Did anyone notice how Hurricane Michael got little media attention this past week?  For a hurricane that just made the history books as the 4th greatest hurricane to hit the US soil, I think WE need to take notice, and ask the question, what is God saying?

Hurricane Michael landed on the Florida coast on 10/10/18 with over 155 mile winds, making this almost a category 5 hurricane.  This hurricane landed during the month of Cheshvan, the month in the Hebrew calendar associated with the great “flood,” when Noah went into the ark, and a year later, came out of the ark after the flood.

(Read “Cheshvan Firstfruits” blog I wrote a year ago to learn more.)

One cannot be amazed at the uncanny coincidence of what is happening in America, and what God has to say about the month of Cheshvan and the prophetic implications of this Hebrew year.  

News reporters came upon the scene of the aftermath of Hurricane Michael and witnessed a “whole town wiped out on the face of the earth.”  There’s an eerie similarity to what Noah must have felt like when he disembarked from the ark to view a whole new landscape ahead of him.  Both death and life are dramatically portrayed in the story of Noah and the flood, and now we see this blueprint on a smaller scale here on American soil.

One reporter asked a woman who went through the flood:  “When the water started coming up, I was more scared there than any time I’ve ever been scared in my life,” said Debby McCoy. “I could cry to think about it because I didn’t know it was going to stop, you know, and I’m thinking what’ll happen if it gets over our head?”

As I am writing this today, it is reported that 18 people have been reported dead.  The reporter I was listening to was named “GABE.”  What?? Seriously?  Gabriel means, “messenger!”   This is what got me going to write this blog….  TOO MANY SIGNS again not to write.

(Read blog “Hebrew New Year 5778” and “What the Number 18 Reveals for this Hebrew Year” to remind you of what this year is all about).  

Coming off the heels of one of our nations greatest divides in securing the next Supreme Court judge, and a pivotal election that is ahead of us, America gets slammed with a devastating hurricane.   BUT, here is the second news story that isn’t getting much coverage that completes the message of this SIGN…….3 days later…..

“U.S. President Donald Trump and American evangelical Christian preacher Andrew Brunson participate in a prayer a day after he was released from a Turkish jail, in the Oval Office, on October 13, 2018, in Washington.”

Andrew Brunson, a North Carolina native, who pastored a small congregation in Turkey, had been convicted and sentenced to more than three years in prison. But he was ordered released for time served, and allowed to leave the country after spending nearly two years in detention. A separate charge of espionage was also dropped.

Brunson, oppressed and imprisoned unjustly, got released into “a new landscape” with new beginnings.  Just as Noah, a son of righteousness, walked out of the ark of confinement that kept him safe, Brunson walks out of Turkey and came back to America, to a new landscape that landed him at the Oval office praying for our President!

Brunson’s story should encourage God’s remnant who have been in bondage or imprisoned by their circumstances that God will do a “suddenly” in His time. Trump had been working on Brunson’s release for awhile, but God timed this release during the month of Cheshvan “after the flood” of Hurricane Michael.

So to start off this month of Cheshvan, we had one of the greatest hurricanes and flooding in several states.  Three days later, we see a pastor praying for our President to give him the Lord’s wisdom to lead our nation.  This appears to be a picture of judgment on evil, followed by deliverance and new beginnings for those who are walking in righteousness.

Some people may be watching the devastation of the hurricane and wonder why God is allowing this to happen?  How could a loving God allow such destruction?  BUT, may I remind all those who are questioning, GOD’s promise is that when we honor and obey HIS Word, He promises to be an adversary to our adversary and protect our borders.

“But if you indeed obey His voice and do all that I speak, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries”(Ex. 23:22).

But if we choose to walk away from the Lord’s Covenant and His ways, then God’s protection is lifted because He is just.  We become meat and potatoes for the enemies schemes.

“Therefore thus says the Lord God: “An adversary shall be all around the land; He shall sap your strength from you, And your palaces shall be plundered (Amos 3:11)”

If we live in this land when leaders (mountains of influence) chose to side with evil, then ALL suffer in some way, which we have seen happen in this nation.  

However, God always makes a way of escape for His remnant, and protects His people even when plagues and natural disasters strike.

“Deliver me in Your righteousness, and cause me to escape; Incline Your ear to me, and save me” (Psalm 71:2).

Even the children of Israel were kept from harm when the plagues struck Egypt.  

“And in that day I will set apart the land of Goshen, in which My people dwell, that no swarms of flies shall be there, in order that you may know that I am the Lord in the midst of the land.  I will make a difference between My people and your people.  Tomorrow this sign shall be (Ex. 8:22,23).

We are living in days that the divide is becoming clearer and we must decide, “How long will you falter between two opinions?  If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him”(1 Kings 18:21).  

This nation has had many natural disasters lately.  We have seen the wind, fire, and rain.  Elisha ran from evil leadership who threatened to kill him, and then experienced these same things come against him.  But the scriptures say plainly that the Lord was not in them:

“The behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks to pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was NOT in the wind; after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake, a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice” (1 Kings 19:11).

