Monthly Archives: August 2013

Events indicate the Bible’s relevance for today

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Recent tragic news from Syria and developments in the Middle East can, in fact, give Christians a deeper understanding of the holy scriptures.

I’ll share my opinion on how this may be so but, first, we’re instructed to pray for those in power, including their need for wisdom in handling crises. Jesus’ brother James wrote to those following ‘The Way’,

If anyone lacks wisdom we should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault…(James 1:5)

He cautions that in so doing we need to believe and not doubt because such a person will not receive anything from God.  Political leaders would, therefore, show wisdom if they are able to believe and fully appreciate God’s Word, not only in living morally but also in dealing with international events such as those foreseen over 2,500 years ago  about a specific Middle Eastern coalition. We note that, in the end, God’s stated goal for three major people groups is as follows;

24 In that day Israel will be one of three with Egypt and Assyria—a blessing in the midst of the land, 25 whom the Lord of hosts shall bless, saying, “Blessed is Egypt My people, and Assyria the work of My hands, and Israel My inheritance.” (Isaiah 19 NKJV, Biblegateway)

There’s a long way to go before that outcome is achieved, incredible as it seems at present.  But current events do show the Holy Bible is not obsolete, or irrelevant for modern times. But this isn’t new!  Many Old Testament verses were fulfilled in 20th Century with the amazing ‘overnight’ creation of a nation-state and the consequential return of dispersed tribes belonging to the ancient Hebraic people. Nearly 2,000 years ago, after having destroyed their capital Jerusalem and sacred Temple because of an armed revolt against Rome’s authority, Emperor Hadrian kicked them out of their homeland after another revolt (for details see Timeline).

Hundreds of years beforehand, however, prophets heard and recorded what the Living God declared about events in the far, far distant future. The fulfillment of His promises through the establishment of modern Israel is something deserving fuller examination. So, too, is Psalm 83’s warning to those people surrounding Israel who plot to ‘wipe it off the map’. (The ancient tribal names may no longer apply but their rage continues within their descendants, as broadcast ceaselessly abroad.)

However, my focus is upon the Biblical references to other peoples on the fringes of the then-known world, as centred around the ‘cradle of civilisation’. They were in lands now known as Persia, Syria, western Egypt or Libya, Turkey as well as southern Russia and central Asia.

Whatever any migratory, trading or hostile connections may have been between those folk, it is a most remarkable fact that the Lord foresaw an alliance forming between them that would become enemies of the Hebraic people living in territory established by King David. Ezekiel, a major OT prophet, received detailed oracles about this coalition led by ‘Gog’. The only other mention of this entity is in the apocalyptic vision Apostle John had of the revelation that God gave Jesus Christ, as recorded towards the end of the Book of Revelation (Rev 20:7-10).

This prophesied coalition known as ‘The Ezekiel Alliance’ and its attack upon Israel is recorded at chapters 38 and 39 of the Book of Ezekiel.  A concise historical analysis from Koinonia House may be read at The Treacherous Trio of Ezekiel 38 – Part 1 and at Part 2, then Part 3.  My previous coverage of this build-up may be found here and here.

The fact that Russia is now getting deeply involved and taking the lead in a strategic coalition that was identified millennia ago as a major player in the Middle-East, and furthermore which aligns itself against Israel, simply cannot be ignored. All political leaders would, therefore, be well advised to tread very carefully in dealing with this alliance.

For what it’s worth I’d like to add my ‘tuppence worth’ but it must of necessity be all too brief. Readers who like digging deeper than mainline media’s cursory overviews (eg. by visiting links suggested in an early blog Not on the 10 o’clock News), may be aware of the following.:

Israel

I’d ask that fellow believers consider their attitude toward modern Israel because some ministries are mistaken in this regard. For instance, a guest post on Cranmer’s blog has reported one ministry as strongly denouncing Israel at festivals over the Summer. I’m aware this may be a touchy topic, but Fran Waddam’s historical comments are helpful for those unfamiliar with the real, rather than revisionist, 20th Century history of Israel. It’s now followed by a CMEW item on Kairos Chaos in the Church, which I recommend. (NB: ignore any flash pop-up ads on Cranmer’s site.)

Syria & Iran

The outrageous chemical attack upon children could, in my opinion, be one way Iran’s leaders are testing President Obama’s resolve and poor credibility. (Iran’s active control of Syria was reported here.)  There are increasing concerns over the reliability of claims that it was done by Assad’s forces, and which doesn’t exactly stack up with signals intel and is voiced by, among others, Jerome Corsi and Walid Shoebat (here).

Iran would seize upon any attack by America as a pretext to attack Israel in a greater measure than done in recent minor occasions (Farsnews). They see such a war as facilitating the appearance of the Shiites’ Mahdi (as here). Thus, it isn’t far-fetched to suppose Iran may attempt the final, threatened blow to eradicate Israel.

Saudi Arabia

Obama’s credibility is non-existent as a result of his polices and actions on Egypt and in Libya, not to mention ‘Benghazi-gate’. Following his 2009 Cairo speech, a deep rift opened between him and the Saudis over his deep humiliation of president Mubarak. Fully aware of the dangers Obama was blind to, they endorsed the Egyptian army’s removal of Morsi and leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood. Also, as members of The Arab League who have denounced Syria, the Saudis met with Russian leaders to sway their support of Syria’s Assad by tempting them with favourable oil/gas deals, as herein.

Egypt

The above quotation from prophet Isaiah is an oracle from the Lord about Egypt. Those closing verses allude to His end-time redemptive plan for three peoples, but its second verse is once again apposite: not as for the Ethiopian takeover 2,800 years ago but for these times too:

“I will set Egyptians against Egyptians;
Everyone will fight against his brother,
And everyone against his neighbour,
City against city, kingdom against kingdom…”

Islam & TerrorismHow to be succinct with what’s on my mind about Egypt? In Cameron: A war against Al-Qaeda… I  referred to Mark Gabriel’s experiences with the Muslim Brotherhood as an Egyptian professor of Islamic history. His exposure of Islam and Terrorism gave me grave reservations over Obama’s insistence upon the outlawed MB’s attendance at his 2009 Cairo speech. My initial points are as herein.

President Obama probably gambled upon the MB having become a peaceful democratic political party but his Muslim roots should have taught him to know better – much better. William Koenig in his Eye View from The White House, puts it this way:

The Egyptian apparent decapitation of the Muslim Brotherhood’s leadership could have enormous impact on the future of many countries and derail White House/ State Department Muslim Brotherhood plan in the Middle East.

McCarthy’s ‘Reds under the beds’ witch hunts of communists was a false alarm by comparison with the MB infiltration of US politics and government. Where the totalitarian system of communism failed, another succeeded beyond its wildest dreams – and even Barack Hussein Obama isn’t entirely to blame! The infiltration started 60 years ago in response to the CIA seeking help against communists. George Bush and many in USA and Western democracies were bamboozled into mistaking Islamist intentions.

The MB’s objectives are known to many well-informed analysts and journalists but largely ignored by politicians and public. I cannot, therefore, recommend highly enough  that every reader take time to visit the following links, of which extracts are shown.

