Monthly Archives: April 2012

Paws-4-thought: what’s prophetical about weather?

Posted on by
1

They’re saying it’s unusual weather. A couple of weeks ago water supply companies announced intentions to ban the use of garden hosepipes in order to save water. Two extremely dry winters have left supplies at low levels. As I’ve not followed weather  developments I’ve not been thinking about it, but an unusual and lucid dream left me wide-awake a week ago today.

That dream featured very dark stormy clouds with very heavy rain and stormy winds – which has since been increasingly so!  (Friday’s Telegraph photo is uncannily similar!)

I recalled a prophetic word that Lance Lambert gave last August and which reported the Lord as saying, “I will change her (Britain’s) climate, even her weather…”.  Then last night I re-read Jarrod Cooper’s blog 10 Clouds in the Sky dated 5 January and noticed that he opens, “It’s 2012 and I hear the “sound of a heavy rain” (my emphasis)….”!!

The well-known Bible verse on rain is from the early prophet Joel, as at verse 2:23:

“He has given you the former rain faithfully, and He will cause the rain to come down for you – the former rain and the latter rain in the first month”

My NKJV Study Bible’s note on this is interesting:  ‘The latter rain is the spring rain that occurs just before harvest. This outpouring of refreshing rain which renews the fertility of the parched ground prefigures the outpour-ing of the Spirit, which will bring spiritual renewal (as in vv 28-32).’  Those later verses are quoted in Acts 2:17-21.

Also, I recall Dr Stone’s reference to unusually strong winds during New Year and which signifies, she suggested, an unexpected and strong move of the Holy Spirit, or breath of God.  So, perhaps my dream about weather may have some significance, especially as it strongly hints at the Lord’s plan:

The Dream

Cannot recall the full scenario, but am with my wife and a couple of believers in a public building that’s been badly damaged by strong wind and heavy rain. Someone comes to tell me of their concern over what’s happening all around and I sense a deep fearfulness. 

So to my very great surprise, I hear myself replying, “It’s all to do with the two words received this week!”  That is, with the prophetic words I’d emailed and posted as, “Get ready!”

At that moment my mind is very lucid and clear, as though knowing in my spirit that what I was saying was of Holy Spirit. [The deep certainty was identical to my response when dreaming last 3rd Sept about angelic preparations for setting up the Kingdom.]

Afterwards, the weather gets worse as a tempestuous wind flattens almost everything before it, but we remain safe…

Upon waking, I was atremble with excitement over perceiving the deep truth behind ‘get ready’. Also because of this, I sensed the Lord wanted me to insert a reference in my just reworked outline of the purpose of this blog. Then on putting my hand to my NKJV study Bible, ‘Jeremiah 10’ sprang to mind and to which I immediately turned. The opening three verses read:

Hear the word which the LORD speaks to you, O house of Israel. Thus says the LORD,

“Do not learn the ways of the Gentiles [unbelievers?]; do not be dismayed at the signs of heaven, for the Gentiles are dismayed at them, for the customs of the people are futile;…”

The chapter is headed ‘Idols and the True God’ and those opening verses describe well what I dreamed. Then I noted verse 10 and 11 read:

But the LORD is the true God, He is the everlasting King At His wrath the earth will tremble, and the nations will not be able to endure His indignation.

Thus you shall say to them: “The gods that have not made the heavens and the earth shall perish from the earth and from under these heavens”…

Could what had been unfolding in my sleeping and waking mind indicate that the Lord really is up to something very powerful, something that may shake and remove all that is not of Him?

Have we not a little food for thought??

“I asked God to protect me…He didn’t let me down”

Posted on by
Reply

Thus ran yesterday’s Sun on Sunday ‘world exclusive’ front-page headline about Fabrice Muamba’s recovery from ‘death’ after a heart attack. Click here to read his down-to-earth personal account of being grateful not to be left brain damaged. The follow-up story of who inspired Fabrice’s recovery is on this link.

I’d previously mused in the email below as to whether God’s hand could be discerned in this event as it followed upon the heels of the ASA’s decision to ban any statements about our Lord’s healing power.  We can rejoice in His ‘cocking a snook’ at the thought control behind authoritiarian political correctness.

As before, Gillan Scott quickly reported upon this news and sensitively discusses its appearance in this particular journal. His own conclusion is well worth noting:

This weekend God’s greatest evangelist was a footballer who used a tabloid to tell the world just how amazing God is. God knows what He’s doing and we need to learn to follow His lead.

Amen.

