Many Americans spent time watching Super Bowl 53, and given this event has a national stage, I take note of some of the details that God may be saying.

Seven years ago, the Patriots were in the Super Bowl playing the NY Giants.  The Giants defeated them 21 to 7.  How I know this is because I wrote it in my journal after the Lord put it in my heart to do so.

7 years later, the Patriots came out the victor, beating the Rams 13 to 3.

Back in 2012, when the Patriots lost to the Giants, I felt like God told me that the “giants” in America (those who were trying to steal, kill, and destroy America’s God given destiny), were still in the “winning” position.  These “giants” were, and are, the source of the great divide and corruption in our nation.

But seven years later, the Patriots (Heart of America) defeated the Rams. This is a hopeful sign of a turn around coming, which I believe coincides with the “fall of Babylonian” written in Rev 17,18.

In Super Bowl 53, the Patriots only scored 13 points.  Why was this number significant?  13 is the number identified with America’s foundation, founded by Christians, beginning with the 13 colonies.

America went on to establish a flag that has 13 stripes:

 

In addition, the making of our Presidential Seal has the number 13 several times:  The eagle grasps an olive branch in its right talon with 13 leaves and 13 berries, and a bundle of 13 arrows and 13 feathers in its left.

 

God likened Israel to an Olive Tree which stands for peace (Jer. 11:16;Hos. 14:5-7).  The olive branch and arrows are symbols for the power of peace.  The eagle holds an open scroll in its beak inscribed with the Latin 13-letter motto “E pluribus Unum”,which means “Out of Many, One.”

The victory of the Patriots may be a hopeful sign.  I am believing  that we are at a tipping point in America to see her wake up to her identity and destiny and get victory over the works of the enemy that are trying to destroy her.  The prayers of the saints(Patriots) will prevail!

Over the years, the Super Bowl has become America’s national  “feast” of sorts, which has had the ability to join the nation together for celebration.

This event has affected each home, business, conversation, and paycheck, whether you celebrate it or not.  It has given me a picture of what it could look like if the nation began celebrating Gods Feasts and how we can all be united in one purpose:  ONE NATION UNDER GOD. 

It seemed this year that the interest in the Super Bowl has diminished a bit.  Perhaps that too is a hopeful sign: that instead of lifting up man and his accomplishments while they kiss the Lombardi trophy,  we will see how the true value that brings peace is not in what man can accomplish, but in what Jesus already accomplished on the cross.

Things always get messy before deliverance comes.  Our nation is looking pretty messy right now, but isn’t that when God can come in at our greatest time of need and get all the glory.  It requires our humility…not a trophy.

 

 

 

If you have been waiting on God in the “hidden place,” this blog will encourage you.  I have titled it, “the final exchange” because this trade must take place before you launch into the call that is ahead.

The preparation process Moses went through is the example God put on my heart to exemplify this “final exchange.” After years of “training” in the wilderness as a shepherd, Moses had an encounter with God at Mount Horeb that shifted him from being a shepherd of sheep to a sheep of the great Shepherd.  His burning bush encounter released his kingdom covenant purpose of why the Lord made a way for Moses to escape the Hebrew baby death warrant. (Ex1,2).

During this encounter, the voice of “I AM” was instructing Moses how to shepherd the Hebrews (Israelites) to fulfill His prophetic promise He had given to Abraham:

“Then He said to Abram: ‘Know certainly that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them, and they will afflict them four hundred years.  And and also the nation whom they serve I will judge; afterward they call come out with great possessions” (Gen. 15:13-16).

God told Moses he was going to use him to bring deliverance to the Hebrews from the bondage of slavery, and to lead them to the mountain where God could establish a Covenant with the nation.  This wasn’t a small job, and neither is OUR part in what God is doing in the earth today.

Moses didn’t jump up and down right away with excitement.  I think the Moses prior to leaving Pharaoh’s palace would have had no reservation, and in his zeal, would have stood before Pharaoh in his own strength, mimicking Pharaoh’s leadership.  Evidence of this is when Moses saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, and how he responded:

“So he looked this way and that way, and who he saw no one, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand” (Ex. 2:12).

Moses thought he had covered up this wrong, but some of the Hebrews saw what he did and exposed Moses.  Then Pharaoh found out, and wanted to kill him, which is why Moses fled to the wilderness.

We can sympathize with Moses as to why he would have some serious doubts that God had the right guy after considering his past.

Moses reply to the Lord was:

“Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt” (Ex. 3:11)?

And again,

“BUT suppose they will not believe me or listen to my voice; suppose they say, ‘The Lord has not appeared to you'” (Ex. 4:2).

The questions Moses asked initiated the process of the “final exchange.” Those questions obviously revealed doubts Moses had of what God wanted him to do.  But digging deeper, they revealed the shame Moses had deep within his soul that was speaking louder than God’s voice and convincing him he wasn’t good enough for the job.

The fear of introducing an idea and being ridiculed, laughed at, or belittled is the product of shame.  Beyond that comes the fear of failure or the fear of being wrong. 

Shame causes us to hide to save face, so he was probably thinking, “Why would I go back to the place I lost face, position, and reputation?”  Why would I go back to the place I first failed, then killed, and fled?  I am pretty comfortable hidden here in Midian.”

God begins to address the shame with HIS ability to cover him and His solution:

“So the Lord said to him, “What is that in your hand?”

Moses said, “A rod.”

 And He said, “Cast it on the ground.” So he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from it. Then the Lord said to Moses, “REACH OUT your hand and take it by the TAIL” (and he reached out his hand and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand), “that THEY may believe that the Lord God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you” (Ex. 4:2-5).

The minute Moses threw down the rod, he    allowed himself to be vulnerable with God.

The account tells us that when Moses saw the staff turn into a serpent, he ran from it.  The serpent revealed that which was hidden that could have hindered the call; exposing the weakness in Moses and the enemy. God was going to turn the weakness into a SIGN of His strength and power in Moses.

When God told Moses to REACH OUT and take it by the tail, he had to OVERCOME his initial fear and trust God would make a way to protect him.  Why I say this is because God did not tell him to take it by the neck, which is how you would render a snake powerless.  Instead, he told him to take it by the tail, which would show Moses that the serpent (enemy) could not triumph over him, even in his weakness.

Separation from the staff left Moses vulnerable and gave God permission to perfect the process for Moses to come to terms with what God was revealing, and to transform Moses’ dependency on God.  The healing began, but it took time to perfect wholly.  BUT IN THE PROCESS OF STEPPING OUT WITH THE “ROD”, COMPLETION WAS PERFECTED.

This transaction began a new pattern for Moses to overcome shame, and the key factor is that all Moses had to do in this “final exchange” was to REACH OUT when God called.   At the moment when the enemy (serpent) was manifesting, God’s OVERCOMING power was there the moment he went toward it.

God also used this sign because he knew that the Egyptian magicians would use their trickery to mimic His sign.  Moses would have total recall that God’s power was greater than Pharaoh’s at his first time up for bat, and this set a precedence for Moses to stand in faith every time Pharaoh refused to listen.

Moses saw his authority was not in his ability but in his availability to pick up the staff and use God’s authority as instructed.  Moses would use it to turn the Nile into blood, part the Red Sea, bring water out of a rock in the wilderness, and secure Israel’s victory in battle.

The second sign God gave Moses in this “final exchange” was when he asked him to “put your hand in your bosom” (Ex. 4:7).  When Moses took out his hand, it was leprous, and when God told him to put his hand back in his bosom, he pulled it out and it was restored.

This second sign revealed the promise of death to the flesh (shame) and life glorified as God’s SIGN to His people. God would not only restore Moses, but also the Covenant people of God.