For further political developments see

Recommended Reading:

  1. Resetting US Foreign Policy by ‘ne plus ultra’ Caroline Glick; cogent as ever > ‘Obama’s decision to outsource the US’s Syria policy owed to his twin goals of demonstrating that the US would no longer try to dictate international outcomes, and of allying the US with Islamic fundamentalists…from his earliest days in office Obama insisted that, since radical Islam is the most popular movement in the Islamic world, radical Islam is good’.
  2. The Muslim Brotherhood: Origins, Efficacy and Reach by Raymond Ibrahim; a masterly paper from the well-connected author of The Al-Qaeda Reader covering the MB historically and throughout the Middle-East.
  3. History of the Muslim Brotherhood Penetration of US Government by Clare Lopez, formerly CIA operations officer and senior fellow at the Centre for Security Policy presents an exceptionally well-researched and informative paper > It is important to recognize the sophistication of the Brotherhood’s international strategy and how the takedown of U.S. national security defenses from within was critical to the current Middle East-North Africa (MENA) campaign to re-establish the Caliphate and enforce Islamic Law (shariah)….The careful insinuation of Muslim Brothers into positions from which they can exercise influence on U.S. policy began long before the attacks of 9/11, although their success has accelerated dramatically under the administration of President Barack Obama. The massive Muslim Brotherhood organizational network in the U.S., so patiently built up over the decades since that first Oval Office meeting in 1953, eventually gave it a prominence and (false) reputation of credibility that was unmatched by any other Islamic groups, moderate or otherwise. Using a combination of taqiyya (deceit, dissimulation) and intimidation, the Muslim Brotherhood succeeded not only in making itself the “go-to” authority on all things related to Islam, but in suppressing those who would speak truth about Islam—again, often by persuading the U.S.’s own senior officials to do the job for them: “by their hands”.
  4. The US State Department’s Islamist Plan by Dr Mordechai Kebar, Israeli scholar of Arabic and Islam covers MB’s plans for Sinai and Egypt and reveals the grave concerns of Jordan’s king > King Abdullah openly calls them “wolves in sheep’s clothing” and “the Freemasons cult” (there is no worse expression in Arabic that the king could have used towards his citizens, MK.) because they do not want to reform the regime of the Hashemite monarchy; rather, they want to replace it and  turn it into a puppet after taking over the parliament and changing the  state into a “constitutional monarchy” with an Islamic constitution  written by the Brotherhood, of course. The king describes his battle with the Brotherhood with the expression “the most important battle confronting us in the entire region”, even more than Iran. He also does not hide his contempt for the American diplomats and officials who promote the Muslim Brotherhood out of naivety, as if the regime of the  Brotherhood is a type of Islamic democracy.
  5. Muslim Brotherhood: We’ve Got ‘Goods on Obama’ by Dr Jerome Corsi > In an interview with the News Agency Anatolia in Turkey, Saad Al-Shater, the son of imprisoned Muslim Brotherhood leader Khairat Al-Shater, said his father “had in his hand” evidence that will put Obama in prison. In a thinly veiled threat, Saad Al-Shater said a US delegation was sent to Cairo by Obama to press for the release of the imprisoned Muslim Brotherhood leaders, including his father to prevent the release of explosive information. Arabic-speaking former PLO member Walid  Shoebat has translated the report by the Turkish News Agency Anatolia as follows…
  6. BREAKING NEWS – Corsi, “Egyptian government…intends to implicate Obama directly in series of financial transactions with the MB in Egypt” (video interview).

Is the use of chemical weapons in Syria of more importance than the eradication of Christianity?

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Gillan Scott provides an excellent in-depth follow up to my brief note on Barnabas Fund’s call to prayer for the persecuted church. At least our people are not joking in poor taste on this issue as did the Obama Administration over the persecution in Egypt! (See Christian Post and Raymond Ibrahim) Please note readers’ comments too..

God and Politics in the UK

SaveSyria Chemical Weapon AttackThere is no doubt that it is an atrocity to use chemical weapons against anyone, even more so your own citizens.  It is right that governments and the UN, in the interests of peace and further loss of life, should be considering a response to the chemical attacks in Syria. However, anyone who has even a basic understanding of the situation in Syria will be able to see that it is a vastly complex and difficult situation and that there are no easy answers.

Past intervention in Iraq and Afghanistan have taught us that military intervention leads to unforeseen and unpredictable outcomes, many of which can be disastrous for civilian populations. Whilst the situation in Syria is horrendous, and the urge to intervene is a natural response, unless the UN or Western governments somehow manage to piece together a credible plan of action that will significantly improve the situation, any…

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Pray for persecuted Christians

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This Sunday, Barnabas Fund is calling Christians around the world to pray, act and donate in a special show of support for our suffering brothers and sisters. The threat to the vulnerable Christian minorities in Syria and in Egypt is now at cataclysmic proportions.  

For details read Marked for Destruction: Christian targets daubed with a black X, which provides suggested course of action to contact national leaders.

Why the black X? The linked announcement explains that Barnabas Fund,

is using a black X for this campaign as a symbol of solidarity with Christians who are being targeted because of their faith. Islamists have daubed this sign on the walls of Christian homes and businesses in Egypt to identify them for attack, while Muslim properties have been painted with a red X for protection. 

The Fund’s latest email on global persecution by Islamic nations may be read here.

Please also note.:

The ‘Vicar of Baghdad’, Canon Andrew White, features in Edward Malnick’s article of last Sunday about The ‘almost unremarked’ persecution of Christians in the Middle East.

Joel Rosenberg reports in The Muslim Brotherhood’s War On Egypt’s Christians that over 200 churches and Christian-owned buildings have been attacked.

NIGERIA

Christians in Nigeria have endured murderous persecution for years at the hands of the Boko Haram, an Islamic terrorist group which the Obama Administration is on record as failing to censure or condemn but, instead, as urging the Nigerian government to respect its human rights!! 

Raymond Ibrahim reports upon this nonsense here and includes it in his latest update on Muslim Persecution of Christians.  This news confirms many suspicions that the US Administration is a lackey of the Muslim Brotherhood, does it not?

The US rebuke contrasts sharply with Open Doors’ report (here) that Boko Haram is under investigation by the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity. The Court’s preliminary investigation blames the Islamic sect for 1,200 deaths. Need I say more? [Latest attack is reported in Christian World, hat-tip Robert Spencer.]

So, persecution isn’t confined to only Syria and Egypt but is endemic across Islamic nations. Let us pray, therefore…

Christianity’s new season: blog’s new page and today’s headlines

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Courtesy Watcharakun at Freedigitalphotos.comAfter updating this blog’s Prophecies & Visions hub with a page summarising recent words about A New Era in the Church, I dipped into a paper I’d bought earlier for Nina to enjoy the crossword.  Lo and behold, buried inside I find  apposite headlines covering comments made by:

Pope Emeritus Benedict: “I quit as Pope because God told me to”.

Archbishop Welby: Church ‘on edge of precipice‘.

The first reports Benedict’s interesting “direct rapport with the Lord”, of which the online version is more informative than the broadsheet. Fascinating how this claim accords with prophecies for a ‘new season’. The second is yet another indicator of the distinct trend that validates a prophetic word reported 20 years ago by Colin Winfield, The Separation of the Harlot and the Bride.

