So what does Jesus look like?

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:

Father, let Your Kingdom come!

The following email submitted details of a dream that had been weighed by the senior leaders of Winchester Vineyard Church and forwarded to Christen Forster, organiser of the Revival Alliance Gathering.

A number of elements in that dream, which happened concurrently with the event, are related not only to foundational scriptures for lead-in prophecies given in November 2010 but also to activities in the heavenlies at the time of the Gathering, as well as possibly indicating what may be about to happen soon in the UK.

Christen agreed to the dream being posted upon the Revival Alliance Gathering website as Feedback under Prophecies & Testimonials.  [2016 update: links no longer available but details may be read in the update below.]

Here’s the full email:

Email to Christen Forster,  Monday, September 19, 2011                                          Subject: Revival Alliance Gathering, Westminster, London 1-3 Sept 2011

YOUR KINGDOM COME
Nina and I had booked early for the Gathering but were unable to attend. Yet I’m grateful the Lord gave the following on Saturday before the day’s meetings started:

Sat 3 Sept:                                                                                                                     

We are in an open-plan, modern office environment overlooking a town centre. Upon glancing out of one side’s extensive windows I’m amazed to see a large white cube flying very low over nearby buildings! (It’s about the size of a Hercules transport plane.) Watching, I see a few more similar cubes follow and fan out in different directions.

Then I go to look from a different quarter’s aspect to see where they’re coming from and am surprised this view is from a much higher floor and looking over a different location! I notice a couple of cubes hover and discharge some cargo, which floats down to settle on the ground – rather as furniture vans deposit items outside a house.

However, I’m seeing into a room being set up, as though the building itself is invisible! A large wooden table and its several chairs are already there as white porcelain bathroom furnishings descend, but remain hanging in space!

In a flash I understand what’s happening and, without thinking, hear myself comment aloud, “They’re setting up The Kingdom!”

Someone else watching disparagingly quips, “Oh, that’s your perspective”.

Again I’m surprised by my immediate, unconscious retort, “I studied perception at Uni!” (ie. in physics and in psychology, and am thus making a well-informed comment.)

A sudden urgency comes upon me to dash home with this news. Jumping into a car I find my normal route out of the building diverted and a huge vehicle tries to collide with me. Dodging it I drive up a slip road onto a choked road but find this very basic car becomes seriously under-powered.

So I get out to walk yet find all hard paving has turned into lush green grass of wide-open meadows. The congested road’s gone and I’m sliding down a well-worn grass bank to then run, or move, much faster than I can really run across an extensive area. I head a few dozen feet above the land, as though in a glider, and some very large object or person rushes from the left to block my path. Totally unfazed, I deliberately collide into it and it smashes into oblivion without halting or affecting my movement.

On the nearby horizon an unusual low building looms into view but, as I approach this destination, the alarm clock goes off!!

An initial interpretation came with great excitement in view of several revival meetings this month. I believe the Lord gave the above heading for my note of this lucid dream.

All this needed weighing BUT I didn’t expect confirmation and more insights not only in connection with the Gathering itself but also with the prophetic word reported at the Gathering’s Inception Meeting in Nov 2010!

Sun 4 Sept:

At Winchester Vineyard Church’s briefing on Sunday evening one of the attendees described the repentance of leaders at the Gathering. My spirit leapt in knowing this connected into that dream’s bathroom furnishing! (It’s symbolic of cleansing through repentance and forgiveness.)

In the dream, the bathroom appeared after table and chairs were already in place, which may mean a meeting place with purpose and authority. Then came a personal insight spoken as though from Holy Spirit, indicating only those open to Him can perceive and understand the Kingdom. Also, whatever is being set up is not within an obvious structure but fully exposed to those with ‘eyes to see’. (Perhaps, church ‘outside the walls’?)

Only later did I realise why the dream is directly connected to the Gathering. That’s because the setting was in two offices in separate locations (Reading and Croydon) where I’d worked and which came under the authority of central Dept of Environment, then located in Marsham St, as is Emmanuel Church!  [The venue for the Gathering.]

Thus, I believe the dream’s meaning is relevant to the Revival Alliance Gathering being held in Emmanuel Church and to its proceeding out into the wider Church.

