This title is ‘puzzle’ theme number ‘8’, which I challenged readers to ascertain from an ‘invisible jigsaw’.

It refers to the dichotomy between the old and new elements within the full spectrum of the Church’s traditional, evangelical and charismatic styles. This ‘Babylonian aspect’ also means many churches and believers may not desire to move into the new era, or new season, prophesied in recent years – which is already happening. Note that ‘new’ is not what many secularists may surmise!

I trust all will become plain as I explain.

Also, we’ll find that a weekday conjecture was to become weekend confirmation!

‘Theme 8’ is inherent in the data, or stylised ‘jigsaw pieces’, of detailed prophetic words that were separately brought on opposite ‘sides of the pond’ by Dr Sharon Stone and Revd John Kilpatrick. Although I’d sensed it whilst musing upon An Invitation to the Threshing Floor it’s fitting for this theme to be logged with Paws 4 Thought because that’s when it opened up.  Also, as stated, those were very brief first thoughts for I was getting a sense of timing, a ‘kairos’ moment, from what Sharon brought. And that’s only to be expected with the gift of prophecy.

The ‘pause for thought’ gave some background about the priest Ezra because Sharon had opened by referring to the 4th chapter of his Old Testament book. On that Tuesday I’d read about Ezra in a primer on Hebrew and decided to share some information. In fact, upon reflecting upon the Threshing Floor Invitation, I had a sense of how what had happened in those days, over 2,500 years ago, is also applicable today!

It’s as though a gigantic cycle has gone around, not in a repetitive way but like a spiral. This allows for advancement through lessons learned and what’s to be achieved as well as the differences between the ancient Hebrews and modern Christians. I’m of the opinion time proceeds not in a linear fashion but like a slowly turning corkscrew that opens and closes events.

It all needed mulling over with the Lord. So I wrote a brief bit, intending to write more fully later. I nearly did so a couple of days later, the Thursday, but instead drafted thoughts on the perceived threads linking several topics I’d just blogged about.

Double Aspect to Ezra

Writing about Ezra’s major contribution in producing the early Bible, I was struck by his double relevance to today’s ‘new era’ for the Church. It seems directly related to the historic return of the people of God from captivity in Babylon to Jerusalem. Here’s Sharon’s opening words:

“In Ezra 4 we see a resistance to the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem.  We have been in that “season of hindrance”. Thank God we are now coming out!

“There is a New Generation that is now leaving captivity into ruling with the manifestation of the power of God (signs and wonders).  Abraham, Issac and Jacob are the generations leaving captivity.  This is not just one age group…”

These words cover both aspects of ‘hindrance’ connected with the Exile. That of being deported and held in captivity, and that of being prevented from building when released home. Let’s take a brief historical detour.:

Towards the close of the Jews’ 70 years exile the Persian king Cyrus, conqueror of the Babylonian empire, was directly inspired by God to issue an edict. This permitted the exiles to return in 538 BC and rebuild the destroyed city and temple of Jerusalem.

The first returning group under Zerubbabel began work but, although started, rebuilding the Temple was delayed because of local opposition. It got under way when God raised up the prophetic ministries of Zecharia and Haggai to inspire and direct the work. NB: Ezra 5 clearly indicates the importance the Lord attaches to the prophetic office, and thus implies its fundamental necessity in this new era of the Church.

Almost 60 years after the first group, Ezra himself returned with the next lot to bring more funds and valuables from King Artaxerxes to enhance the Temple worship. Commissioned by the king, Ezra appointed leaders and he began a reforming spiritual leadership to re-establish the place of the Books and the Law, now written in a new alphabet.

So, Sharon opens our Invitation to the Threshing Floor for the anticipated harvest of souls by referring to believers having come out of a ‘season of hindrance’. This is corroborated by John Kilpatrick’s ‘video word’ on Redefinement, the first part of which is about believers being released from bondage! [This word came to him upon waking in mid-February and was published the Friday after my own musings.]

The Invitation continues, not with reference to the rebuilt Temple, but to its foundation over 400 years earlier!  This is to connect spiritually with the original site of the location of the altar for the first Temple built by David and Solomon.

Therefore, I submit there are two significant and gigantic spiritual ‘opposites’ in our invitation, both of which relate to Ezra’s foundational activity.

JERUSALEM: Ezra’s compiling existing books and writing them in a new alphabet signifies today’s necessity of a better appreciation of and deeper revelations into the canon of both Testaments (and perhaps even the Apocrypha?).

That is, we may expect a revelatory empowerment of Spirit and Word to manifest and not only re-invigorate the Church but also empower us to do what Jesus did, especially the ‘greater works’ He promised (John 14:12). This will be obvious to the ‘New Generation’ of believers, and necessarily so,

For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.   [Hebrews 4:12]

This is clearly implicit to The Invitation because it doesn’t just dwell upon the rebuilding and renewing our belief at a much higher level.  It brings our focus right back to when the Lord instructed where the ‘Holy of Holies’ should be located – the threshing floor of the Jebusite Ornan on Mount Moriah, reputed to be where Abraham offered up Isaac. This is where king David was required to establish a house for His Presence.