These signs the Lord gave in response to Moses asking Him, “But suppose….” were for Moses first as we have discussed, but they were also a SIGN for the Hebrews later. They knew him a “prince of Egypt,” but he was returning as the “deliverer” they had been praying for.  Moses’ faith had to be greater in God than in the opinion or reaction of the Hebrews who would persecute and turn on him at one point in this process.

The Blue Letter Bible commentary says this:

“There was a real message in the first two signs. The first said, “Moses, if you obey Me, your enemies will be made powerless.” The second said “Moses, if you obey Me, your pollution can be made pure.” Doubts in each of these areas probably hindered Moses, and before those signs ministered to anyone else, they ministered to Moses. This is the pattern with all God’s leaders.”

So what are we to take away from this?  I believe the experiences the remnant has had of getting crushed by rejection, failure, persecution, and character assassination demand the “final exchange” prior to take off.

It is difficult to go forward with God’s instruction without our minds thinking about what happened in the past.  Some of us still have the heat of the consequences of our sinful choices still cooling off in God’s sanctification process. Moses probably remembered how he killed the Egyptian, which was then followed by, “How can God use me now?”

FEAR of falling (failing)….can loom in the back of our minds, and as we learn to surrender this fear through the sanctification process, God delivers us AT HIS APPOINTED TIME.  God’s Word says in Psalm 34:22:

“The Lord redeems the soul of His servants, And none of those who trust in Him shall be condemned.”

When it was God’s appointed time, He answered the prayers of the Hebrews, who had been asking the Lord to deliver them from evil:

“So God heard their groaning, and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  And God looked upon the children of Israel and God acknowledged them” (Ex. 2:24).

In answering this prayer, GOD called Moses forth.  Moses wasn’t perfect when it was time to GO.  But God would equip Moses for the job, and deliver his soul from anything that would hinder him from fulfilling the call.  

Amazingly, this staff in our hands can be a serpent if it is not completely surrendered to the Lord. God knows what can destroy us, and so this “final exchange” is necessary so we can have faith in His instruction and enjoy His victory.

Here are some questions to ask yourself:

1. What is the doubt in your mind that hinders you from stepping out fully in faith to what God has called you to do?
2. Where is your comfort level of vulnerability?
3. How do you protect these vulnerabilities and at what cost?
4. What do you do when you feel emotionally exposed?
5. How willing are you to take emotional risks?
6. How do you behave when you feel uncomfortable or uncertain?
7. Do you spend time and energy trying to make the uncertain certain?
8. Do you use “crazy busy” as armor?  How?

(Questions from a great book called, “Daring Greatly” by Brene Brown)

Finally, what are the “excuses?” Ask these questions in the next couple months of Adar, because as you do, you are entering into the process of the  “final exchange.”  

Quoting Brene Brown from her book:

“Vulnerability is not weakness, and the uncertainty, risk, and emotional exposure we face every day are not optional.  Our only choice is a question of engagement.  Our willingness to own and engage with our vulnerability determines the depth of our courage and the clarity of our purpose; the level to which we protect ourselves from being vulnerable is a measure of our fear and disconnection.”

Right before God is about to send us forth by His Spirit to conquer and do what He has destined us to do for Him, there is a weakness in us that God wants to govern.  He wants to ask us to surrender to His exchange. Hidden in our soul could be something we fear more than the Lord, and is the very place the “serpent” can deceive us, argue against God’s word, and cause the lie to become truth to our soul.  More importantly, the Lord loves us too much to not deal with this hidden sin that could destroy us later without recovery.

By the time we are called out to “GO,” as God gives His instruction, all of His servants must go through the “final exchange.” 

ADAR begins February 4th, and is the month in the Hebrew Covenant Calendar that means to be made honorable; glorious. (2 Chron. 5:19-21).  Praying you encounter His “final exchange” for you.

Keep your eyes open on the evening of January 20th and morning of January 21st, because all who are up will be able to take a look at another “Blood Moon.”  The Blood Moon is a total lunar eclipse, which is when the sun, earth, and moon are all in a straight line for a short period of time.

This “Blood Moon” is being called by some as “America’s Eclipse” for two reasons.  The first reason is because the entire eclipse can be seen from start to finish throughout America.  Secondly, it will be able to be viewed before midnight from coast to coast:

“From New York City at midtotality, the darkened moon will stand 70 degrees up from the southern horizon — your clenched fist held at arm’s length measures roughly 10 degrees in width, so that’s “seven fists” from the horizon. The last time New Yorkers could gaze so high at a totally eclipsed moon was in 1797, when John Adams was president; the next opportunity won’t come until 2113″ (Joe Rao; Space.com).

Interestingly enough, this “Blood Moon” will be taking place on the Sunday night of the three-day Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend in the U.S. King’s most famous address was the “I Have A Dream” speech. He was an advocate of non-violent protest and became the youngest man to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

President Trump was sworn into office January 20th, 2017.  These are just a few coincidences of what transpired on the same day so we can use them to help us gain understanding of this SIGN in the sky:

“Then God said, “Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years” (Gen. 1:14).

Many people see these “Blood Moons” as doomsday signs.  But if you understand the Hebrew Covenant Calendar, these “Blood Moons” are for us to awaken to His Covenant promises of redemption and restoration that are taking place and to WATCH.  They are a sign to BE READY.  We need to take the time to hear and listen to what God is saying about furthering His Story in redeeming mankind and heaven and earth.

Just knowing that a total lunar eclipse lines the sun, moon, and earth in a line can tell us something.   In order for earth to line up with heaven’s plan, we need to be abiding in His Ways.  Perhaps this is a sign that God is giving America that He is shifting, shaking, and awakening our nation so that it will line up with His Covenant plan.  Our nation affects many nations, so it would make sense that what happens with America will affect all the nations.

The “lining up” of the sun, moon, and earth could also be speaking about God’s promises to align (plumb line) our Spirit, Soul, and Body with His truth.  Hmm, when that is fulfilled, we will see the manifestation of the Remnant receiving their glorified bodies.  Given this year has been about the preparing the Remnant to ARISE, perhaps this is yet another sign to remind us of this birth coming up soon.

One thing we can safely say is that God has been giving us many Blood Moons lately that put a spotlight on the Parable of the 10 Virgins; reminding us to keep oil in our lamps (Matt 25).  We need to be READY for the Lord’s arrival and the King reign here on the earth.

In recent years, we have had a lot of Blood Moons on the Feast days.  Four total lunar eclipses fell on these “HOLY DAYS” two years in a row, both on Passover and Tabernacles 2014/15, which I would say are pretty significant. These four I consider a “double witness” in telling us He is advancing His Covenant story.

What is God saying to you?  Why is this Blood Moon being framed as “America’s Eclipse?”  These are good questions to ask while we sit with a government shut down, and a massive unrest and divide in our nation.

Today, we are definitely being prepared for a NATIONAL (governmental) movement of His Covenant promise.  This incorporates a work of the Body of Christ, the NATION in Covenant with God.  That in itself is not attached to this land called America.  However, God promised in His word that there would be land appointed that He would ordain to be able to take on the responsibility of the “Birthright” portion of the Covenant promise until Jesus returns to reign in the Millennium. That “Birthright” included land, multiplicity of fruitfulness (spreading the Gospel), possessing the gates of the enemy, and carrying His name forward.

America has carried this torch since its inception.  We have been sharing the Gospel, helping those nations who are oppressed by the enemy, all in the name of a “CHRIST-IAN” nation called America.  America’s name means, “heaven’s land.”  Perhaps that is why America established her nation without an earthly king, recognizing KING Jesus as her leader from her birth, knowing a day would come when He would take the reins.  This was not the work of man, but of the Lord.

I believe the government shut down is prophetic in itself.  We have developed a mindset in our culture to look to the President of our nation and our government for the solution to our nation’s problems, and it simply can’t fix our problem.  The nation’s TRUST has shifted over the years away from God and into the wrong places.  “In God We Trust” is our national motto, but is not our national reality today.