Copy of earlier email:

From: Richard Barker
Sent: Tuesday, March 27, 2012 4:05 PM
To: Undisclosed Recipients
Subject: Fw: Christians in Parliament challenge ASA’s ‘God can heal’ ban

…Thank you to Paul for having alerted me, to Gillan for this news, and to three Christian MPs dealing with this important issue. (You may recall my emails of early February and  my blog’s post on this issue.)

Gillan reports (link) that the All-Party Parliamentary Group, Christians in Parliament, has asked the Chairman of the Advertising Standards Authority to provide scientific substantiation for the ASA ruling against Healing On The Streets, failing which the matter will be raised in Parliament. The ASA decision sought NOT ONLY to ban claims that God can and does heal physically, BUT ALSO TO SUPPRESS PUBLICATION OF TESTIMONIES of such healings!!

In case you may not understand the footballer reference, see Gillan’s post God is in control and Peter Kirk’s post about the BBC’s suggesting prayers for him!  Is the Lord using that unfortunate incident to state, “Who says I cannot heal?”..?

1,000s of Americans applaud UK Christian ‘fight-back’

Posted on by
Reply

“What’s happening in England right now is blowing my mind (I hear of more miracles)…I was there a few weeks ago…in the city of Hull, where miracles were happening – one week later our Prime Minister stands up in the Houses of Parliament and he says this..: Continue reading →

GET READY…

Posted on by
7

Please consider an interesting instance of similar prophetic words given recently in the UK and in the USA.  Surely it’s not coincidental that they happened a week apart, or that I should be slap bang between them?  220px-Paul_Revere's_rideBoth ‘words’ reminded me of Monday 5th September last when I read Tim Eldridge’s remarks at the Inception Meeting for the Revival Alliance Gathering. Therein, Tim referred to Paul Revere’s preparations for his historically famous ride at the outbreak of the War of Independence. (See Father, let your Kingdom Come and paragraph about Tim in the Gathering’s Report. Picture courtesy of Wikipedia.) Therefore, consider this..:

During Holy Week (this year, the first week in April) I ‘stumbled’ upon a relatively short website UK Prophetic Words that’s been online for just under a year. On Palm Sunday (1st April), Geoff Pick reported upon a series of ten visions some of which struck chords within me, especially the one about a coming change in national anti-Christian culture. Also, I particularly noted that it closed with:

The final picture – A horseman riding towards us I see a horseman riding furiously towards us. He is bringing a proclamation as in Matthew 25. “Get ready the bridegroom is coming.”   Be filled with the oil of heaven, be ready for His return.

Rev John KilpatrickOn Good Friday afternoon we watched the morning’s service live from The Bay Revival, which was on tour in Missouri. Warming up to teach, Rev. John Kilpatrick spoke about  previous talks, one of which was on the glory of God. As he began to speak on this – and only in passing – he sensed the Holy Spirit start to kick in: “You talk about the presence of God and He will come come! – Hohh!”  (he jumped – he usually gives a quick ‘whoop’ and does a little skip when the Holy Spirit gets him fired up).  The congregation got to its feet to praise the Lord for a few minutes, then Pastor John’s tone took on a gravity as though he heard direct from the Lord:

“Can I tell you, right now in heaven…there is a man seated right next to the Supernal God on High? (applause)…and He bears in His body the scars from His earth-walk…and He is alive at this very second as I speak (cheers continue), He is alive – I said, as I speak He is alive (more louder applause). “And if you only knew…what’s going on in the ‘family activities building’ in heaven right now! “The table cloths are being spread, the china’s being set, the horses are being given their oats – the stable doors, the hinges are being greased…(pause) “That man…is about to come back and get His people. I said…He’s about to come back and get His saints – it ain’t long!”

To check this and watch for yourself, click on video below and advance to 1hr3min by clicking on gray buffer bar when it’s about half-loaded.:

My, what words to weigh…the Lord bless you in this. NOW, whatever your thoughts on this you need to get to know for sure who Jesus really is. Time is running short and you owe it to Him (for what He’s done for you), and owe it to yourself (especially for your post-mortem existence – see here), to decide quite quickly. To find out how to become a Christian click on that highlit link and browse the site – thank you Jonathan at Spirit Soul Body for this excellent tip. Or, should you prefer a graphical outline, click here for a short video. (See here for more.) Continued here and then here, (in three linked parts). 

Are we clutching at straws?