Incidentally, having noted the dream under the header ‘Your Kingdom Come’, I later learned that’s the same title of the following week’s healing service in Winchester led by the Gathering’s member absent in the Ukraine – Randy Clark!

Mon 5 Sept:                                                                                                        

Happened to ‘google’ Revival Alliance and discovered website about the Gathering and read its Inception Meeting’s Report and the associated prophetic word.  I was struck especially by the latter’s,

‘It is time to build a house for me to dwell in, God who even the heavens cannot contain, will dwell in a house whose walls are the Holy Spirit’.

That’s a near description of what was in the dream, for I could see as though through invisible walls into rooms. Even so, there was a definite sense of some kind of structure without my being able to ascertain its nature. Could this indicate the invisible power and work of Holy Spirit?

However, upon checking the quoted reference to Ezekiel 42:15-19 (details of the prophet’s vision of the temple) the translations to hand imply that the walls will be material, not immaterial. YET, the dream truly fits the scripture because, as Christen Forster explained to me: “ … in those verses you will see the word “side” (as in the King James), but the word is actually “ruach”, which is wind, spirit or breath. As the winds traditionally had four directions it has been made into “sides” in English. But more literally it says, “he measured the east wind” … hence Spirit.” [It is Strong’s number 7307, which cannot be construed as ‘wall’.]

A second item from the Report is suggestive of the dream’s closing half. It’s Tim Eldridge’s reference to Paul Revere’s preparation to alert an alliance and, hence, the urgency of spreading the news at top speed – his renowned Ride into American history

Thurs 8 Sept:                                                                                                              

Then came an intriguing connection to the 14 years break in revival activities in UK, and when re-starting work on the Temple in Jerusalem, as referred to in the Report and at the Gathering.

The Lord prompted me to dig into my library for a book, The Heart of The Temple.  Quickly, I spotted in the Foreword’s first page (by Jennifer Rees Larcombe):

“How did this passion for the Temple begin for you?”

“The seed was planted in my heart fourteen years ago”, she replied!!

PS: where else have we read about fourteen years? It was the period Apostle Paul spent in preparation before his missionary trips to the Gentiles (see Gal 1:11-2:2).

UPDATE 18 DEC 2017

In view of the original 2011 links’ non-functionality, I copied my papers onto this blog’s Prophecy Library, amending all entries accordingly. The Library summarises events as follows:

Sep’11 – RB dream: “They’re setting up the Kingdom!” and urgent release of its news, as recounted in ‘Father, Your Kingdom Come’.  See also October 2011 email Acceleration in Kingdom Activity. [A similar powerful dream of how mantles of anointing are becoming available from the Kingdom came to Revd Bob Mazeroski of New Life Church, Weirton, W Virginia in 2014, as reported here.  Full details in 5th Anniversary (2016) post follows resonant words and 2009’s “ALL about to be fulfilled” word in Pivotal Prophecies Now Coming Into Play. Dream confirmed in theme, location and timing.]

Bill J Credit BethelSep’11 – Bill Johnson: at the first Revival Alliance Gathering in the UK declared ,“We would look back at 1st Sept 2011 as the day things changed in the UK.” David Pike’s replete record in  Diebach-Welldigger’s Revival Alliance Meetings in Westminster  notes Bill then said it might take time for the impact of this day to be seen and felt across the nation, but gradually it would come. In his library of ‘Revival Prophecies for the British Isles’, Chris Welch noted him as saying, “There’s something about September 1st. I believe you can write it down…‘Everything changed September 1st 2011’….understand that a Kingdom perspective sees the oak tree as an acorn…I feel like it’s a prophetic word over this country: September 1st everything’s different.”

Sep’11 – Christen Forster: a Gathering organiser later reported Che Ahn had told him that, in all the time working with him, he’s rarely heard Bill make an apostolic pronouncement of such a kind. Christen wrote, ‘Bill’s prophetic word in September was a declaration of the start of the new day, the new wave, the new season. The wells don’t need unblocking any more, the water is flowing, we just need to carry their life and refreshment into the dry places. And every week I hear stories that confirm that word.’

RELATED READING:

3 validations point to 2012-13 : part 3 of ‘Death or Destiny?’

A little time was needed to gain a fuller understanding of that awesome visitation – the absolute holiness of the Lord Jesus Christ in contrast to my personal sinful nature. No wonder I expected to die and was convicted of my sin!