Trump’s stance in shutting the government to get approval to “build the wall” is worth noting as well.  He is asking for support to “build a wall.”  In an effort to stop lawlessness and evil from coming across our borders, this wall seems to be a good solution.

However, a nation that continually rejects God is a nation that is defenseless, so in a sense, no matter what wall we build, if we don’t course correct, it will be futile without God’s blessing.  How this unfolds will reveal more about the SIGN for I believe that the two are connected.  Definitely, God has used Trump to be His vessel to shake things up so He can perfect the promise for His government to reign.

In this winter season of the Hebrew calendar cyclically known to be the time of rest to receive great revelation, take time to ask God what He is saying about this SIGN in the sky.  We know it has some signifcance with America and God’s corporate Covenant promises.  We can surmise that our nation’s foundation is linked to this SIGN.  And lastly, we probably can conclude that Martin Luther King Jr,. who stood bravely for freedom and equality, was a kind of “firstfruits” of great things to come when a “people” (remnant) will arise with ONE VOICE.

“In mercy and truth, atonement is provided for iniquity; and by the fear of the Lord one departs from evil” (Prov. 16:6).

Since December 7th Firstfruits, we have entered into the “REST” season of the Hebrew Covenant calendar.  This season seems to get swallowed up in the business of the holidays in its inception.  BUT, this season is actually one of the most significant seasons for those who are seeking God, because it is an anointed time set aside for us to STOP…SEEK….and REST……THEN we are READY to sow seeds into God’s purpose for the next Hebrew year.

“Resting” does not mean to lay back and do nothing.  Resting means to get before the Lord and “rest” in His presence so we can hear God speak, download, and give His direction and instruction for each of us individually and corporately.

“Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ(1 Peter 1:13).

God has been preparing His remnant to be a part of His plan in ushering in the Millennium.  If we don’t take the time to seek His face, we can easily go on our daily routine and miss our opportunity to enter into the blessing of God’s revelation for NOW!

This “REST” season these next few months are particularly important because we are in the midst of a major “kingdom” transition that will pick up momentum next year. 

In 2012, God reminded me of the vision that Joseph interpreted for Pharaoh in Genesis 41.  He spoke to my heart that this vision was relevant to what was transpiring in the years ahead:  7 years of plenty, and in those years, preparing for 7 years of famine following.

“He slept and dreamed a second time; and suddenly seven heads of grain came up on one stalk, plump and good.  The behold, seven thin heads, blighted by the east wind, sprang up after them.  And the seven thin heads devoured the seven plump and full heads.  So Pharaoh awoke, and indeed, it was a dream” (Gen. 41:5-7).

According to the timing with which God spoke to me about Pharaoh’s dream that Joseph interpreted, 2019 marks a similar shift from the 7 years of plenty to the 7 years of famine.  Given that the significance of the next Hebrew year will be a direct cutting apart of what is light and dark, right and wrong, good and bad, we will want to stay under the Lord’s covering as this shift begins transpiring.

God prepared Joseph through his “trials by fire” to be the one He would choose to govern the land through their monumental shift in the economy.

Why was Joseph’s trial, testing, and promotion so important to the overall plan of God?  It wasn’t to give Joseph a great position of power, although that authority was necessary for his role.  It was to ensure that Joseph would use his position of influence to further the prophetic promises of the Abrahamic Covenant, which eventually birthed forth Jesus and the multiplicity of believers all over the earth.

I am sure while Joseph was in prison it didn’t feel like God had a major part for Joseph to play in securing His Covenant promises eternally, especially after being rejected by the very people he would end up helping.  But like Joseph, many of us have been “tested by fire” for a greater purpose up ahead that is linked to Christ reigning on the earth, and our character and our hearts need to match the Lord’s.

Throughout much of my prayer time these past couple years, it seems as though the Holy Spirit has also led me to Rev. 18 concerning Babylon:

“Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and has become a dwelling place of demons, a prison for every foul spirit, and a cage for every unclean and hated bird! Rev. 18:2).  

I have heard the Lord repeat over an over His Word for us today that His heart cries out in Revelation 18:4:

“And I heard another voice form heaven saying, “Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues.”

Perhaps this is the reason why the Lord gave me 7 years of plenty followed by 7 years of famine because He says He will deal with the “Mystery of Babylon” before He returns to reign in the Millennium.  This shaking will crumble iniquitous structures that will inevitably affect us all, just as the famine affected all of Egypt.  But God made a way for the Israelites to prosper during that season, just as He will do again up ahead.

With this Hebrew month being TEVET, meaning “good circumcision,” it is a good reminder that trials and judgment aren’t to punish us but to prepare us as “sons and daughters” of the Lord.

It will also be interesting to see what “judgments” are released in this month nationally out of our government.  Given that this month is associated with the tribe of Dan (the tribe Samson came from and who God gave me a picture of when seeking Him about His choice in raising up Donald Trump as our next president), watch the news and what transpires from the White House.  It appears some things have already begun breaking forth in bringing justice to the table and iniquitous dealings out of hiding.

Finally, with this season being one anointed to REST and receive revelation, it will be important to dedicate time to do so.  

Last year, I joined forces with a friend to pray for 21 days straight, beginning on January 1st, journaling as we went.  Each day our goal was to seek God’s face…to hear from heaven, to pray His will, and to receive revelation.  We had no agenda, but our hearts were determined to align with the Holy Spirit and allow Him to lead.  It was amazingly fruitful, and some of the events that have transpired this year in the world we actually saw coming and prayed as God instructed.  This was just one way I “RESTED” in this winter season.

 

 

 

 

As we get together with family and friends this holiday season, it is highly probable that President Trump will come up at the dinner table conversation.  President Trump has definitely got a lot of people talking.  So I thought I would share with you something God showed me when he became President that has helped me with a greater perspective and peace in this process as he leads this nation.

Many prophetic people in the Body of Christ declared that God showed them that President Trump was going to be like King Cyrus in the Bible, who helped with the process of allowing God’s people who had been in captivity by the Babylonians to go back to Jerusalem and build the temple.

But this was not what God showed me.  Instead, I got a picture SAMSON.

In Judges 13-16, we read about the story of Samson. God chose Samson to be a judge and a deliverer for the Israelites before he was even born.  

“For behold, you shall conceive and bear a son.  And no razor shall come upon his ahead, for the child shall be a Nazarite to God from the womb; and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines” (Judges 13:5).

Oddly enough, the mother of Samson was told not to cut her son’s hair, for it was Samson’s hair that was the secret to his supernatural strength, giving him the ability to fight lions and conquer an army of Philistines. (Isn’t it ironic how Trump’s hair has always somehow been the talk).

As Samson became an adult, he decided he wanted to marry a Philistine; the very people God prophesied he would need to conquer to save his family.  This appeared to be a sacrilegious thing to do since the Israelites were only supposed to marry someone “circumcised,” (meaning they had accepted the Abrahamic Covenant and believed in the Lord). Marrying the enemy of the state also appeared treasonous.

Samson’s father and mother tried to persuade him not to do this, BUT GOD was the one who actually directed it.

“But the father and mother did not know that it was the Lord-that He was seeking an occasion to move against the Philistines.  For at that time, the Philistines had dominion over Israel” (Judges. 14:4).

In a simliar contrast, Donald Trump grew up with an anointing to “conquer” in the field of Babylon.  He became known as the master of the “Art of the Deal.”  He conquered the giants in the money/land industry, and his name became famous all over the world.  Then GOD decided to choose him to be our next president, even though most Christians had a difficult time voting for him because he did things that seemed “sacrilegious.”

Prior to taking his position as president, Trump had grown in fame and fortune. But he also had a weakness:  women.  