That word is remarkable in accurately foretelling today’s mix of apostasy and true faith, the insidious introduction of worldly norms against the worship and teaching of a holy God. Since finding that prophecy last year, I noted its ‘rationale’ supports the notion of traditional churches falling away and how new churches of those on fire for God and  maturing into anointed Children of God, are coming to the fore.

On the last point, I will somehow try to convey a sense of what we learned from Ian Clayton when he visited Guildford area this week, as at close of this post.

A ‘new spirit’ among Israeli Arab Christians

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A brief post in the light of our recent considerations:

Thank you to John McTernan for this link reporting upon Israel’s Vice Prime Minister Mofaz meeting with young Arabic-speaking Christians in the Nazareth area. For the details see Israel Today article here, part of which reads,

“Civil courage is a very important thing,” Mofaz told Israel’s Channel 2 News. For decades Israel’s Christian community were too cowed by their Muslim neighbors to openly stand with Israel. “The Christian population is very special,” and it is great to see them opening up like this, Mofaz continued.

Jesus and Israel; then, now and forever

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Courtesy of James Mark Long, www.propheticartists.comIn munching upon meditative ‘morsels’ from the opening of Hebrews 12, I didn’t expect my subconscious mind to mull over their meaning. I’d assumed those couple of blogs had put the subject ‘to bed’, so to speak – but no. That was on Thursday before going ‘incommunicado’ until Monday, as usual. Yet something started stirring in my spirit.

Two days later saw me digging into scripture before going to bed myself. How could I know I’d find out that its eye-opening conclusion is relevant to others.  So if that’s the case for you too, or if you’d notice a similar coincidence, the details are as follows.:

Pointer No 1

After having referred to the faith of Old Testament and New Testament believers – or a ‘cloud of witnesses’ – being perfected, I sensed a bigger picture of the Lord’s purposes. Having written about ‘original’ and ‘spiritual’ Israel I recalled Jesus’ reply to a question posed after His victory over death, and which I’ve often pondered.

During that 40 day period Jesus spoke about things pertaining to the Kingdom of God. (That is, of God’s rule in human hearts, lives and situations.)  Consider doctor Luke’s carefully investigated account, per Luke 1:3, of what had happened about 30 years earlier when Jesus gave his apostles this instruction (emphases mine):

 And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, “which,” He said, “you have heard from Me; 5 for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” 6 Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 And He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. 8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” [Acts 1:4-8 NKJV – Biblegateway.com]

As the purpose of this post is to highlight specific verses, I won’t go into any depth other than give pointers to ponder, and the following as a lead-in.

‘Israel’ would have meant not only the dominant Jews of Jerusalem and Judea, but also the other eleven historical tribes of Israel. Jesus had told his close followers about the Kingdom, presumably in greater depth than during the pre-Resurrection years of public ministry, and that they were about to receive the One who empowered His ministry direct from their heavenly Father Himself.

Thus, it was logical that the apostles were thinking they’d all be ministering in the power Jesus had exhibited. Consequently, it was reasonable to suppose they would then change the religious and cultural situation in Jerusalem and Judea.

No doubt they had in mind the greatest period in their history under King David, as well as Daniel’s prophetic vision about removing the power of the supreme earthly empire, Rome (see Daniel 7:27). But Jesus knew differently. Had they been incorrect in their logical conclusion of restoring the Kingdom to Israel, then Jesus would have said so and corrected them. (He’d done that when referring to returning to God – John 14:2)

Nor did He rebuke them for such an idea, or even remind them He’d already told them the Kingdom would be taken away from Israel and given, “…to people (ie. Gentiles) who will produce its fruit” (Matt 21:23).  No, He simply said it wasn’t for them to know the timing – and it was Father’s business and His alone, not even their Master’s!

Interestingly, the original Greek indicates a conditional ‘IF’ (ei) between those verses. In other words, “If (or when) the dipping in Holy Spirit happens, is it the time you-are-restoring the Kingdom to Israel?” (See Scripture4All Greek Interlinear Bible, Acts 1)

Therefore, the relevance of and restoration for Israel MUST be on God’s agenda!

Consequently, the perfecting of faith for living and departed Jews and Christians could well be part and parcel of that agenda. I think Jesus had already given the apostles a clue and they later shared it with Paul, Apostle to the Gentiles, or He may even have revealed it to him personally.

Pointer No 2

Also,  Jesus would have had that in mind when describing the signs all believers should watch out for. He said there will come a time of, “great distress in the land and wrath against this people“.  In this account, Luke writes that Jesus went on to say,

“…And they will fall by the edge of the sword, and be led away captive into all nations. And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled…”    [Luke 21:24 NKJV] 

Pointer No 3

In his magisterial letter to the church in Rome, Paul described the differences between the OT and NT faith and what had happened to the Jews as a result of rejecting Jesus as their Messiah. He stressed they’d not been rejected by the Lord,

For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.  26 And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written:

“The Deliverer will come out of Zion, And He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob; 27 For this is My covenant with them, When I take away their sins.” [Romans 11 NKJV]

I trust that my referring to these scriptures makes sense. It’s offered simply for weighing and consideration, maybe as an aid to further scriptural meditation?  Yet more was to follow…

Courtesy Watcharakun at Freedigitalphotos.comIn flicking to and fro between these scriptures and adding to scribbled notes in my old NIV Bible, I spotted its note, Who Is Mechizedek? (see Topic). Hebrews 7 explains the similarities between this king of Jerusalem, who blessed  Abraham, and Jesus Christ. Perhaps he’s an influential connection between OT and NT witnesses?

Surprise!

ian-300x268Just before preaching the next morning, our minister mentioned having come from Days of Wonder meeting in Cardiff with New Zealander Ian Clayton, where he’d given some insights on Melchizedek!!!  Upon telling one of our group about this ‘God-incidence’, I was told the same  reference had unexpectedly popped up for a friend.   So the couple of days next week when Ian stops off outside Guildford during his tour of Wales, Scotland and Ireland should be very interesting indeed. I pray so Lord.

Pick your own parable

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It is the glory of God to conceal a matter;  

to search out a matter is the glory of kings.

Just after the morning rush hour along the A3 we arrived at a ‘PYO’, or pick-your-own garden and horticultural centre, to harvest some bags of strawberries and raspberries. We’d come here only the previous week with our 4 year-old grandson, but it was a Monday and there were few pickings after the weekend’s visitors had ‘grazed’ and left the fields bare but for unripe berries. But it was a useful time to teach Luca how to pick them.

So this time we went mid-week and arrived as the centre opened at the start of another very warm summer’s day – wonderful, at long last! The berries had basked but not baked in at least three hours warm, early morning sunshine. Nina headed for the strawbs and I went to the raspberries, only to find not so many ready for me!

And yet, in what I discovered I also found a parable from the Lord.

PYO1Ripening raspberries around the top and sides of the long rows of bushes need only a slight squeeze and tug off their stalks. Ripe ones come off very easily. Now, I always look within the bushes and at a lower level to search out any hidden from view under all the broad leaves.

PYO2Inserting my hand at waist height, and down to my knees, I slowly waved my hand inside the bush – ripe berries dropped into my palm! The motion had nudged them off their stalks. Completely effortless! The best, lush ones had been missed by previous visitors and were so ripe they were about to fall to the ground.

PYO4

I was blessed in this sign of the abundance that comes when we draw close and reach into our heavenly Father.