That encounter used two very personal aspects of my life to grab my attention, thereby validating the experience as real, not an imaginary one. Even more amazingly, both validations are directly related to the 1st and 2nd Advents!  Thus, they couldn’t fail to enhance my interest in End-Times and which had been launched a few years years earlier by The Invisible Hand (see herein).

The First Advent was the time when Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem of Judea about two thousand years ago. Hence, the four weeks leading into Christmas are designated within the church calendar as Advent, and which start the church year.

The Second Advent is coming soon and is expected to commence in Jerusalem.

First Validation

I inwardly ‘knew’ the heavenly visitor was indeed Jesus, and that the impressive action was a foretaste of his promised return, when He will come in all His power and glory.

The event reminded me of my favourite picture in mother’s Missal, or service book of the Roman Mass.  This gave the content of every Sunday service throughout the year with a diagram symbolising the theme for each service.  As a boy keen on astronomy I’d been fascinated by the picture for First Sunday in Advent. This depicted Jesus standing on the clouds over a burning earth in the midst of sun, moon and falling stars, indicative of events before his Second Advent!

The confirmation referred to above came almost as unusually. On a healing retreat years later, a minister told me God would show me something after lunch. Indeed, after lunch a stranger who’d been seated at my table confided that the Lord told her to show me something she greatly treasured.

christinclouds-lrgIt was a photo taken, it was claimed, from an aircraft over a thunderstorm. When developed, the photo bore an image of Jesus Christ, as though standing within clouds. However, the facial features were hazy, not defined. It was exactly like Jesus in my dream for I had  not seen His face.  (I recall dark, hazy clouds at the foot of the image. This one is published by Bible Probe.)

Upon seeing this photo my legs gave way – I couldn’t stand but fell into a nearby chair! My companion said I went so white she thought I was going to faint or fall.

Yet, just how did a stranger know to show me this photo?  I’d not divulged such a personal dream – she simply said, “It’s the Lord’s doing”.

Second Validation

I was puzzled over the closing element of the dream-event, that is:  upon my reaching towards Jesus’ feet to grasp his robe, it turned into the branch of a Christmas tree!  So, when I tugged, a Christmas tree toppled over and its fairy fell off and onto the floor.

Weird?  Not really, because that spot by the window was where the family Christmas tree used to be erected. It was a corner closely associated with Christmas.

As a devout Catholic, my mother had told me about Jesus from an early age. When I painted pictures I would put a blue stripe at the top of outdoor scenes to represent heaven, as children did. But I’d also draw a Christmas tree in heaven as being Jesus.

Why? Not only had I associated all the wonder of Christmas with his birthday but I also heard an actor  on TV mention his name whilst looking at a small fir tree. So in my childish way I took the actor at his word and would draw Jesus as a Christmas tree.  Hence, the dream changed him to match that image.

At its close, therefore, the dream-event signified the time had come to put away not only childish misconceptions but also all false teachings and replace them with absolute truth – the one who is the Truth in person.

Truly, the most fantastic Christmas present ever – one that’s daily an ever-present encouragement and help in every time of need, no matter how dire. Thank you Lord.

These events started in 1989 and culminated in 1995 with its prime confirmation. Yet more was to come!  Sixteen years later upon revisiting this story for the purposes of this blog, I was surprised by a couple more insights that dropped unbidden into mind. One was tantalising: could the street number of my childhood home (212) possibly be significant in pointing toward the coming year? That is, to 2012!  

Could that notion be true?  Such musing would be confirmed in a fascinating numerical manner at 2012’s first Christian conference we were to attend…Upon our arrival at the venue I was curious about distance driven from home. The car’s odometer was ‘212’ miles!

Third Validation (updated Dec 2013)

Once again, timing proves crucial in presenting another objective confirmation!  Again, had I not been writing about the visitation I would have missed the crucial linkage!

Whilst writing instalments of My Journey Into Freedom I inserted a report on something pertinent that happened at that time in the USA. This came as a ‘new revelatory word’ from the Lord to Revd John Kilpatrick and began at 2:22am. This too, is very interesting on two counts. Numerically, because my birthday falls on a 22nd. Orally, because that word is directly relevant to my dream visitation in referring to the angelic host as well as in closing with Luke 21:28, namely:

But when these things begin to come to pass, look up, lift up your heads, because your redemption is at hand.