Samson also had a weakness….women.  As you read the story of him and Delilah in Judges 16, it would appear that Samson’s weakness for women got the best of him:

“When Delilah saw that he had told her all his heart, she sent and called for the lords of the Philistines, saying, ‘Come up once more, for he has told me all his heart.’  So the lords of the Philistines came up to her and brought the money in their hand” (Judges 16:18).

Delilah ended up taking a bribe from the Philistine leaders to turn Samson in.  Because of her greed, Samson found himself in a position at the mercy of his enemy.  His eyes were taken out, his hair was cut, and he was imprisoned to say the least.

“Then the Philistines took him and put out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza.  They bound him with bronze fetters, and he became a grinder in the prison” (Judges 16:21).

Before this moment in biblical history, Samson had a track record of using his strength to take out anything in his way and justifying his ungodly behavior.  He killed a lion with his bare hands.  He destroyed a whole city of the Philistines for betraying him.  He even put the whole tribes of Israel at jeopardy due to his unruly behavior.  The Israelites had to corner Samson themselves and request he turn himself in to the Philistines because they were threatening to wipe out the whole nation.

I am not sure if you are tracking with me on the similarities with Samson and Trump, but there are many.  But the one that God highlighted to me was Samson’s greatest victory at the end of his life, which is the main reason WHY God showed me Samson when praying about why Donald Trump became our next President.

The Philistines believed they had defeated Samson after Delilah cut his hair and turned him in.  But then we read this amazing word that is a word for all of us and this nation…..HOWEVER:

“HOWEVER, the hair on his head began to grown again after it had been shaven” (Judges 16:22).

While “appearing” to be a trophy for the enemy, and an end to Samson’s strength, destiny, and influence, God causes Samson’s hair to grow back in the midst of the worst of circumstances, and while the enemy was celebrating their victory, and humiliating Samson in front of the crowds:

“Our god has delivered into our hands, Samson our enemy!…..So it happened when their hearts were merry, that they said, ‘Call for Samson, that he may perform for us.’  So they called for Samson from prison, and he performed for them.  And they stationed him between the pillars” (Judges 16:23-25).

The next scriptures are very revealing.  Samson asks a lad to lead him to the pillars that support the temple so he could lean on them.  In that moment, Samson was going to use his anointing (strength) and strategy (getting a helping hand without any of the enemies even noticing it was to take them down.)

The destiny scroll on Samson’s life was not going to return void.  God’s purpose for Samson was going to prevail OVER the enemy, regardless of Samson’s past shortcomings.  The circumstances were NOT going to thwart the plan of God to keep His promise of Covenant to a people who trusted in Him.

After being imprisoned by the Philistines, chained, broken, beaten, and both eyes ripped out of his sockets, Samson FINALLY had a “Damascus” moment to STOP leading with his own strength, his own purpose, and his own goals.  He finally invited the Lord into his heart and asked the Lord HIS PURPOSE for giving him all this fame, strength, fortune, and charisma:

“Then Samson called to the Lord, saying, ‘O Lord God, remember me, I pray!  Strengthen me, I pray, just this once, O God, that I may with one blow take vengeance on the Philistines for my two eyes!’ (Judges 16:28).

This is really the first time we read the story of Samson that he is seeking God’s help.  He was still NOT completely changed in his heart.  He still had a personal vendetta in why he agreed to the idea of being a martyr for God.  But, God showed Samson (with his spiritual eyes) that he was born to take down the GIANT that opposed His people.

God made Samson to be a wrecking ball to take down the pillars of iniquity that kept his people under oppression.  God anointed Samson with His strength for the purpose of saving His people:

“And Samson took hold of the two middle pillars which supported the temple, and he braced himself against them, one on his right and the other on his left.  Then Samson said, “Let me die with the Philistines!’  And he pushed with all his might, and the temple fell on the lords and all the people who were in it.  So the dead that he killed at his death were more than he had killed in his life” (Judges 16:29,30).

Samson began his “race” running full force into the enemies territory and conquering for self gain and gratification.  He learned the enemies tactics and rose above them.  He learned the strategies and found a way to beat the system.  He even found a way to be self sufficient so that the enemy had no power over his decisions or productivity.

BUT…there came a moment in time (God’s time), when Samson realized he was serving a bigger purpose than building an empire onto himself.  Samson realized that God had given him all those qualities and abilities because he was the man for the job to take down the greatest giant that threatened the existence of His people He had made a Covenant with.

In that moment of humility, Samson chose to sacrifice his life for the greater good.  He died as a martyr doing it, but in the end, ALL the pillars of government, the leaders, the GIANTS of power came crashing down when he gave all his strength for God’s cause.

So in an effort to pull this parallel together between Trump and Samson, I wanted to share this:

We may not like President Trump’s tactics, his rhetoric, or his method of running this nation.  The children of Israel didn’t like Samson’s either.  I am sure they scratched their heads many times wondering what the hec God was thinking in putting Samson in charge of them for 20 years.  BUT God was working His plan that would eventually annihilate the enemy.  And it would take someone like Samson/Trump, a man who had sat in positions of strength similar to the enemy, to crash the Philistine system and oppression.

America’s God given destiny is to be a light to the nations and a place God’s people can freely worship Him.  America has been held captive to a shadow government that has worked it’s tentacles into the fabric of her foundation.  The strongholds are so gigantic that it will take a wrecking ball of God’s supernatural strength and strategy to deliver her from the hand of the enemy.

GOD’S MERCY AND UNCONDITIONAL COVENANT HE MADE WITH DAVID BACK IN THE OLD TESTAMENT GIVES US THE BLUEPRINT THAT GOD WILL SAVE AMERICA IN THE END.  But the “Mystery of Babylon” can only be exposed and torn down by a strategy that defies our own feeble minds, just as it did in Samson’s day.

I encourage all of you to read the story of Samson and see how many similarities there are to him and Donald Trump.  You will get a whole different perspective watching all these events unfold in our nation, and your prayers may surprisingly shift with this different perspective.

Even though Samson had some flaws, he ended up in the “Heroes of faith” Hall of Fame mentioned in Hebrews 11 (Heb. 11:32).

“Why do the nations rage, and the people plot a vain thing?  The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against His Anointed, saying, ‘Let us break Their bonds in pieces and cast away Their cords form us.’

He who sits in the heavens shall laugh;  The Lord shall hold them in derision” (Psalm 2:2-4).

Having written all that I did in the last blog, I am compelled to lay out a blueprint from the Bible that helps us understand the season we are in.

Kislev is the month that is upon us in the Hebrew calendar, and if you have my “Firstfruits” book, you can read more about this ninth month that is associated with Benjamin.  But I wanted to point out one portion that is relevant for us today.

Benjamin was the only tribe of Israel that almost got wiped out by their own “family;” which was all the other tribes of Israel.  If it were not for God’s divine intervention, there wouldn’t have been a tribe of Benjamin!  In Judges 20, it was Benjamin’s stubbornness to hold on and defend their iniquity that almost wiped out the whole tribe, including the righteous:

“Then the tribes of Israel sent men through all the tribe of Benjamin, saying, ‘What is this wickedness that has occurred among you? Now therefore, deliver up the men, the perverted men who are in Gibeah, that we may put them to death and remove the evil from Israel!’  

But the children of Benjamin would not listen to the voice of their brethren, the children of Israel.  Instead, the children of Benjamin gathered together from their cities, to Gibeah, to go to battle against the children of Israel” (Judges 20:12-14).

After this declaration, the Benjamites gathered 22,000 men to battle against the tribes of Israel.  But the Israelites had no desire to fight against their brethren, even though they had to stand up against the unrighteousness.   So they sought the Lord, asking for His direction, and even interceded for the Benjamites.