What He has for us is so readily accessible – it is at hand. All we have to do is hold out our hands, rather than pick and choose from what’s in front of our nose but not yet ready. If we take that, it may be ok but not as good as what is already available deeper in His Presence. So why be satisfied with less?

I recalled Proverbs 25:2 about the glory of God and that of a king, as above. Also, this occasion spoke of a recent debate about the Bible and nature of God between a blogger friend and a disbeliever. Today’s parable speaks of her gazing at this bush only to focus upon the many unripe berries. Even in selecting a reddening berry she’d squash it with a hard grip.  Luscious, ripe fruit is out of sight. It is hidden because mental blinkers prevent lateral looking. Its existence dare not be considered or sought for. Such an attitude stops oneself, and would prevent others, getting closer to the bush.

Thank you Lord that you’re closer than we can conceive, and readier to speak than we are to seek…

Another morsel on the cloud of witnesses

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First, my apologies for having added a paragraph to my observations instead of drafting a new post. It is now deleted and follows below.

Upon re-reading the last post over lunch I believe there’s more to be considered about the role of the cloud of witnesses. (I’d stress I’ve not been watching Paul Keith Davis’  videos.)

Again, here’s what the God-breathed Word states at the juncture of Hebrews chapter 11 with 12, Apostle Paul’s summation on the Hebrew fathers of faith.

39 And all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise,  40 God having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us.  1 Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 

The key is in the closing verse of chapter 11, emboldened above. It states there’s a direct connection between our attaining perfection in faith, and pre-Christian believers in the Holy One of Israel coming into the perfection of their faith.  That is, our destinies are directly linked with those who are already in heaven!

Huh? I need to recalibrate my brain to get a grip of that.

Verse 40 means God has promised Christians a far better deal than He’s promised the fathers of the Judaic faith because of our faith in Jesus. Yet, His goal for them is the same as it is for us, as herein; ‘that they should not be made perfect apart from us’. Thus, together with them we will be receiving the same promise – not one party (Old Covenant) without the other (New Covenant)!

This notion is more obvious in the original Greek of verse 40, ‘tou theo hEmOn  ktreitton ti problepsamenou  hina  mE chOris hEmOn teleiOthOsin’, as seen in it’s word-for-word direct translation below. The present continuous tense of ‘looking’ and ‘be being’, rather than using past tense, distinctly conveys an ongoing process, one that’s in play today, viz:

of God concerning us better something of-looking-forward-to that not apart from us they-may-be-being matured (Greek Interlinear Bible)

Clearly, therefore, God’s intention has always been to bring about at the end of the Age a highly prized unity in Christ Jesus for both Jew and Christian, or as some say; the original Israel and spiritual Israel. Or perhaps, the Bride of Christ and those invited to the Wedding; Jews who’ll look on Jesus whom their forebears pierced (Zecharia 12:10).

Furthermore, with the passage of time, this cloud now includes multitudes of Christians.

As Almighty God – and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who came in the body of a Jewish man – therefore sees hardly any distinction between Jew and Christian, then how dare some church leaders denigrate, even loathe, our Jewish brethren and their national state of Israel?

With this in mind, in the knowledge that several prestigious American churches declared their stance against Israel last year (Elliot Abrams’ CFR article), I’d draw your attention to the Jerusalem Declaration by representatives of mainline Protestant churches. For an introduction to the Protestant Consultation on Israel and the Middle East click here.

Who’s watching who? A crowd of witnesses!

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Are you athletic – unlike me! – and enjoy running and other track events? Perhaps you’ve run in a marathon?  Do you have a school age child and support their sporting activities and events?  All participants in any sport and of any age enjoy being cheered and encouraged by onlookers – especially when the finishing line’s coming up!

I was reminded of that by Paul Keith’s conversation with Rick Joyner, as well as with Bobby Conner in April. Did you watch those videos (here and here)?  In my experience, Rick’s comment about the connection between what happened to him whilst writing a book and events in the Toronto Blessing is insightful.

All three men refer to Apostle Paul describing his faith in and work for Jesus Christ as being like running a race:

…since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,  2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.  (Emphases mine)

What was the reason behind this description?  The preceding part of the letter to the Hebrews is a detailed reminder of the hope and great faith of the heroes of the Old Testament.:

39 And all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise,  40 God having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us.  1 Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by… (Hebrews 11:39-12:2 NKJV)

On camera, the three modern-day prophets discussed not only the scriptural meaning of the ‘cloud of witnesses’ but also alluded to some examples of their having been seen today. It is a fascinating part of their discussion that I’d urge you not to overlook, and maybe revisit.

I know some believers may struggle with this as it seems contrary to the OT prohibition against consulting mediums and witches (here). That is, there’s a presumption that any experience of the ancient witnesses is the same as necromancy; ie. contacting the dead. But not so!

The reason for the prohibition against witchcraft, sorcery and necromancy is to protect God’s people from contact with and affliction by evil spirits.  Those activities attempt to manipulate not only people but also demonic spirits by summoning them from their realm into ours. Seeking contact with spirits and deceased persons is very costly for it comes with dangerous personal consequences.

We know that God is not God of the dead but of the living. Those who died in Him are still alive, although not in a fleshly body, as can be inferred from Jesus’ reference to  Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Matthew 22:31-33).

If someone accidentally happens to encounter one of the heavenly saints then it is certainly not mediumship or necromancy. It is a gracious event initiated by God in allowing such a contact. Would critics say Jesus’ meeting with Moses and Elijah was necromancy? (see Matthew 17) Surely not!

A personal encounter

Let me share what happened at our church mid-week meeting a few months ago.:

We were discussing Exodus and I popped upstairs to get my annotated Bible. The stairwell leads directly into the lounge and as I descended to the bottom steps I felt as though I’d walked into, or rather through, something – like when you’re not looking where you’re going and bump into someone, and then look at them in surprise. Our leader noticed my glancing with a startled frown at the wall and sensed someone’s presence.

I reported the brief, finer details of what I’d sensed to our minister, who advised this is happening more often, especially where folk worship and discuss the scriptures, as one of her family found in Mozambique. This makes eminent sense because the patriarchs were intimately involved with the Lord and must have known of His plans for the far off future when His Kingdom will come in fullness upon the earth.

In view of the increasing acceleration toward that time the ‘cloud of witnesses’ must be getting more and more excited – exactly like people cheering competitors toward the finish.  Just like last year’s Olympics!

I pray this post gives another morsel to chew upon and digest, rather than spit out. And please take another bite…

Note: See White Dove Ministries’ webinar archive for more on the cloud of witnesses.

Paul Keith Davis and Rick Joyner discuss ‘Times and Seasons’

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If you liked Paul Keith Davis’ teaching on the 3 anointings then you will like this 83 mins chat with his friend. (It is superior value to anything on the ‘one-eyed’ blind god we call TV.)  Their closing answer to an online question made it rather personal for us last night because we’d learned of Frances Metcalf’s profound ministry in the Lord through our local church.  May you be blessed in hearing these men of God.:

 

Topics covered:

  • current events – Church in transition – 2013-14
  • full discipleship foundations – contemplative prayer
  • angelic encounter whilst writing The Final Quest
  • Jesus knocking to come into what belongs to Him
  • the Rev ‘overcomers’ are not ordinary churchgoers
  • the greatest tribulation/opportunity in global history
  • confrontation with false teaching in spirit & power of Elijah
  • ‘koinonia’ (real fellowship) essential for preparing The Bride
  • role of past overcomers/witnesses in today’s acceleration
  • different destinies within heaven
  • 1st Century Apostolic ministry required for 21st Century
  • questions from online viewers – grace – true holiness – restoration of family structure – is USA in scripture (v good point from Rev 12) – increasing evil
  • Francis Metcalf’s experiences of rapture and translation, difference between them, an understanding of the message of Enoch.