My mother’s Missal for the First Sunday of Advent is shown below and notice how the scripture on page 69 links into my personal visitation and what pastor John brought.

[Click to enlarge]

1stSundayAdvent

It’s amusing that the number of hits on this blog passed the 212,000 mark within days of the 4th anniversary of its launch on 21st November 2015.

So a huge thank you goes to every subscriber and regular reader, as well as all visitors – Richard

To find out what happened after the encounter read Rescued from Satan by the Lord of Hosts.

Further reading:

The Heavenly Visitor – part 2 of ‘Death or Destiny?’

That night’s second visit was far more challenging than polite Peter’s chat –  this time it was life or death!

I went back in time – not in this blog’s ‘time machine’ but in a most unusual dream. One so lucid that, over twenty years later, it remains vividly etched within me. So it must be exceptionally significant.  Come back with me to the night of 13-14th September 1989:

I find myself in the lounge of my childhood home and in front of the large casement window abutting one corner of the room.  I look up into the inky, dark night sky.

A small flotilla of large, wingless aircraft drifts slowly across from left to right at high altitude and I groan, “Oh…not that flying saucer nonsense. I must be dreaming!”  (Occasionally in dreams I’d be aware of dreaming and could change the scenario.)

I’m sceptical about the existence of UFO’s, but now another ‘fleet’ appears from the right and heads towards the first.

Now, the dream changes gear (rather, goes up a level) from the normal mixture of mental material > to that of absolutely convincing lucidity:

The ‘light goes on’!  In my ‘knower’, I realise the first fleet is demonic and the second is masses of angels under the command of Jesus Christ. (I did not believe in them, and regarded Jesus as one of many world teachers – I didn’t know Jesus appeared as the commander of the Lord’s host, or angels, to Joshua when outside Jericho. Here, I cannot see any individuals but have inner knowledge of the situation.)

I think I’m about to watch an amazing heavenly battle…but…OH NO!  Somehow, I now know Jesus has espied me far down below and is coming down directly towards me!

All I see is a distant bright light very rapidly getting brighter and larger as it drops down to my location, just like an airliner approaching a runway to land at night. 

Instantly, I realise my life has been one of sin that contrasts starkly against Jesus’ own holiness. Right away I realise what’s claimed about the Judgement is true – but mine is about to happen right now!

Beyond any doubt I realise my involvement in the occult was most definitely wrong. Consequently, I deserve the undesirable abode!

“My number’s up!” I groan, inwardly trembling in knowing I’m about to die at any moment and an invisible trapdoor I’m standing on will drop me straight into hell.

Uttermost mortal terror strikes and I dive right under the drop-leaf table in the other  corner of the room to hide from Jesus. But he knows where I’m hiding and swoops down straight through the wall at the side of the window to stand in my room and right beside the table!

Cowering under the table with my back turned towards him, I glance over my shoulder and see him from the waist down, his face out of sight above the table.

Most unexpectedly, somehow I have the courage to reach my hand out backwards to grab at the hem of Jesus’ robe…

>> As I tug, the event goes into yet another level of revelation regarding my childhood…Then I awake! Thoroughly alert, further sleep eludes me!

The event reminds me of an evocative small picture that impressed me as a child – the return of Jesus Christ:

2ndAdventDiagm

Later I understand that my terror had been ‘the fear of God’ brought through his Holy Spirit in convicting me of my personal sinfulness (ie. wrongdoing) and, thus, preparing me to receive God’s grace (ie. undeserved favour).

Also,  what happened when I touched Jesus proves he’s intimately acquainted with the private details of my thoughts as a little boy.  The last moments of the dream show he will topple my childish concepts of him and thus hint at his replacing them with a sure knowledge of his true identity.

The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love” (Psalm 111). Mercifully, he plucked me from the domain of darkness to bring me into his own and receive its blessings. I deserved none of that. Truly, Amazing Grace – how awesome and wonderful..!

As a result of the most remarkable dream I’d ever had, I carefully reconsidered all my New Age notions. Meditational and mystical exercises had resulted in my having some unusual, ‘psychic’ dreams, but none whatsoever like this one.