God directed the tribe of Judah to go up first to fight against the Benjamites. This directive resulted in a 20,000 men loss, not victory.

The Israelites somehow found a way to encourage themselves to prepare another line for battle.  Then they went before the Lord for more counsel since things weren’t adding up as they watched all their own men die.  God continued to direct them to go against the Benjamites.

On the second day, the Israelites went out to battle the Benjamites again, and 18,000 Israelites were slaughtered.  I can’t imagine how discouraged they must have been.

Then all the Israelites went up to the house of the Lord and wept.  They sat there and fasted until evening and gave the Lord sacrificial offerings.  The Lord said for a third time to go against the Benjamites.

It was the third day of fighting, and the Benjamites began to strike some of the Israelites.  30 men died.  The Benjamites were feeling pretty confident with themselves and said, “They are defeated before us, as at first”(Judges 20:32).

BUT GOD HAD A STRATEGIC PLAN.  AND IT WAS GOING TO BE EXECUTED WITH A SUDDEN AMBUSH THAT CAUGHT ALL THE BENJAMITES OFF GUARD!

“And then thousand select men from all Israel came against Gibeah, and the battle was fierce.  But the Benjamites did not know that disaster was upon them.  The Lord defeated Benjamin before Israel.  And the children of Israel destroyed that day 25,100 Benjamites, all these drew the sword” (Judges 20:34,35).

It was after that battle that the Benjamites panicked, because they realized that they were about to be completely destroyed.  Unfortunately for all, the blood bath continued, and all the cities of the Benjamites were set ablaze.  What remained only were 600 Benjamites who fled and toward the wilderness.  It would take the hand of God to revive the tribe of Benjamin, which He did, and  generations later, they became known as “sons of light.”

When Christ began His ministry, the Benjamites were the ones in whom Jesus chose to be His disciples.  This was a fulfillment of the prophetic word spoken over them in 1 Kings 11 to be a tribe attached to Judah so they would be “God’s lamp/light.”

“And to his son I will give one tribe (Benajmites), that My servant David may always have a LAMP before Me in Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen for Myself, to put My name there”(1 Kings 11:36).

In order to fulfill that call, they returned to Jerusalem with the tribe of Judah after the Babylonian captivity.  But when the unrighteous leadership of the Pharisees and the Sadducees came into power, many of the Benjamites SEPARATED themselves from the iniquity and migrated to Galilee, which is how they became known as the Galileans.

It was this small remnant that ended up lighting up the world with Christ’s message to the world.  How strikingly different was the Benjamites fate in the New Testament verse the Old because of their decision to separate themselves from iniquity.

Prior to Christ’s coming, it was not an easy environment to live in.  The Jewish leaders were controlling the people with their “traditions of men.”  The Hellenists were trying to take over the area with their Greek god philosophy and pagan rituals.  And the Romans were trying to gain power and control over all.  It was chaotic to say the least, and I am sure that living in that time looked a lot like today.

BUT, GOD HAD A PLAN!  This remnant of believers were going to be the ones the Lord would choose to execute the multiplicity of His plan to bring His Kingdom here on the earth IF they accepted the call to leave all and follow Christ.

God had given us a clue to Benjamin’s destiny.  His dying mother originally named him “Ben-oi, which meant, “son of sorrow/iniquity.”  On her death bed, Rachel confessed her iniquity/sin of when she stole the idols from her fathers house by  what she named her son (Gen. 31:19).  Even after she was given ample opportunity to rid herself of this sin, it wasn’t until her last breath when she came clean.

But Jacob/Israel wouldn’t allow his newborn son to be named what his dying wife’s wishes were.  His apostolic mantle of ensuring the Covenant of God would continue forward under God’s command caused him to rename him, “Benjamin,” which means, “Son of light/right hand.”

These details in the Bible concerning Benjamin’s beginnings really answer the question as to how we read about two totally different Benjamin’s in the bible:  The “son’s of sorrow/iniquity” of Judges 20, and the “sons of light” in the Gospels.

The two names of Benjamin can really describe what is happening inside the body of Christ that divides the Church, as well as what is dividing our nation.  BOTH have casualties.  Some die in right standing with God fighting under His instruction.  Some die defending their sin.  But in the end, GOD’s plan prevails.  And it comes about SUDDENLY, especially when the enemy believes they have the upper hand.

Nationally speaking, God has allowed America to go through this battle within her because we have defended our “iniquity” and adopted it in our culture.  Until the people of this nation really come to grips with this and repent and separate ourselves from this iniquity rather than compromise with it, God will allow this war that is dividing us to continue on.  Our decisions to omit God are hurting us.

But the Saints have been called to go before the Lord and pray and seek His face.  As in the story of Judges 20, they received an answer from the Lord that said they would defeat the enemy.  We know how this story ends in victory!! But the reality is,  the enemy is appearing as if he is gaining ground and taking out God’s people.  Thankfully we have Judges 20 as an example of not giving up on God’s WORD, regardless of the attacks.

The New Testament Benjamites all sacrificed their life for Christ.  The majority of them were martyred.  How it must have been difficult to follow the instruction of the Lord to GO AND SHARE THE GOOD NEWS, only to get persecuted, thrown in prison, or beheaded!  And yet, 2,000 years later, their Seed of obedience has produced a multiplicity of people who know the GOOD NEWS!

Today, God is calling all the Benjamites (remnant) to stand on God’s Word and light up His truth, regardless of what they see or hear.  The Benjamites will be the ones God gives authority to root out evil.  The Benjamites will be the ones who will restore the foundation of this nation.  BUT THEY CANNOT DO THAT IF THEY HOLD ON TO THEIR OWN INIQUITY OR DEFEND SOMETHING THAT IS UNRIGHTEOUS.  THEY NEED TO BE THE NEW TESTAMENT BENJAMITES WHO GAVE ALL TO HIS CAUSE AND WERE WILLING TO LET GO OF THEIR INIQUITOUS NATURE AND TAKE ON CHRIST’S IDENTITY.

Jesus paid the price for us to live and be free of our iniquity.  We must be willing to let go of control and allow Him to lead.  This takes trust, and security in knowing who God is and that He has our best interest at heart.

 

 

 

 

I felt compelled to write a blog to the remnant….those who are sold out in their hearts for God who are still getting pummeled with one hardship and disappointment after another. 

Are you worn out completely….and screaming, “WHERE ARE YOU GOD?  WHY AREN’T THINGS BREAKING OPEN AS I THOUGHT?  I have burned ten thousand  “fires” in Your testings.  It FEELS like nothing is happening or changing…..except for the little embers we started together with…..Ahhh!!!”

You may be reading this and have nothing left to go around the mountain one more time….and yet…God is in this.  Some of us are missing what is actually happening in our midst because our eyes are so focused on how we believe it should look, feel or be.  And the biggest test is endurance….who is going to become the Lord’s Gideon army in the end? This remnant will arise through this all.

Take this last election as an example.  There were so many Christians praying for this last election who were pretty disheartened at the results.  I had heard many people in the body of Christ stating the results were going to be a “Red Tsunami.” With this kind of “word” being put forth, it can be easy to miss God’s strategy or understand these results because of the perception of how the results should have turned out.  Some will now sit on the side lines and take a back seat.  Some will be discouraged and quit believing God is working things out.  Some will even stop praying.  BUT, the remnant will find a way deep in their heart to keep pressing on.

People have been asking me what I thought about the election.  I can honestly say it is disappointing for sure to see California continue it’s path in blue.  It is disappointing to see the house gaining seats so division is at the table once again.  BUT GOD IS AT WORK THROUGH IT ALL.  This is the place I sit and rest, knowing that the prophetic scriptures for our nation, and the mercy seat of God MUST prevail in the end.