Posted on by
1

The personal blessing of Resurrection Sunday, listening to inspirational preaching and ministry on the breaking point of Gethsemane, watching believers come ‘out of their tombs’ during anointed preaching, reading a couple of excellent blogs on Easter have made it an intellectually and spiritually active fortnight. On top of which I’ve been involved with some interesting discussions on-line:

Thank you to Archbishop Cranmer and Peter Kirk for your several Easter articles, especially when a non-believer sought to divert the latter. A supporter of the ASA had caught up with an old posting that I’d commented upon and he claimed, “Richard and HOTS are grasping at anecdotal straws”. He then proceeded to distract the blogger from his inspirational jottings with lengthy arguments on scientific procedure for testing healing. So I waded in with the irrefutable factual testimony of a redundant carer! Enjoy the long thread here.

There have also been several well-written critiques, comparisons and discussion of PM Cameron’s and President Obama’s Easter messages (see Cranmer, Peter Kirk, Gillan Scott), which I would recommend to those who may have time to read. I’ve found them to be most instructive and enabled me to reconsider my views.

Yet more – I was encouraged that Jarrod Cooper in Hull had also noticed what I’d reported about Cameron’s support for ‘a Christian fight-back’!

Should you want to read more on that, see Charles Moore’s A society that persecutes Christ is heading for trouble, wherein he writes:

“If you start extirpating Christianity, it will start fighting back.  And even if – highly unlikely – you beat it down, behind it will come the more implacable, much more shamelessly political adherents of Islam.”

Also, reporting today about a new advertising campaign on London buses, Cranmer writes,

”…these plucky Christians are merely doing what the Prime Minister exhorted them to do: ‘ fight back‘.”

Having taken up our whole armour, let’s stand in the Lord…

If in you’re London this Good Friday afternoon…

Posted on by
Reply

…then perhaps you could go to Trafalgar Square by midday for a couple of open performances which have our highest personal recommendation: The Passion of Jesus.  We’ve booked for a third trip to ‘partake’ in this modern rendition of The Life of Christ, as well as an amazing Nativity, in open fields on the North Downs, south of Guildford. There, the actors mingle among the audience and it seems as though we travel back in time.  It’s as though one’s there alongside Jesus and the disciples, watching and listening to all they say and do.

Continue reading →

So what does Jesus look like?

Posted on by
2

Upon reading my brief review of Heaven Is For Real did you, too, not end up asking that question?

Whilst reading the book I was most interested in this simply because Jesus’ face had been out of sight during my encounter, as explained here (at 1st Validation). Also, I was familiar with ‘portraits’ of ‘Master Jesus’ to be found in New Age circles but didn’t regard them as being authentic.

Can you imagine how deeply stunned Todd and Sonja Burpo were whilst driving with their two children to hear their 4 year old suddenly reveal that he’d heard angels and met Jesus Christ?

From their vehicle’s back seat little Colton pipes up in answer to a gentle tease about hospital by saying what mum and dad were doing whilst he was dying on an operating table with a severely ruptured appendix that had poisoned his abdomen.  It wasn’t so much his accurate description of what they were doing in two different places – on the phone and praying; well, losing it with God! – that hit them. (Only much later did his father learn the finer points of how that prayer of desperation was answered!)

They had to stop at a nearby snack bar to hear again, and digest, Colton’s very quick account of what happened whilst being operated upon. As only a young child can, he described being with Jesus. Over the course of many weeks a fuller account gradually emerged, usually popping out during play times, of what Jesus looks like and of many things Colton ‘did and saw’ during minutes, not hours, of earth time. There was also, and more importantly, what Colton knew. Almost all of this could not be attributed to any teaching or children’s Bible stories!

The first answer to what Jesus looked like was the answer to a spiritual ‘riddle’ : what’s the only thing in heaven that’s the same as it was on earth?

He’d said, right off bat, “Jesus has markers”.

His father claims Colton didn’t know about the crucifixion wounds at that age because their Weslyan church made no references to or had any pictures of them.  For nearly three years his parents would show Colton dozens of illustrations depicting Jesus but they all left him cold. He never saw one that he thought was right. He just could not recognise Jesus in any.

One day his father came across a CNN report of a young girl Akiane Kramarik, a child prodigy who began painting exceptionally sophisticated artwork at the age of 6 years.  A couple of years previously she’d begun having ‘visions’ of heaven, even though both her parents were atheists!  The authors of Heaven Is For Real  write, ‘Slowly her mom began to accept that Akiane’s visions were real and that, therefore, God must be real’.

As I watched (writes Todd) a montage of Akiane’s artwork play across my computer screen, the narrator said, “Akiane describes God as vividly as she paints him”. (p 143)

That was similar to how Colton spoke of Jesus – both children spoke especially about His beautiful eyes. So his father told Colton to come and take a look, asking what was wrong with this one. The boy said nothing, just stared, and he was asked again – still silence and then he got nudged:

My seven-year-old turned to look at me and said, “Dad, that one’s right”.