The final four minutes are highly instructive and encouraging and I pray the Lord will give you an understanding and insights into these matters. The whole ‘webinar’ is a rich banquet. Thank you gentlemen.

Neville Johnson: prophetic word on a new move of God in the UK and Ireland

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Again, I thank Tembissa for the thread of discovery to the following re-posted from James Bailey’s  Z3news.  It is interesting to note Neville Johnson delivered this in the same month as the prophecy sung over UK and Europe by Julie Meyer in USA (The Bridegroom Cometh).:

Neville_Johnson-311x350

At a meeting held in Sheffield England in October 31, 2012, the following prophetic words for the UK and Ireland were delivered by Neville Johnson, a former pastor and missionary from New Zealand.

WORD FOR UK:

There are seeds that lie dormant in the UK, many seeds. These are the seeds of godly men like Smith Wigglesworth. Men like John Wesley. Their seeds lie waiting for the rain to come. When it comes they will be available for the United Kingdom seven times greater than what it was before. So aren’t you glad you are alive in this generation? The church has been in decline, but God has not forgotten you.

Hope deferred makes the heart sick but when it comes it is a tree of life. God is coming to your nation, ready or not. I saw aspects of this in vision form. I saw how God was going to move across your nation and it was wave after wave after wave. It will be sustained and the fire will never go out. Revivals have come and gone but this is not revival, this is reformation and it is a different thing. God is going to take the very best of those seeds, the very best out of the former moves of His Spirit and combine them into one move.

Behold I will do something new. Now it will spring forth; will you not be aware of it? I will even make a roadway in the wilderness, rivers in the desert. (Isaiah 43:19)

One of the things I saw for this nation was mothers praying for their children who had strayed away from the Lord. There were thousands of them in this vision. God is hearing those prayers and He is going to get your children. He is going to form them into an army of the Lord. He is going to bring them in.

The Lord says at an acceptable time I have heard you. In the day of salvation I have helped you.

WORD FOR IRELAND:

I saw Ireland come alive in an unusual way because as God poured out His spirit the gospel was being portrayed in Irish dancing. I was watching this in vision form. Irish dancing once swept the world and it is going to sweep the world again taking the gospel. At the end of all of these performances people are going to flock to the altar to be saved. Eye has not seen nor has it entered into the heart the things God is preparing for you.

Author: James Bailey

James Bailey writes blog articles about current events and how they relate to the truth of the scriptures. His vision is to broadcast the good news of Jesus Christ through blog sites and other media.

Observations on the 3 anointings for End-times believers

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Detail from Eagle-eyed by John Mark Long: www.propheticartists.comSome regular readers will have dug into the previous piece of exceptionally illuminating instruction from Paul Keith Davis. My hard copy of the original is underlined in several places.

So maybe these musings may bring more morsels for you to munch upon, along with your meditation on its scriptures:

1. Paul Keith’s opening reference to his study of Numbers chapter 10 mentioned the importance of blowing silver trumpets. In addition to Nathan Morris’ reference to his Christian inheritance (re. PK on Zebulun anointing here), this very subject was the first connection between both men’s teaching.

Nathan 2At the start of The Open the Heavens Conference Nathan was of the opinion that it should be renamed Open the Heavens Clarion Call.  Furthermore, all speakers had a common theme in their teaching. Not prearranged in advance, they all came ready to teach upon the Presence of Almighty God!! This led to the Lord blessing their meetings with the wonderful, tangible atmosphere of His Glory.

All that is directly relevant to Paul Keith’s concluding remarks, “Then will come the Ark of the Covenant”, which was where God would be seated. The vision and scripture he was given all revolves around ‘the cloud (of God’s presence) is moving’

2. My New Life Study Bible’s note for Numbers 10:11, where ‘the cloud was taken up from above the tabernacle of the Testimony’ (NKJV), states,

This is the major turning point in the book, and one of the primary turning points of the entire Pentateuch (RB: the first five books of the Bible). Israel now departs from Sinai and moves toward the Promised Land.

The Israelites were the people out of the world God had picked to be especially dedicated to Him and His purposes. With the Advent of His Son Jesus Christ, the whole world of Gentile peoples is able to become His children because all believers in Jesus have the right to become Sons of God (John 1:12). Therefore, we can regard this passage as being applicable to the Church and indicating how it can move toward the End-times in Holy Spirit-led power. (Several posts on this blog have covered this ‘new season’.)

Paul Keith Davis3. The first tribe to move out with the moving cloud was that of Judah, of which the lion is emblematic, as PK explains. A few months ago this lion was spiritually perceived as being in our congregation. Unbeknown to each other, a male visitor and one whose integrity I can vouch for personally, both witnessed the huge Lion of Judah striding through the meeting!

4. As a writer too, I empathised with James Bailey’s comment in the meaning of the Zebulun anointing.

Paul Keith’s instruction along with Holy Spirit’s inspiration will bring immense insights into the Lord’s purposes and strategies. Although the holy scriptures convey an outline of these, their outworking in these times is being done in a way that will outwit satan. Scripture gives the ‘what’ and ‘why’, yet the Lord keeps the ‘how’ and ‘when’ of practical application close to His chest.

The Days of Noah

Days of Noah

I’m pleased to learn that Paul Keith his received further insight into what he and his wife experienced in 2007-08. Having understood the nature of the fallen ones and the fuller reasons for the Deluge, in The Days of Noah he tells what the Lord instructed him:

“I’ve dealt with the fallen ones, you’re going to have to deal with their offspring!”

His understanding of spiritual conflict went up a level. In an open vision he looked into the bowels of hell as a ‘manhole lid’ slid off and hideous evil spirits emerged to release realms of darkness through many people.

He was told the Sons of Light must respond in like fashion of receiving in-depth teaching and practical training in Kingdom realms, which involves not only people but also angelic interaction!

[Years later, Paul Keith saw similar images to that event when underwater footage was released of the source of the Deepwater Horizon oil-leak of April 2010 on the floor of the (nearby) Gulf of Mexico.]

Within a couple of days Paul Keith received confirmation of the truth of the vision. He was able to tell his wife what he was seeing as it happened, and on the CD he relates,

That was the Friday. On the Monday morning the Lord told me to type it up and send it to Neville Johnson, so I did that…(he’s in Australia so) normally if I send him an email he’s 3 or 4 days getting back to me.

Anyway I send him the email – and before the end of the day I get one back from Neville (he’s) somewhere around 12 hrs ahead. I send it Monday morning to me but it was Monday evening to him, his time – he sends me an email directly back.

He says, “‘You’re not going to believe this – this morning I had exactly the same experience – verbatim.  I even saw the same (evil) ones you saw!  So and so (a couple we both know) are here visiting me in Australia and I shared it with them at breakfast…now, (this evening) they are sitting with me when your email came through. I downloaded it and I told them, “You’re not going to believe this!”