God then came to Elisha in the still small voice and asked Elisha what he was doing running away.  We learn from this example that we must not fear evil and hide, but hear and follow the voice of God and trust He is bigger.  He is larger than ALL storms.  Jesus showed us this example:

“And they came to Him and awoke Him, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!”  Then He arose and REBUKED THE WIND and the raging of the water.  And they ceased, and there was a calm” (Luke 8:24).

The disciples were amazed at the power of the Lord to cause the wind to seize.  Their circumstances seemed more than they could bare.  But Christ showed them He was Lord, and even rebuked their lack of faith:

But He (Jesus) said to them, ‘Where is your faith?”  And they were afraid, and marveled, saying to one another, ‘Who can this be?’  For He commands even the winds and water, and they obey Him” (Luke 8:25).

If Satan was not given access to cause the wind to bring a storm, then Jesus would not have needed to rebuke it.  Let’s not be caught off guard by the storms that are coming.  We must be determined to seek God’s face and choose His ways.

This past month, the Supreme Court judicial nominee process brought the best and the worst out of everyone.  Clearly, the divide in our nation has gone to new levels of hatred and anger.  Ironically, the Brett Kavenaugh situation stirred up many of us to pray all over this nation.  And thankfully so.  We are reaching a climax of one of the greatest spiritual battles in our nation between good and evil, and the turning point rests in our obedience:

“If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land” (2 Chron. 7:14).

Many Christians probably have no clue that the Baal worshipping memorial, “Temple of Baal” was erected in New York City a couple years ago.  They are planning on putting many more up in our nation.  These temple structures are making a declaration of our allegiance of this nation that goes against God.

Next month (April 2016), the Temple of Baal will come to Times Square. Reproductions of the 50-foot arch that formed the temple’s entrance are to beinstalled in New York and in London, a tribute to the 2,000-year-old structure that the Islamic State destroyed last year in the Syrian town of Palmyra.

The group’s rampage through Palmyra, a city that reached its peak in the second and third century A.D., enraged the world, spurring scholars and conservationists into action. Numerous nongovernmental organizations are now cataloging and mapping damaged cultural heritage sites in the region. –New York Times

 

The original arch was built commemorating the Roman victory over Partha. Many of the Parthans were from the remnants of the Ten Tribes of Israel.

“So the original purpose of this arch was to celebrate victory over the demise of the Northern kingdom, the 10 tribes of the house of Israel, aka Joseph/Ephraim,” wrote Hebrew Nation. “Is that really something that we want to put up in New York?”

Many of those “tribes of Israel” eventually landed in America.  Why?  Because AMERICA has a prophetic destiny to carry forth the birthright given to Joseph: to multiply the Kingdom of God to the ends of the earth.  God has given the SAINTS the job to carry it forward through obedience, faith, and prayer.

If you study the history of the tribes of Israel, you can find this Hebrew month of Cheshvan linked to the identity and destiny of the tribe of Manasseh.  If you follow the “latter day” prophetic words spoken over Manasseh, you will see that America is fulfilling those prophetic declarations.  Manasseh, who was one of the sons of Joseph, was anointed to carry forth the birthright of God’s Covenant, and to share the Kingdom of God to the world (Gen. 48).  America has been a beacon of hope spreading the gospel to the nations.

America has been wrestling to get out of the bondage that has choked her destiny so she can continue fulfilling her Kingdom purpose in the earth. 

Many Christians in America are wrestling with God, like Jacob did, for His breakthrough to cut through the demonic stronghold that has woven it’s iniquity into the fabric of our nation. Today we are literally in a civil war against our “brothers.”  There are the “Jacob’s” (those American’s who have a desire for the Lord and His ways to reign in this nation), pitted against the “Esau’s” (those American’s who hate God’s ways and do not want the Lord to reign in this nation.)

It’s important to understand that God’s warring angel, MICHAEL, delivered Jacob from a war that was too big for him.  But this didn’t happen until Jacob let go of his old nature and understood that God rules in all things.  When this understanding came to Jacob, the fear of the Lord changed his thoughts and actions. God then changed his name to ISRAEL, the name meaning, “God rules.”  God changed Jacob’s name to fit his prophetic destiny that Jacob would carry the Abrahamic Covenant forward under God’s rulership and direction.

See how this hurricane Michael took everyone by surprise and wiped everything out?  The ANGEL MICHAEL can wipe out the strongholds and bondage this nation is under as well.  BUT, not until the nation gets her new name…ISRAEL, meaning, she understands that God rules over AMERICA!

There is a fight for the life and freedom of our nation’s prophetic destiny, and we have got to do our part.  Make sure you vote this November.  Keep praying.  Together our prayers can stir up a hurricane in the spirit and break through so we can enter a new landscape of FREEDOM for this nation.