We are called to find out position in the process and be obedient to Him alone.  Our positioning, as it may seem so insignificant to how it can make a difference in the big scheme of things for America IS SIGNIFICANT!  Because we are a part of a national body coming together to form ONE NATION UNDER GOD.

We are living in a time that God is working the transfer of wealth from the wicked to the righteous out, one step at a time.  He is going to overthrow the “Mystery of Babylon” with precision timing and mass exposure.  This overthrow doesn’t happen in one election.  This is a process.  And the election results are just one step toward that process in God’s court.  Unfortunately, many can’t see it.  The test is in the “REST,” trusting that God is working through our prayers, and this answer is a part of His strategy.

SO WHY IS THIS YEAR SO CRITICAL FOR THE REMNANT TO GET THEIR WEAKNESSES IN THEIR SOULS CRUCIFIED IN CHRIST?

I can confirm that this sanctification process is NOT for the weak…BUT, it is necessary for God’s champions He has chosen to run this race for the prize of the upward call (Phil 3).  But let’s look at what is happening today:

We can say, without having much faith to believe, that something is about to crack in our nation….that will affects the nations.

We can also say, without having much faith, that a GREAT DIVIDE is being drawn in the sand for all to see clear between good and evil; right and wrong.

We can also say, without having much knowledge, that God seems to be shaking things up.

We can say, without having much understanding, that God is also shaking up the Church.

And finally, we can say, without having much wisdom, that WE BETTER BE READY!

It is going to take an army that are steadfast and able to stand against the wiles of the enemy up ahead; ones that aren’t moved by what they see, hear, or is being done that is unjust and wicked.

WE ARE BEING TRAINED UP IN THE WAYS OF THE LORD.  God’s people are FIRST to go through the process that will separate the remnant from the rest of the body of Christ:  those that will overcome and believe in God’s Word verses those who will give up and listen to the lies of the enemy and behave like the enemy.

I encourage all to NOT partake in the enemies assassination of our President.  Guard your lips from joining the onslaught on negative rhetoric being hurled around.  Our job is to pray for those in office, regardless of what we see or hear because God will work His purpose through our prayers and our humility to lean on His leadership.

The battle today is truly in the mind, for it is the soul (mind, will, and emotions) that the enemy is trying to assassinate in this hour.  It is the last grip before the Lord’s time to return and we receive our glorified bodies.  The soul is the battleground the enemy is after so we are paralyzed to do the work of the Lord in preparation for His return.

“Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed.  The effective fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much” (James 5:16).

It’s not a time to isolate and take the hits alone.  When you are weak, others are strong.  Please don’t hide behind religious walls that keep you isolated so that everyone doesn’t see your weakness.  WE ALL LIMP!  No one is without a limp.  So reach out and pray for the ones God puts on your heart to pray for.  They probably need it.  And ASK for prayer when you are being pummeled.  It’s not a sign of weakness.  It is a sign of meekness.

“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth” (Matt. 5:5).

Since we have entered the Hebrew month of Kislev, which means trust and security, I just want to encourage you to stand against the strongholds that are fierce right now trying to assassinate your soul, and steal from your gift and calling.

The storm is upon us to FIGHT THE GOOD FIGHT OF FAITH IN A MEASURE WE HAVEN’T HAD TO FIGHT BEFORE.  Think of the Hebrews who cried out for a deliverer and Moses came….and yet they still went through greater hardships at times and had to sustain their faith through all the plagues.  BUT SUDDENLY, the death plague passed, and the Hebrews were set free.

Be encouraged that you are CHOSEN to be a part of a great moment of history in the making.  The “heroes of faith” we read about in Hebrews 11 went through this tough testing time too!  You are in a company of champions.  Let this identity arise in you this month!

 

 

 

 

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.

 

 

Let’s continue following the life of Jacob/Israel.  As we pick up the story, the name “Israel” was sealed over Jacob’s forehead after his wrestle with God, landing him in Sukkoth, which means, “booth/tabernacle.”  

It was in the Promised Land, at Sukkoth, that Jacob built his first “house” (Gen.33:17). This was a prophetic picture of Jacob receiving his immortal/permanent house (body):

“For we who are in this tent groan, being burdened, not because we want to be unclothed, but further clothed, that mortality may be swallowed up by life” (2 Cor.5:4)

Having met God face to face at Peniel, the transformation process began for Jacob/Israel in the Lord’s presence. This encounter was symbolic of the process that will occur for the “Firstfruits” remnant during the first resurrection when Christ returns (Rev. 20:6):

“They sang as it were a new song before the throne, before the four living creatures, and the elders, and no one could learn that son except the 144,000 who were redeemed from the EARTH.  These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes.  These were redeemed from among men, being FIRSTFRUITS to God and to the Lamb” (Rev. 14:3,4).

In this next portion of Jacob’s life, we get a glimpse of the blueprint of the Millennium reign, and the role of this “Firstfruits” remnant as the Lord’s “priests” to sanctify the nation (Rev. 5:10).

“But you shall be named the priests of the Lord, they shall call you the servants of our God” (Is. 61:6).

So let’s pick up the story where we left off in the last blog.

After Sukkoth, Jacob/Israel led his family to the city of Shechem, where he purchased land for the first time. Why this is significant is because when Christ comes back to earth, He will take dominion over the LAND (kingdom) as King, with His “Firstfruits” remnant assisting Him.

The name Shechem has two meanings; one means, “shoulder” as in the “responsibility or right to rule.”  In Is. 9:5, God uses the verse to describes the government (leadership) upon the Lord’s “shoulder:”

“And the government will be upon His shoulder.” 

Shoulders are also used to describe governmental authority of those God chooses to reign with Him: 

“The key of the house of David I will lay on his shoulder; so he shall open, and no one will shut” (Is. 22:22).

Shechem was the first place God put His mantle of authority upon the shoulders of Jacob/Israel to carry out the Abrahamic Covenant.

Shechem’s name also means “unity.” Shechem was the place God established His Covenant (UNION).  For example, Schechem was the first place the Lord appeared and spoke to Abraham after he entered the land of Canaan for the first time.

“There Abraham built an altar and called on the name of the Lord” (Gen. 12:7).

In Joshua’s farewell address, Joshua gathered all the leaders in Israel in Shechem and made a Covenant (UNION) with the people that day, representing the multiplicity of the Abrahamic Covenant (Joshua 23:2).

“So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day and made for them a statute and an ordinance in Shechem” (Josh. 24:25).

In the story of Jacob/Israel, it was at Shechem that his family would be tested to rule in God’s righteousness, or rule recklessly; to be in union with God’s character or not.

How did this test come about?  Shortly after arriving in the city of Shechem, the prince, whose name was Shechem, raped Dinah, the daughter of Jacob.  Jacob’s sons were outraged, and decided to take revenge.  So they tricked the men of Shechem, and killed them all when they were unable to defend themselves.

This vengeance was led by two of Jacob’s sons, Simeon and Levi.  Afterwards, all the brothers joined the “evil” deed and plundered the city, stealing the possessions of the people because they felt justified (Gen. 34:25-29).

These actions did not represent the righteousness of God, but resembled the sinful actions and character of their earthly father, Jacob.  Jacob had been a schemer, and one who took possessions unlawfully.  Jacob had never gone so far as to kill anyone, but sins left undealt with can lead to death. (Today, our nation has become a divided nation, which has produced death to our Christian foundation.  Because our nation has compromised and not dealt with the iniquity, it is hard to distinguish who is right (good), and who is bad (evil).  By the actions and words presented by both sides, ALL look evil because of their retaliation and “justification,” much like the Jacob’s sons do at Shechem).

Jacob/Israel, now transformed as a “priest unto the Lord,” knew these actions would open the door for the Lord to raise up an adversary against them as well:

“You have troubled me by making me obnoxious among the inhabitants of the land” (Gen. 34:30). 