The only remotely similar dream was that of an ‘altered’ state of consciousness known as ‘nirvana’, or bliss, where I’d been taken behind its alluring golden light.  However, ecstasy then turned to abject terror at the sight of an approaching hideous, devouring beast of blackness far worse than any nightmare!  (I didn’t take drugs.)  In this dream, however, fear had been overcome by Jesus himself and his wonderful mercy and love – and pervasive peace.

Confirmation that the event was real would come from a totally unexpected source…

Acceleration in Kingdom activity: part 1

COPY of pre-blog email (as in ‘About’):

Dear Friends – am breaking into our usual long-weekend of cyber-silence because of what happened last night.

After awaking I told Nina about two consecutive dreams which left me very excited (who me?) over rapid and imminent changes about to happen in the Church and for advancing The Kingdom. I was saving some of my understanding for afterwards, but from my brief opening description Nina immediately understood – and thereby confirmed – that it includes whatever will happen during and as consequence of tomorrow morning’s service in Mobile, Alabama. How will that affect UK? I don’t know for sure, but our on-fire revivalist from Rotherham, Nathan Morris, will be there once again now he’s at last got an extended visa.

Hopefully, you may be able to set aside a couple of hours at 4.30 tomorrow (Sunday) afternoon to watch.  If not, it will be available later on video via that site’s Media tab. A fortnight ago we heard pastor John Kilpatrick teach some important aspects of using personal prophecy in standing against the adversary.

This morning the excitement of what was going on woke me up! But the Lord blessed me with its continuance when I eventually got back to sleep. That both dreams are not simply personal but relate to a higher level is evident not only from their content but also because they’re in sequence with a similar one of a month ago. After bouncing that earlier dream off a few friends it became clear it was connected to the Revival Alliance Gathering that was being held that day in London. This was accepted by the organiser, who’d had a prophetic word a year earlier and which gave the confirming scripture to the dream’s theme!!

All very exciting – especially as his post-event reflections tie into what I wrote after a conference held by the same groups in Winchester (see Revival: Glory Stories)!

Please take the time to read my account Your Kingdom Come’ and about the event’s Inception with earlier scriptural details and prophetic words.

ALL THREE dreams closed with Holy Spirit-filled energy, leaving me with a deep sense of urgency over how the Lord may be going to move here in the UK.

May you each be blessed with a revelation of what our Lord is up to and wants us to do.

Click to read Part 2 >>

Comments upon the collapse of Society and my vision of Britain

Extract from pre-blog email circulated on Thursday 18 August 2011
Subject: Comments upon Word received through Dr Sharon Stone

Dear Friends,  Further to circulating a word received through Lance Lambert on the eve of the London Riots (see email 9 August) and Dr Sharon’s insights 12 August (original email and link n/a but amended Oct 2016), I was reminded Billy Graham’s grandson is coming to stir the youth of Britain in late September.

(HA! Only after having inserted that line to precede my comments written below, have I  just noticed its title, Will Graham Set to Rock the UK, alludes exactly to the climax of the event I’m writing about….)

Personally, I’m encouraged that this word (through Revd Dr Stone) confirms the gist of a large open vision about 10 foot in front of me, that came at the opening of worship at the start of a conference in St Albans in October 2004. [Note: blue text copied from original email.]

“Before me I ‘saw’ a map of Britain surrounded by the sea, as though painted on rotten sacking – like old, wet coal-sacks I saw in my youth. It seemed the Lord was saying the fabric of our nation’s so rotten He could tear it apart so easily. 

This ‘map’ then began to rip apart in the middle, from about the line of Hadian’s Wall down along the line of the Pennine chain to the Midlands, and I sensed the Lord say, “I’m going to put the backbone back in Britain”. (I recalled that the Pennines are known as the spine of England.)

But out of the tear arose a very long rock, which I understood as meaning the Lord would restore our strong, spiritual backbone when we stand upon Him, The Rock.”

[Previously I’d noted, ‘Could the Lord be allowing increased persecutions here for the purpose of putting the spine back into Christians and making us stand up strongly?’… And Parliament has since been, and continues to be, thoroughly shaken and ripped open – do it to the media and elsewhere, Lord…Did you know that mounted, body-armoured police in Manchester interrogated a street preacher just because he was inviting people to an Easter service? Next, a hate-crimes unit visited him at home!!!]