Paul Keith then stresses; as scripture says, out of the mouths of two or three witnesses let a thing be established.

I know there are things being released from hell, but what we’re interested in is what’s coming down from heaven!

In closing, let me share a thought that dropped into mind  yesterday as our minster taught about the authority and dominion God gave Adam and Eve. The same was given to Noah and his clan upon emerging from the Ark (Gen 9). Although I think we’ve now entered the final ‘Days of Noah’ and things will become darker and perilous, believers will mature into Sons of God and emerge from the Tribulation in the rightful, Godly dominion that God intended humanity to have and display.

[See prophetic word from Neville Johnson for the UK and Ireland next.]

Tighten your seat belts!

Paul Keith Davis: Three Anointings Coming to End-Time Believers

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Further to my previous, I’m indebted to Tembisa at Church On Fire for re-posting this with the above image and providing the link, and to James Bailey for permission to re-post from his blog Z3news. Thank you for your additional notes James:

Paul Keith Davis shared the following message at a Morningstar Advanced Prophetic Conference in February, 2013. In this message, he said God showed him three anointings are coming upon a remnant of believers in these last days to enable them to usher in the return of the Lord and the millennial reign. For many believers, this message will sound like jibberish, but to those who are part of the remnant these words will stir their hearts to rise up and take possession of all God has for them.

Paul Keith Davis is a prophetic minister who speaks at churches and conferences all over the world. He is founder of White Dove Ministries, which is located in Foley, AL.

The following is the transcript of parts of the message delivered by Paul Keith Davis. Following that, I have taken the liberty to explain parts of his message in my own words and added scripture passages.

I had a vision, not a dream. In this vision I saw a hand. I only saw it from the elbow down, coming down with a Bible in his hand. I looked at the Bible and it was open to Numbers chapter 10. Then I saw a finger scroll down in the Bible and point to a certain Scripture. That scripture said, “Increase, increase, increase, increase, increase.” Five times.

Now in the second year, in the second month, on the twentieth of the month, the cloud was lifted from over the tabernacle of the testimony; and the sons of Israel set out on their journeys from the wilderness of Sinai. Then the cloud settled down in the wilderness of Paran. So they moved out for the first time according to the commandment of the Lord through Moses. The standard of the camp of the sons of Judah, according to their armies, set out first, with Nahshon the son of Amminadab, over its army, and Nethanel the son of Zuar, over the tribal army of the sons of Issachar; and Eliab the son of Helon over the tribal army of the sons of Zebulun. Then the tabernacle was taken down; and the sons of Gershon and the sons of Merari, who were carrying the tabernacle, set out. (Numbers 10:11-17)

And I knew that whatever the truth was in that scripture it was a secret. It was a trigger to launch us into ever increasing measures of increase. Once we start, it is not going to wane. It is going to increase on top of increase. So I wondered about that and the Lord said, “The cloud is moving.”

So I did a little study of this and found out exactly what I felt like it meant. Here is the essence of that. Here is the essence of Numbers chapter 10. It was the introduction of the silver trumpets where there would be a blowing of the trumpets (verses 1-10), the calling of a holy convocation. When they call the holy convocation it could be for war. It could be for packing up and moving. But in this case, it was for Israel to break camp because the cloud was moving.

The scripture that was highlighted for me said there was an order that was followed. This was the order of Israel when they were to pack up and move. First of all, the cloud would go before them. The very first thing that followed the cloud was the standard of Judah. Behind the standard was the tribe of Judah. Behind Judah was Issachar. Behind Issachar was Zebulon. Then all of the instruments in the tent and the Ark of the covenant went behind them.

The Lord told me in my vision, “I am about to visit your generation, but what is going to precede the ark of the covenant are those three anointings: Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun. These are preparatory anointings that God has given us.

The Judah Anointing

Chosen by God to be positioned first tribe following the cloud is the tribe of Judah. The standard of Judah is an emblem of a lion. The lion appeared on the shields and banners of the tribe of Judah.

When Judah’s father Jacob (who was later named Israel) was old, he blessed his sons and prophesied over each of them. When he came to Judah, he said:

Judah, your brothers shall praise you. Your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies. Your father’s sons shall bow down to you. “Judah is a lion’s whelp; from the prey, my son, you have gone up. He couches, he lies down as a lion, and as a lion, who dares rouse him up? “The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until Shiloh comes, and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples. “He ties his foal to the vine, and his donkey’s colt to the choice vine. He washes his garments in wine, and his robes in the blood of grapes. “His eyes are dull from wine, and his teeth white from milk. (Genesis 49:8-12)

The spirit of Judah is like the prevailing spirit of a young lion. Lions have no fear. They are the king of the beasts. The Judah anointing is a ruling anointing that operates in great authority. Judah’s brothers will bow down to him and praise him. The name Judah literally means “praised”.

I have heard teachings that Judah means “praise,” as in giving praise to God, but that is not what it means. Some have tried to explain that God sent the tribe of Judah first because Judah would sing praises to God, but that is not the reason given in scriptures. The Bible tells us Judah is the young lion who receives praises from his brothers. Judah was sent forth first because he is fearless, victorious, and rules with authority. Judah means “praised,” not “praise.” There is a big difference!

I believe this erroneous teaching about Judah is based on a misinterpretation of what Judah means and a misinterpretation of 2nd Chronicles 20:21-22 where King Jehoshaphat sent singers and praisers before the armies of Israel. It does not say they were from Judah, nor does it say Judah was characterized as being singers or praisers. So we need to stay with what the scriptures say and avoid following the teachings of men who sometimes twist the meaning of the words to make them say things that are not there.

What we know from the scriptures Judah was instructed by the Lord to go first, ahead of the other tribes.

Now the sons of Israel arose, went up to Bethel, and inquired of God and said, “Who shall go up first for us to battle against the sons of Benjamin?” Then the LORD said, “Judah shall go up first.” (Judges 20:18)

Like a lion, Judah always gets the best portion. So much so that his eyes are dull from wine and his teeth are white from milk. This is another insight into the character of Judah.

Paul Keith Davis explained the Judah anointing this way:

This is the essence of it. The cloud is moving. The Lord told me in my experience, “The cloud is moving and those who are provoked, those who are moved, those who are stirred, I am going to give them something they need for this season in history. I am going to give them my lion-like nature, the lion-like nature of God, to deal with the anxiety and fear among My people.”

When Judah went behind the cloud, the lion-like nature of God went behind the cloud. It is what was given to those in Hebrews Chapter 11. It is imparted by God. It is something we do not possess of ourselves.

God is sending the Judah anointing on His people to rid them of all fears, anxieties, and panic attacks. Fear opens the door for the enemy to come in. Fear can have no place with the people of God. Through this anointing, end-time believers will rise up in boldness to proclaim the good news without fear, just like the apostles in the book of Acts.