So Jacob spent time interceding and communing with God. The Lord said to Jacob/Israel:

“ARISE, go up to Bethel and dwell there; and make an altar there to God” (Gen. 35:1).

Jacob/Israel in this scene is being used to awaken the family to righteousness because the government of God rested on his shoulders.  His job was to help prepare the family, lead them through a sanctification process, so that they were in  right standing with God.  This is the same blueprint that resembles God’s purpose of His “Firstfruits” remnant in preparing the Harvest Bride throughout the Millennium.

The “wake up” call to ARISE is also a picture of the HARVEST BRIDE’S FEAST OF TRUMPET “awakening” (Rev. 20:4-12).

God then instructed Jacob/Israel to have the family (Church) examine their sin, to get rid of their idols, and to repent and cleanse their hearts.  He commanded them to “change their garments” that were filthy rags (sins) to garments that were symbolic of the “righteous acts of the saints” (Rev.19:8).

This is a similar blueprint of the HARVEST BRIDE’S TEN DAYS OF AWE before the Day of Atonement.

“And Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, ‘Put away the foreign gods that are among you, purify yourselves, and change your garments” (Gen. 35:2).

Afterwards, God appeared to Jacob again.  Given that the family had repented wholeheartedly, they were about to enter into their DAY OF JUBILEE instead of DAY OF ATONEMENT.

“Your name is Jacob; your name shall not be called Jacob anymore, but ISRAEL shall be your name”  So He called his name Israel” (Gen. 35:10).

God had already changed Jacob’s name to Israel back in Peniel.  So why did he come again and say the same thing?  This always nagged me before I understood the Feast’s blueprint and the fulfillment of the first and second resurrection.  God called forth the identity change for the WHOLE FAMILY/NATION, not just the “Firstfruits” remnant, and both became a double witness of the Covenant promise:

“I am God Almighty.  Be fruitful and multiply; a NATION and a company of NATIONS shall proceed from your and kings shall come from your body.  The land which I gave Abraham and Isaac, I give to you; and to your descendants after you I give this land” (Gen. 35:11,12).

Jacob set up a pillar of stone in the place where God talked to Him, and poured a drink offering as well as oil on it (Gen. 35:14,15).  This was symbolic of the blueprint of the 1st Day of the Feast of Tabernacles for the Harvest Bride, when the 7-day cleansing process begins, representative of the water (see last blog for details of this cleansing process), and the bodies being transformed in His glory (oil).

“You also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 2:5).

The place in which this occurs is called, “Bethel” which means “House of God.“

“For we know that if our earthly HOUSE, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens” (2 Cor. 5:1).

This happened to be the same place Jacob met God for the first time, and now the Covenant promises were extending to His family as well (Gen. 28:19).  

In addition, this would symbolically confirm the blueprint of the beginning of the FULL transformation process of the Lord’s glory dwelling in a corporate body (CITY), which the bible refers to as the NEW JERUSALEM:

“Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the HOLY CITY, NEW JERUSALEM, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the TABERNACLE of God is with men, and He will DWELL with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God”(Rev. 21:1-3).

Keeping in mind what we have already learned about the Feast of Tabernacles blueprint, which is 8 days long, 7 of those days were set aside for “cleansing.”  But, the 8th day was a “sacred assembly.”

For the Harvest Bride, the 8th day was the revealing of God’s glory dwelling amongst a corporate people with incorruptible bodies, birthed forth into the new beginnings of having the ability to go up the “spiritual ladder” to God’s throne, and back to the earth as “sons of His light!”

Now let’s continue on reading how Jacob’s story mimics this death/life process.  

Shortly after Jacob/Israel and his family left Bethel, Rachel (Jacob’s wife), went into labor.  This was going to be Jacob/Israel’s 12th son, and the ONLY one to be born in the Promised Land.

“And when they were a little distance to go to Ephrath, Rachel labored in childbirth, and she had hard labor”(Gen. 35:16).

Rachel dies giving birth.  Upon Rachel’s death, she confesses a secret sin that she hid from Jacob and her father.  Rachel had stolen her father’s idols and took them with her when they departed from Laban’s home.  Even when Laban caught up to Jacob and accused him of being a thief, Rachel said nothing, and continued to hide the idols (Gen. 31:14-37).

When Rachel died, this hidden sin became exposed as she confessed when she named her newborn:

“And so it was, as her soul was departing (for she died), that she called his name “Ben-Oni,” but his father called him BENJAMIN”(Gen. 35:18).

Rachel’s death represented the finality of the struggle with our Adamic sinful nature that produces sorrow.  Rachel named her child “Ben-Oni,” which is translated, “son of my sorrow.”  Rachel’s death marked the end of the 7-day cleansing process of the Feast of Tabernacles, described in scriptures as “death swallowed up in victory” (1Cor. 15:54).  Her death was the final cleansing of the “sins of the family” before “immortality.”

Jacob would have probably honored his wife’s dying wishes and agreed to name the newborn “Ben-Oni.”  Most men would in that situation.  But, ISRAEL could not honor his wife’s dying wishes.  Israel had the government of God’s rulership on His shoulders, and was directed by God to rename the child according to who the child represented in the Covenant blueprint.  So ISRAEL named his son, “BENJAMIN,” which means, “SON OF LIGHT!”

“While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light.” These things Jesus spoke, and departed, and was hidden from them”(John 12:36).

Benjamin was the ONLY son born in the Promised land.  He was the fulfillment of the Promise of God for the “sons of God” to arise and be seen in the earth as God’s light (glory) (Rom. 8:19).

“Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues came to me and talked with me, saying, “Come, I will show you the bride, the Lamb’s wife” (Rev. 21:9).

Incidentally, all the disciples of Christ came from the tribe of Benjamin.  They received only a deposit of God’s glory, so the manifestation of the “sons of light” could not be FULLY seen in the earth until the Lord fulfills Tabernacles up ahead.

Benjamin’s birth represented the promise of the NEW JERUSALEM, the body of Christ, transformed into His glorious bride, full of His glory where His presence dwells:

“Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband” (Rev. 21:2).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Since the Feast of Tabernacles is a time to “dwell” in the Lord’s Covenant promises, I thought I would write about the life of Jacob, the grandson of Abraham, and identify the pattern of the Feasts fulfilled in his own life.

Let’s go back in history when the Lord decided to choose a people He would “set apart” to fulfill His redemption plan, making way for Christ to enter into the earth as the “son of man.”  That moment in time came through Father Abraham:

“I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you.  And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant” (Gen. 17:7).

It was through Abraham’s lineage that God would multiply His people to the ends of the earth like the sand of the sea and the stars in the sky.  Abraham later gave birth to Isaac, the chosen “Seed” used to fulfill the Covenant promise.

“And I will make your descendants multiply as the star of heaven; I will give to your descendants all these lands; and in your SEED all the nations of the earth shall be blessed” (Gen. 26:4).

In a moment that did not make sense to the fulfilling of those Covenant promises, Abraham was commanded by God to offer Isaac up as a sacrifice (Gen. 22:2).  Of course, we know the story of how God stopped Abraham and provided a ram, but I am pointing out this part of the story to show how Isaac was a symbol of Christ, offered up for our sins.

Afterwards, Isaac had two sons: Esau and Jacob.  Jacob would end up being the son who would inherit the Covenant promise, multiply it, and through his family, form a nation. When it was time to bequeath the inheritance of the Covenant, Isaac blessed Jacob and charged him:

“May God Almighty bless you, and make you fruitful and multiply you, that you may be an ASSEMBLY of peoples; and give you the blessing of Abraham, to you and your descendants with you, that you may inherit the land in which you are a stranger which God gave to Abraham”(Gen. 28:3-4).