Entitled “Prince of Peace, Resurrection”, her portrait can be seen in Akiane’s Official Gallery under ‘Age 8’  and the next year shows Jesus praying, “Father Forgive Them”. To learn how she saw and painted Him read For child art prodigy Akiane, Jesus is for real (link no longer available)

Below, Ray Downing demonstrates how the picture Colton saw matches the image of the deceased Christ as captured millennia ago on The Shroud of Turin.

Also, you can watch Colton at 11 tell his story on video on heaven is for real website.

Further reading:

The PM’s Surprising Easter Message

Posted on by
1

News from Downing Street yesterday is encouraging in the light of previous events and the spiritual power play in the ‘heavenlies’ for our nation. I’m grateful to Gillan Scott for spotting this and for recognising that its significance warranted his interrupting his break by posting the entire transcript on God and Politics in the UK.

Mr Cameron’s reference to a “Christian fight-back” is especially revealing after many believers have been calling for a stand to be taken against evil that has encroached upon this land. (Readers may recall some of my earlier posts on this here and here,     the latter now having some new links to prophetical material.)

Also, this development suggests prayers for the Prime Minister are in the process of being answered.  Let’s keep praying, especially for Godly men to draw close and that they may encourage and direct Mr Cameron towards our Lord and Saviour (whom he does not deny or reject – Matthew 10:32-33).

Post-holydays update:

Over the break for the holydays there have been a number of posts, some critical, by well-respected Christian bloggers on the PM’s message but which overlook my point. Not so much by coincidence but more the Lord’s quick nudge did I discover that Jarrod Cooper was struck by the ‘remarkable!’ slant of the message and posted its full text on his personal blog as Cameron praises the Christian fight-back!.

Maybe it needs an gifted appreciation of the prophetic to discern what’s going on?

Heaven is for Real

Posted on by
1

“Colton, what do you want people to know from your story?” asked the lady editor sitting with his father whilst discussing a book they were writing about what had happened six years ago.

“I want them to know heaven is for real”, he answered without hesitation and looking Lynn straight in the eye.

A little boy's astounding story of his trip to heaven and backWith those words the Epilogue closed in the book that my wife had been given. She’d kept reading snippets to me and so I wanted to read it for myself. It had been sent by a life-long friend with a strong recommendation – and so it now comes with mine to you…

Colton’s father and mother recount their desperate attempts whilst on ‘holiday’ with their son’s rapidly deteriorating bad state of health. It was a matter of life or death and their not-yet four years old nearly didn’t survive.  A few months later, after his fourth birthday, Colton makes a remark about his time in hospital that completely floors his parents – he tells them what they were doing whilst he was on his ‘death-bed’ in surgery!

From thereon the story takes an interesting turn of diplomatic delicacy to discover what actually happened to their very young boy. Being a Weslyan pastor, his father Todd was thirsty for more, yet being familiar with Colton’s level of basic belief he realised what his son may say may not match his own ideas. But he was extremely surprised to learn that what Colton now knew could NOT have come from Sunday school or family chat.

Todd Burpo and his teacher wife Sonja were wise not to overwrite Colton’s child-like descriptive terms by dressing them up into grown-up language for adult consumption. So they restricted themselves to open questions only.

Thus, Colton’s disarming innocence and plainspoken boldness conveys a true account of encounters with the hugeness of God, Jesus’ love for children, angels, even a few surprises for his parents about their family before he was born.  Mum and Dad didn’t push for deep and long discussions from him of what happened.  Most of what Colton divulges just pops out now and then, just when they wished they’d had pen and paper!

I was personally impressed with Colton’s agitation and consternation over a funeral his father was going to conduct for someone who didn’t attend the church.  This gelled well with what I’d experienced with a heavenly visitor.  Also, I appreciated what Colton said about the end-times and his father’s combative role in the Lord’s army – now is that action in heaven – or on earth?  I wonder…

Don Piper, author of 90 Minutes in Heaven, is of the opinion:

Compelling and convincing. It’s a book you should read.

And whyever not?

Review continues here > So what does Jesus look like?

Evidence for physical healing

Posted on by
Reply

For quick reference purposes I’ve listed 10 short video clips of testimonies of notable healings – at least a couple of which are not only medically impossible but are also creative miracles. These clips can be found under this website’s header God Heals Today, or by clicking here.

Also, three clips on the disappearance of surgically implanted metal rods, screws and plates during Global Awakening ministry tours, are separately referred to here.