The Issachar Anointing

Behind Judah is Issachar. The name Issachar means “there is a reward, wages, a payment, compensation.” Here is how Issachar got his name:

Then Leah (his mother) said, “God has given me my wages because I gave my maid to my husband.” So she named him Issachar. (Genesis 30:18)

However, the Issachar anointing is not defined by his name, but by the word spoken over him by his father. Here is what Jacob, Issachar’s father, said when he blessed him and prophesied over him:

“Issachar is a strong donkey, lying down between the ash heaps. When he saw that a resting place was good and that the land was pleasant, he bowed his shoulder to bear burdens, and became a slave at forced labor.” (Genesis 49:14-15)

So we see Issachar was the observant one, always taking note of his surroundings to find a pleasant place and a good resting place. Unfortunately for Issachar, his future would involve forced labor, but the main point here is his character trait of being watchful and attentive to his surroundings. He was aware and understood the events around him. Perhaps that is why God chose him to follow Judah as the second tribe when Israel moved behind the cloud.

Paul Keith Davis explained why we need the Issachar anointing:

God wants us to be anointed with the lion-like nature of God, but he also wants us to be anointed with eyes to see, ears to hear, and a heart to understand. He not only wants leaders to have understanding of times and seasons but he wants all of his people to have this understanding. He wants us to recognize the day in which we live.

Jesus rebuked the leaders of his day for their lack of awareness of their times. He told them they could tell the weather by the color of the sky at night to know whether it would be a good day or a bad day but they could not tell the day of their own visitation. We need the Issachar anointing to know what God is doing in the earth and how we fit into that plan. Where are we in the Scriptures? What is being fulfilled in our day? I believe the Issachar anointing is essential.

When this outpouring comes we are not going to look back, we’re going to look ahead because what we establish here will take us right into the millennium. So we need the Issachar anointing so that we understand where we are in relation to where we are going.

This remnant of end-time believers will have their eyes opened to see the bigger picture of what God is doing in the earth. They will see where their life fits into God’s plans for the great end-time harvest, which is worldwide. They will no longer rely on the secular news media to explain current events because God is going to give them insights and understanding by His spirit that the secular news media knows nothing about. This remnant will be tuned into another channel. Enabled by the Issachar anointing, they will be illuminated with understanding. When the world starts shaking with birth pangs and tribulation, these believers will be able to explain what is happening to others. In fact, they will have already seen the events before they happened.

The Zebulun Anointing

Behind Issachar is Zebulun. The name Zebulun means “exalted,” which means elevated or lifted up to a high place, glorious, and noble. This is the anointing to go into the high places to receive greater personal revelation of the Lord to be more firmly established in knowing the Lord.

Believers in these last days cannot rely on someone else’s faith or someone else’s revelation. Those who walk in the Zebulun anointing will have close personal knowledge of the Lord. They will dwell with Him. They will take the high ground and occupy it.

With this anointing, those who are hungry for more of God will be enabled to draw out hidden treasures from the word of God. God is going to impart revelation to this generation that was hidden from previous generations.

Paul Keith Davis explained why we need the Zebulun anointing:

The Zebulun anointing helps to establish the revelation of Jesus Christ in the hearts of a remnant of God’s people who will move from infancy into maturity. All of creation is waiting and groaning for the revelation of the mature sons of God (Romans 8:19). These are those who have received revelation on how to access their inheritance, which has been stored up in heaven throughout the ages but not released to the earth until now due to a lack of revelation.

By this anointing, a remnant of God’s people is going to taste the good word of God and the powers of the age to come (Hebrews 6:5). These pioneers will cross over into the age to come and bring the powers of that age back into our day. Like the Israelites who were sent to spy out the promised land, these forerunners will venture over into the land of promise and bring back a few of the grapes, the fruit of that land, and say, “Here it is! Here is what we are after. It is over there.”

They are going to contend for it. They are going to build for it. They are going to believe for it. They are going to move into that. They won’t have the fullness of it but they will have the tasting of it. Just a little taste of that realm will change a generation.

Because of the Zebulun anointing, these forerunners are going to cause eternity to overshadow our realm. They’re going to experience things that we may never have dreamed about. They’re going to taste amazing things like controlling nature and controlling the elements. The glory of this latter house will be greater than the former house. They’re going to usher in the millennium.

Also from Zebulun comes those who do warfare with the instrument of a scribe. In other words, those who write for the Lord (Judges 5:14). Personally, I like that because I do a lot of writing. Some translations interpret this verse to say “wield the staff of office,” which is ambiguous and not a very good translation of the Hebrew words.

ALL THREE ANOINTINGS COMBINED

Those who receive these anointings will not be limited to one but will have all three. They will be well equipped to carry out their end-time assignments as they operate in the boldness of Judah, the awareness of Issachar, and the revelation of Zebulun. They will therefore be well-equipped to fulfill God’s purpose for their life.

Just as the tribes of Israel worked together to do the will of God, so these three anointings will work together to enable this remnant of believers to do the will of God. In Deuteronomy 33:18-19 we see the prophetic decree that both Zebulun and Issachar will call peoples to come up to the mountain of the Lord. There they will offer righteous sacrifices. They will draw out the abundance of the seas and the hidden treasures of the sand. The abundance of the seas and the hidden treasures are both spiritual and literal treasures. In fact, in nearly every nation where Paul Keith Davis has delivered this message during the past two years the Lord has confirmed it with amazing discoveries of gold, silver, and diamonds soon after he left.

ANTIDOTE FOR OVERCOMING THREE EVIL SPIRITS

The Lord said to Paul Keith Davis, “These three anointings will be the antidote for three very serious spirits that will attempt in a very pronounced way to hinder the last day church.”

There are three spirits coming against the church in the last days. These three spirits work to undermine the foundations of faith and direct God’s people away from the source of their salvation. The Lord showed Paul Keith Davis these three spirits identified in Jude 1:11.

Woe to them! For they have gone the way of Cain, and for pay they have rushed headlong into the error of Balaam, and perished in the rebellion of Korah. These are the men who are hidden reefs in your love feasts when they feast with you without fear, caring for themselves; clouds without water, carried along by winds; autumn trees without fruit, doubly dead, uprooted; wild waves of the sea, casting up their own shame like foam; wandering stars, for whom the black darkness has been reserved forever. It was also about these men that Enoch, in the seventh generation from Adam, prophesied, saying, “Behold, the Lord came with many thousands of His holy ones, to execute judgment upon all, and to convict all the ungodly of all their ungodly deeds which they have done in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.” These are grumblers, finding fault, following after their own lusts; they speak arrogantly, flattering people for the sake of gaining an advantage. (Jude 1:11-16)

Like the three men listed in Jude 1:11, each of these three spirits has a distinctly different assignment against the end-time church.

  1. Cain represents a religious spirit, which is a spirit that takes on a form of godliness but denies the power of God. This spirit does not obey the commandments of the Lord but instead seeks to make its own rules for following God. It is an attempt to put God’s name on man’s lawlessness. It refuses to come to God through the doorway of faith but seeks to come by another way. This spirit attacks those who walk by faith. It seeks to silence them and even kill them if necessary. It is jealous of them in the same way that Cain was jealous of Able. It is the same spirit that was on the religious leaders of Jesus’ day. The jealousy ultimately leads to murder.
  2. The spirit of Balaam is the spirit of error. This spirit promotes false teachings as a way of putting a stumbling block in the path of the people of God. Jesus warned the church at Pergamum to repent from this spirit (Revelation 2:14). Jude 1:11 warns us to avoid the error of Balaam. Those who follow this spirit will go astray in the same way that Balaam went astray because he loved the wages of unrighteousness. This spirit operates in churches today in those who seek to merchandise the anointing for unrighteous profit, using the holy things of God as a means to make money for themselves. The spirit of Balaam is very much a 21st-century enemy of the gospel of Jesus Christ. God is going to deal with it in his church.
  3. The spirit of Korah is rebellion against God’s appointed leadership. Just as Korah rebelled against the leadership of Moses, this spirit stirs up rebellion against God’s anointed leaders. Ultimately, it seeks to overthrow God’s leaders if possible. This spirit does not fear the Lord or respect His leaders. It foolishly speaks vile things against leaders to anyone who will listen. It operates the opposite of David when he refused to say anything against King Saul even when Saul sought to kill him.