Therefore, as the Jews went back to the centre of their belief and life, so too are Christians now required to go back to the very centre of ours – to Jesus and His Words. But more than that, in re-turning to Him in person it needs be devoid of Churchianity!  It also means we will have access to heavenly realms and see our Father as Jesus did.

It is a getting back to base: scripture and Saviour. Also, to preparing for when the Bride will be full of the Holy Spirit so the New Jerusalem will manifest on earth (Rev 21 and 22).

BABYLON: Many Jews remained in Babylonian territory because of their accustomed prosperity and the uncertain prospects in a poorer land, of which they probably had only dim memories. They weren’t slaves but had favour with the king and influence in the land. Is that not like too many modern church institutions and ministries?

They’re not fully focused upon the author and perfector of our faith, much less open to Holy Spirit’s presence. Some are even in bed with false doctrine and reprobate worldly values!

Consequently, I disagree with Bible scholars who interpret ‘Babylon the Great’ as meaning the Roman Catholic Church alone.

‘Babylon’ is synonymous with ‘confusion’ especially of a spiritual nature. Jane Hamon in The Cyrus Decree writes,

Every idolatrous system of this earth, every spirit of false religion, every occult form of power had its beginnings in Babylon. The city of Babylon was built upon the foundations of rebellion against God: pride, independence and humanism (the belief that man is God).

Therefore, the Babylonian aspect of the ‘new era’ in the Church’s history represents the world’s influence upon those parts of the wider church that have deserted their ‘first love’, Jesus Christ, and taken on board the non-values of a decadent and immoral society.

Consequently, the prophetic invitation to God’s Threshing Floor indicates a distinct winnowing, a sifting, a separating out of the ‘Babylonian’ church married as a spiritual adulteress to the world, and the Bridal ‘remnant’ who’s focussed upon Jesus.

Previous Prophecies

As recounted in 5 years Ago Today: the End-game is Now in Play, my first writing upon End-times referred to,

“my previous remarks about a sifting of the Church – in preparation for a rapid ‘sHifting’?”

So I had that in mind during my first reflections upon the Threshing Floor Invitation, as well as chapters 18 and 19 of The Apocalypse of John (Book of Revelation) foretelling the downfall of ‘Babylon the Great’, which is described as a ‘harlot’.

Also, I recalled that after launching the Prophecies hub of this blog I found a prophetic word from 1992 about that entity’s existence within the Church, as recounted by Colin Winfield in The Separation of the Bride and the Harlot.

Concluding Confirmation

The above musings were confirmed within days on the Sunday with what John Kilpatrick brought under a strong anointing. Teaching upon ‘Season of suddenlies’, he prophesied that God’s redefining of churches involves “a shifting“. This will result in a radical difference between the two kinds of believers and churches – in my terms, those in worldly ‘Babylon’ and the ‘New Era’ Spirit-led ‘remnant’.

That separation and shifting is happening NOW!

Theme 9

Details of this theme will follow soon. The blog listing shows it in parenthesis because it’s a very personal connection. Together with its proceeding blogs, I was amazed that it’s even more astonishing than the weird mix-up over the blog’s second anniversary.

Reading that Nov ’13 post and it’s follow up will prepare you for theme 9, but let me tease you to just wait a while…

There’s much to ponder deeply my friends.

Postscript:

Revisiting Colin Winfield’s website I noticed the latest; 2014 Consecration with an accompanying file Thoughts at the Beginning of 2014. The last is supportive of my contention above, as in the following which bear my emphases, but please read the whole piece for yourself:

‘As we look at that which goes by the name of ʻChurchʼ we cannot see many who are hearing the Lord, or if they are, they so often wrongly interpret what is being said, or apply to others what really is Godʼs word to themselves. Most are still following their traditions and what they have known in the past. Men still consider men to be their leaders when Jesus said that only Christ was to be their Leader. Man is following ʻmanʼ and not the Lord. The true sons, those who are led by the Spirit, are hard to find….

‘What is necessary is to move to higher ground and gain the life of Christ. It is not only that direct relationship with Jesus we need but also that close fellowship with our Heavenly Father….

‘The call is to come unto the Lord Jesus Christ and be separated unto Him, and Him alone. Let us flee to the mountain, that secure place of being hid in the very life and nature of the Lord Jesus Christ. The time has come for judgement to begin with the household of God. We are the temple of God (1Cor.3:16 and 2Cor. 6:16) and the Lord is already cleansing His temple…

‘The warnings have been sounding for many years as Pentecost was coming to its end. But let us recognise the door has closed on that period of church history and let us look towards the soon coming Feast of Tabernacles, that place of fulness the whole Church must enter…’

PPS: If references to Jewish Feasts surprise you then I recommend learning about their relevance to the Church on Colin’s website or in John Kilpatrick’s four in-depth sessions on The Feasts of The Lord – Recognising God’s Appointed Times.

[Puzzle in Sky by Idea Go is by courtesy of Freedigitalphotos.net]