“It wasn’t so much the unexpected and unbidden nature of the event that startled me. It was because I thought I heard the Lord say that He would rip the nation apart as easily as an old sack because of its rotten nature!!  That troubled me for I considered such to be contrary to his loving nature. 

But NT scriptures do speak of judgement and He gives many repeated warnings of such impending action (eg. as given this month through Lance Lambert).  Yet, we must plead His remembrance of mercy and of Jesus’ sacrifice, through which comes the fullness of true blessing.  All rather a profound mystery.  Also, let’s not forget that the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD (Isaiah 11.2) were aspects of the Holy Spirit prophesied for the descendant of King David’s father Jesse: Jesus Christ.”

NB > the vision was subsequently offered to the church leaders at the conference for weighing yet without any response! However, upon our attending a prophecy school of three levels classes the next year at Bath, we ‘plumped’ for the masterclass led by Dr Stone. In the practical part I spoke of what I’d seen and she immediately agreed its validity.

2016 Confirmation: see Britain: Reformation Is Coming With Far Greater Glory

Not many people know…

CONTINUATION of pre-blog email Touching Turkey:

Now all this prefaced John’s talk ‘Eyes to See and Ears to Hear’ (Matt 13) in which he spoke about the Church’s deliberate choice of being either blinkered or able to see and understand what the Lord is doing and moving us into.  He hinted that this may explain why so many believers find it hard to appreciate what happens during visitations of the Lord, for example in Argentina, at Toronto, Pensacola, Lakeland, Mobile etc.

Did you know that the Holy Spirit-led Argentinian revival and the ‘Toronto Blessing’ have borne fruit in the Islamic world?  This oft-ignored impact has come mainly through those revivals’ associated ministries of:

> Norwegian LH made many secret missions into Pakistan where hundreds of thousands, if not now over a million Muslims, have come to faith in Jesus.

> Rolland and Heidi Baker, founders of Iris Ministries in Mozambique, through whom Muslim provinces have converted to Christ in response to their uncompromising approach.  On her visits there, Heidi would challenge them to, “Bring out your demon-possessed, your blind, deaf and lame”, whence all get healed by and encounter Jesus’ love direct.

When I discussed with Rolland a vision of Holy Spirit’s fire sweeping up Eastern Africa and across the Sinai into the Middle East (here), he told me about a strategists’ report from the highest Islamic centre of Al Azhar University, Cairo.  A discussion heard on Arabic TV stated the report’s goals of achieving a global caliphate were well on the way to being achieved BUT with the exception of Africa because of this ministry’s mission, where mosques have become churches!

Praise you, and lots, lots more Lord!

Visitation of Jesus to the Arab nations

COPY of pre-blog email (as in ‘About’).:

Dear Friends,

Have received God TV’s letter for June which announces their focus upon events in the Middle East and which will especially focus upon the extraordinary work of Canon Andrew White, the ‘Vicar of Baghdad’.  Transmission is scheduled for 9-12 June, should you want to watch these programmes.

Furthermore, I’d draw your special attention to the attached prophetic word about the Arab nations. It was first published in Journal of the Unknown Prophet, which bears the following wholehearted recommendation of Colin Dye, pastor of Kensington Temple:

‘The Journal carries the distinctive ring of a genuine prophetic word of our times’.

This word, and many more, was received during a 10-day visitation in Nov 1999 and of which one particularly spoke of the future betrayal of Israel by nations which had previously been her allies:

“…For even the governments of the West and the Western powers shall shift and sway and even those you thought were solid allies to you, shall in the coming days shift allegiance…”

Over the past two years – climaxing last week in Washington! – we’ve seen this genuine prophecy come to pass.  But praise the Lord there’s one God-fearing leader in this world: Canada’s PM Stephen Harper – would that ours were of his spiritual calibre.

During the last few weeks I’ve been discovering more about the Lord’s wonderful work within the Muslim nations, and would like to share it another time.

To close, could Jesus’ words at John 5.23 about honouring Him be aimed at not only Jews but also Muslims?  After all they regard Jesus as a prophet and thereby give him honour – and look what happened to the Samaritan woman when she recognised Jesus as a prophet (John 4.19), He then blessed her with the revelation of Him as Messiah! 