God already has a plan in place to deal with these evil spirits. Paul Keith Davis explained it as follows:

The Lord did not tell me that one of those anointings is against the other. We’re going to have three specific spirits (Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun) to prepare us for the Lord’s visitation. Preceding the coming of the ark, the Lord is going to release the standard of Judah, the lion-like nature of God, the understanding of times and seasons (Issachar), and the blessings of understanding God’s dwelling place (Zebulun). Then will come the ark of the covenant, whatever God wants that to look like. At the same time, it is going to be the antidote to the evil spirits sent to hinder us.

MY COMMENTS

From the scriptures in Numbers 10, I believe God gave Paul Keith the key to increase for God’s end-time army. I believe God was showing Paul Keith how to tap into true increase, not just increase in one area of our lives but in every area. He was showing him how to cross into the promised land and bring back fruits to show to those who have not yet entered. He was showing him how to tap into the powers of the age to come to usher in the new age of the millennial reign.

Numbers 10 provides the keys to unlocking that increase. The following list shows four lessons that the end-time church can learn from what God did with the Israelites:

  1. Wait on the cloud to move first. Do not move ahead of the cloud and do not get left behind after the cloud has moved. When the cloud moves it is time to move.
  2. Follow every detail of God’s instructions. God gave the Israelites different instructions for different situations, which included blowing the silver trumpets in some cases and sounding alarms in other cases (Numbers 10:1-10). Likewise, we must be careful to follow every detail of His instructions, which will be different for different situations.
  3. Whenever Israel went into a battle or moved their camp, God instructed them to move in a specific order behind the cloud so that Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun always moved ahead of the tabernacle. In the same way, God is equipping the end-time church with three anointings that will precede His return to the earth. These anointings have the same character traits as the three tribes. They give us the antidote that enables us to overcome the spirits of hell that try to hinder us. By receiving these anointings and walking in them, our victory over the schemes of the enemy is assured. Then we will say as Moses said, “Rise up, O Lord! And let your enemies be scattered, and let those who hate you flee before You.” (Numbers 10:35)
  4. Just as the presence of the Lord returned to the tabernacle after the Israelites moved, the end-time church will usher in the return of the Lord and the beginning of the millennial reign. As Moses said after the ark came to rest, “Return O Lord to the myriad thousands of Israel.” (Numbers 10:36)

Author: James Bailey

Continued in next post, Observations upon the 3 Anointings >

Paws-4-thought: Christian inheritance and the End-times church

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DSCF5621Upon closing the ‘conversation’ on Parliament’s rebellion against God’s creation of covenantal marriage, this thought dropped into mind: I’d now  gone FULL cycle in writing about Biblical prophecy for today. That is, in 2009 I’d noted where we were heading as indicated by holy scripture. Now, worldwide changes have brought humanity to the prophesied repetition of ‘The Days of Noah’.

So let’s pause to consider where the Body of Jesus Christ, His Church, is heading. (At our school cafe assembly the elders are pondering what the End-times Church will look like. We’re far from persuaded about theories of pre-Tribulation rapture on the grounds of all the scripture.) My purpose is purely to flag this topic for thought.

A personal peek at ‘the wood and not the trees’ will suffice to recap briefly.:

> visions in 1992 and 2004 of momentous changes to the Islamic World (see All Hail The Lamb) and within the UK (see Comments Upon Collapse of Society). The latter was checked and verified by Revd Dr Stone and revealed that, although the fabric of British society is so rotten it will tear, out of that will rise the Rock upon which Christians will take a stand and repair our nation.

> an insight upon the importance of keeping our focus upon the future marriage of the Bride to the Lamb/Lion of God, Jesus Christ, as in Revelation 21-22.

> recent reminder of a quotation in book I’d read as a new believer. This had arisen out of comments from a non-believer on Godandpolitics blog, and for which confirmation was soon to come – twice! – as follows:

Lightning-1The last point arose at the start of the WordPress problems for UK bloggers, and which prevented my replying. I recalled what John Widdas and Peter Mockford wrote in 1993 about learning how to deal with demonic attacks against church congregations (see left). One of the hardest comments they heard whilst writing their book was made by,

‘…someone coming out of satanism: “The Church is powerless, because they do not live in their inheritance”!‘ (at page 170)

Immediately I recognised its truth from decades spent in the enemy’s camp of the New Age/occult (as here).

From my experience, this situation has arisen because Christians had neglected doing what Jesus commanded; for example, to love one another as He loves them (John 13 & 15), failing to do greater works than He’d done, as stated in John 14:

 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.  

No. 1 –  The next week we saw Nathan Morris preaching at the first session of Open the Heavens Conference in Mobile. He spoke about the full inheritance in Christ every believer has but doesn’t receive and keep up, or else compromises and thereby loses. In his full-throttle passion and fire Nathan staked his claim to that inheritance on four principles – he even had large T-shaped stakes painted white with signs at the top, as follows:

+ SALVATION + WORD + HOLY SPIRIT + RIGHTEOUSNESS

The next morning at the Well Church, the young worship leader opened by saying he wanted to, “Stake my claim to our inheritance”!!  Nina and I just couldn’t help but chuckle. Worship took straight off >> heaven bound. What followed was personal for practically everyone – which is as it should always be.

No. 2 – Early this week came a link to Paul Keith Davis’ teaching with revelation on Three Anointings Coming to End-time Believers

The notes which come with it by James Bailey are helpful. (He too blogs on how current events relate to scripture at Z3news (ie. ‘zee’ as Americans say, not ‘zed’ as Brits say). It would be hard for me to do justice to this profound paper.

Paul Keith DavisPaul Keith tells of having a vision about chapter 10 of the Old Testament book of Numbers and the meaning for the church of the three tribes of Israel – Judah, Issachar and Zebulun –  as it moves into the ‘new season’. That scripture, writes James, ‘shows four lessons the End-time church can learn from what God did for the ancient Israelites’.

In connection with my musings I notice this pertinent remark by Paul Keith about the anointing of Zebulun:

These are those who have received revelation on how to access their inheritance, which has been stored up in heaven throughout the ages but not released to the earth until now due to a lack of revelation.

Additionally, the Lord explained to Paul Keith those anointings will be the antidote against three very dangerous spirits (per Jude 1) that will seek to strongly hinder the last days’ church. From the descriptions given, that they are obviously at work already is yet another sign we have entered the End-times.

Their aim is to ‘undermine the foundations of faith and direct God’s people away from the source of their salvation’ > NB: Nathan’s first ‘stake’.

The whole message is an exciting and very rich treasure for those who seek to move deeper into our Lord Jesus Christ. To read it click here >