The blueprint that resembles these Fall Feasts has to do with an “assembly of peoples.” We see the corporate/national fulfillment through Jacob (the Firstfruits Remnant” in our blueprint), and Jacob’s offspring, who represent the Harvest Bride. This family would become a nation “set apart” for the Lord as God prophesied.

“Therefore, may God give you of the dew of the heaven, and the fatness of the earth, and plenty of grain and wine, let peoples serve you.  And NATIONS bow down to you”(Gen. 27:28,29).

So let’s keep following Jacob’s story, keeping that in mind:

Isaac blessed Jacob in Beersheba, which translated means, “well of the oath.”  This is the place Jacob had his “PASSOVER” experience, because he inherited the covenant promises of his father and was “set apart” and “justified” to carry them forward.

Jacob’s name means “deceiver,” which was inherent of his character.  Jacob received the birthright by tricking Esau and Isaac (Gen. 27).  Once that blessing was given, it couldn’t be revoked.  This deception didn’t surprise the Lord, for he understood Jacob’s weakness, and knew his motives were based on self gain rather than service to the Lord.  But God had a redemption plan He could work through Jacob’s life.

Jacob at this point in his life had heard about the God of Abraham and was raised in the blessings Isaac had received. But Jacob really didn’t know God or seek a personal relationship with Him.  For the most part, Jacob just liked the benefits of the birthright!

Most of us today have a similar story.  We hear about God, but shrug it off.  Then, when we do accept Christ as our Savior, we do so because we are desperate, afraid of hell, and want the benefits of eternity.  But rarely do we first come to the Lord to lay our life down for servanthood, becoming a “bondservant of Christ.”  This heart change comes through a process of sanctification.

Not long after receiving the birthright, Jacob had an encounter with God through a dream, which most refer to as “Jacob’s ladder.”  In the dream, he saw a ladder that was set up on earth and its top reached heaven.  Angels were ascending and descending on this ladder, and then the Lord stood above it and spoke to Him:

“I am the Lord God of Abraham, your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and your descendants.  Also, your descendants shall be spread abroad to the west and the east, to the north and the south; and in you and in your seed ALL the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Gen. 28:13,14).

This was Jacob’s “PENTECOST” experience, with the promise of “Tabernacles” to come.  Jesus Himself mentions this same “Tabernacles vision” that He Himself would experience up ahead after His resurrection in John 1:51:

“And He said to him, “Truly, truly I say to you, you shall see the heavens opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”

This encounter Jacob had with God empowered him to believe for himself in the God of Abraham, and to begin trusting for the promises that came with the birthright.  Jacob made a vow:

“IF God will be with me, and keep me in this way that I am going and give me bread to eat and clothing to put on, so that I come back to my father’s house in peace, THEN the Lord shall be my God” (Gen. 28:20). 

Notice that this vow was conditional on God meeting Jacob’s needs.  It was topped off with this understanding as well:  IF God does such and such…THEN Jacob would believe God for His Word.  Most Christians are no different than Jacob when they first come to Christ.

Jacob’s “Pentecost experience”  lasted 21 years. Working for Laban was training to learn how to become an obedient servant while living in a place not his home.  Jacob married Laban’s daughters, Leah and Rachel, and had 11 children while working for Laban.  Through it, God was working on Jacob’s character that was prone to deception, as well as taking things into his own hands to make things happen.

Jacob was close to the finality of his “Pentecost” testing time when the Lord spoke to him through an angel to leave Laban’s and begin the journey back to the land he was called to.

“I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed the pillar and where you made a vow to Me.  Now arise, get out of this land, and return to the land of your family”(Gen. 31:13).

Jacob obediently left, but his sinful nature led his actions once again.  Instead of being upfront with Laban of his departure, he left deceptively, taking the whole flock and possessions he had gained, as well as his family with him (Gen. 31:18-20).

Jacob left in fear of Laban taking all he had worked for.  God had to work out this root issue in Jacob so that he would fear the Lord more than the people or possessions he had.  Jacob had learned much from being Laban’s servant, but the gain was still self serving.  God had “proven” His word faithful as Jacob was blessed during this time with great wealth.

This final process of sanctification was needed in Jacob so he could rest in the knowledge of who God was in order to carry the Covenant forward, much like that of the “Firstfruits remnant” today.  God Himself raises up adversaries to get our attention when we stray from His ways, or when we still have confidence in ourselves over the Lord.  BUT, God will also cause our adversary to be subdued when we turn from our wicked ways:

“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).

God wasn’t going to allow Jacob to return home without giving him an opportunity to confront his sin. In Jacob’s case, he had to enter into Esau’s territory and make things right with his brother.

Esau had been angry, revengeful and willing to kill his brother for stealing his birthright.  The Bible says he had a great army of 400,000 men ready to confront Jacob to take him out. And so the story goes, the night before this encounter, Jacob got on his hands and knees and prayed with all his heart, wrestling with an Angel until the breaking of day.

“And He said, ‘Let Me go, for the day breaks.  But he said, ‘I will not let You go unless You bless me!’  So He said to him, ‘What is your name?  He said, ‘Jacob.’  And He said, ‘Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but ISRAEL; for you have struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed'” (Gen. 32:26-28).

Jacob had finally come to a place that all his tricks, all his strength, and all his planning couldn’t get him out of a position of losing everything he worked for.  But instead of scheming a plan, He cried out to the Lord for help.  This caused Jacob to wrestle with the Lord to contend for the promise.

As Jacob wrestled the angel, the angel asked him what his name was.  It seems like a strange thing to ask since the angel obviously knew who he was.  But God set Jacob up to give him an opportunity to come clean, repent, and to confess his sin.  By telling the angel his name, Jacob was confessing that he was a deceiver.  This was Jacob’s DAY OF ATONEMENT.

In the midst of the wrestling, Jacob let go of the fears He was holding on to so tightly.  He was ready to exchange the old identity of being a thief and deceiver and submit to the Lord’s leadership.

Because Jacob allowed the sanctification process to work in his heart, this day became Jacob’s Day of JUBILEE!

“They shall see His face, and HIs name shall be on their foreheads’ (Rev. 22:4).

God changed Jacob’s name to Israel (which means “God rules”).  Jacob/Israel understood he did not rule over his life anymore…God did.   Jacob/Israel understood that he was chosen to carry forth God’s inheritance, serving a greater purpose beyond his comfort or will, which required him to become a “bondservant” of the Lord’s.

Jacob/Israel then called the name of his wrestling place “Peniel,”

“For I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved” (Gen. 32:30).

Just as Jacob/Israel crossed over Peniel, the sun rose on him.  This was the first sign of  the “TABERNACLES” transformation process for Jacob.

Jacob/Israel then “bowed himself to the ground seven times” before meeting his brother.  This represents the 7 day  “cleansing process of TABERNACLES”  that purifies a body from “the wages of sin.”

As a result, instead of attacking Jacob/Israel, his enemy was subdued, and healing took place.

“But Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck and kissed him, and they wept”(Gen. 33:3).

Jacob/Israel offered Esau a “firstfruits” offering of his possessions to Esau.  This act confirms that Jacob/Israel’s heart had changed.  He no longer held onto his possessions in greed or self-gain.  Now he was stewarding them with the Lord’s principles of blessings, and truly, this offering was “unto the Lord.”

Afterwards, Jacob/Israel stopped in Succoth, which is translated as “tabernacles/booths.”  There he built himself a house and made booths for his livestock (Gen. 33:17).  This was the FIRST permanent house that Jacob/Israel had build since his “Passover” experience, representing the new glorified bodies we receive after the “purifying process” so we can permanently “tabernacle” with the Lord.

“But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation”(Heb. 9:11).

Join me in the next blog to finish Jacob/Israel’s story, mirroring the blueprint of the Millennium reign and the second resurrection.