ceases to be active and the sensation is gone.

Gifts of the Spirit and Objects

When this mantle becomes active, it brings a manifestation of the gifts of the Spirit. When that mantle becomes activated on you, you could start to get prophetic revelation, or you could start to flow in the healing anointing.

God may give you a mantle to set the captives free - a mantle of deliverance. With this mantle active, you can bring deliverance to people who are in bondage. While that mantle is active on you, you are operating under the power and the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

Sometimes God will give you objects to use with a mantle. One of the most common objects that are used with a mantle is a sword. With a mantle of authority there is usually a key, because a key is something that you use to lock and unlock.

The Scripture speaks about having an authority to bind and loose. A sword speaks of a wielding of power. It is when you take an energy and release it. You do something active.

And so when a mantle becomes active on you, God may show you a sword in your hand. It may be a golden sword, it could be a silver sword or a brass sword. It could be a fiery sword, or it may even be a light saber, like a laser beam coming out of it.

There are other objects also that work with this kind of anointing. You may see gloves or feel gloves on your hands. It may be golden gloves or other gloves. God is showing you that there is something that you must do with your hands.

You may see a telescope. In that case God is showing you that He is giving you a future vision and helping you to see into the future. Or you may see ointment that you need to take and rub on somebody when you pray with them for healing.

An instrument which the Lord gave me not long ago is a taser. I have never actually seen a taser. But I have seen the police using it to stun somebody and bring them to order. It is an instrument that seems to release some kind of shot of power.

As I began to look to the Lord especially with the Covid-19 pandemic I said,

"Lord, how will I minister