Awesome!

SEE ALSO:

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Ask for the Nations – Psalm 2 v 8

COPY of pre-blog email (as in ‘About’):

This is a more personal letter to you as I believe it’s time to tell about a revelation that amazed me, for it came only a couple or so years after my re-birth. (And only now am I glimpsing how it may connect with an open vision of fire shooting up E Africa to Egypt.) So I’d be interested if this may strike a chord, or you get a word from the Lord – or even a check in your spirit. Kindly bear with me as this needs be a bit lengthy.

As what I saw is directly relevant to the past month’s (Jan 2011) momentously historic events (which could affect our Western nations’ economies) I’ve been hesitant to relate this without the Lord’s go-ahead. Thus, early yesterday I sought the verses about His word not returning to Him void (Isa 55.11) but my eyes fell first on Isaiah 44.24-26, as though confirming the validity of the revelation and giving clearance to write:

“I am the LORD who has made all things, Who alone stretched out the heavens, Who spread out the earth by Myself, Who foils the signs of false prophets and makes fools of diviners, Who overturns the learning of the wise and turns it into nonsense, Who carries out the words of His servants and fulfils the predictions of His messengers….”  (NIV)

First, some background. At the time I received this staggering ‘download’ my Baptist pastor and elders were unable to help, possibly because it came in a dream, and I was a ‘young’ Christian…It was, however, an excellent church for solid Biblical tuition and discipleship – thank you Lord.

W Mediterranean

Nonetheless, what I received proved helpful to a young missionary in France as well as to an evangelist off to Egypt. I’d put the full account in a letter, which he put on top of clothes in his suitcase. Thus, when Egyptian customs questioned him and checked inside his case he was reminded and encouraged in his mission. Here’s what I’d written:

The BBC late evening news on 6th January 1992 announced that leaders in the Muslim community wanted to establish a Muslim parliament in Britain…:

In a dream that night I saw Western Europe, mainly France and the Mediterranean, as if from the space shuttle and heard the popular worship chorus ‘All Hail The Lamb’ being sung, as if in the atmosphere!  This praise was repeated many times most melodiously, as though by angelic choir ,and seemed to spiral upwards. Then I heard a very loud, authoritative voice declare, “As Communism fell, so too will Islam fall”.

I understood this as the Almighty’s declaration that Islam’s demise would come when Muslims themselves want to be free and rise up en-masse. Clearly, by referring to the events that had rippled across the Eastern Bloc to end the Soviet empire, we could expect a similar, unanticipated wave to sweep across Africa, the Middle East and Asia to the Pacific. It, too, would be like dominoes falling. In fact, some commentators are likening what’s happening now to that effect – Telegraph and Foreign Policy reports.

As a prophetical impression the dream awaited proper weighing and confirmation by my leaders. Only a few years ago I read an article by the prophet Marc Dupont in which he referred to a very similar word at about the same period. EVEN SO, if you’re with me thus far, please do weigh and check all this. [Months after this email I discovered that Lance Lambert had later that year brought the same message about God shaking the nations.]

Later yesterday I got an email from leading analyst on Middle-East affairs, Daniel Pipes, supporting that concept of change, viz:

“Something remarkable, unpredictable and unprecedented took place in recent weeks on Egyptian streets. A leaderless mass movement galvanized large numbers of ordinary citizens, as in Tunisia days earlier. It did not rage against foreigners, scapegoat minority Egyptians, nor endorse a radical ideology; instead, it demanded accountability, liberty, and prosperity. Reports reaching me from Cairo suggest a historic turn toward patriotism, inclusion, secularism, and personal responsibility.” – Washington Post

Let’s remember the Lord’s ultimate redemptive plan for Egypt, as stated in Isaiah 19 especially verses 19-25.

19 In that day there will be an altar to the LORD in the heart of Egypt, and a monument to the LORD at its border…24 In that day Israel will be the third, along with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing on the earth. The LORD Almighty will bless them, saying, “Blessed be Egypt my people, Assyria my handiwork, and Israel my inheritance”.

Pertinent to these verses is this closing statement of an email just in: “..the Egyptian identity needs to be resurrected, thereby allowing all of the nation’s sons and daughters to work together for a better future—without the dead weight of foreign encumberments, namely Arabism or, worse, Islamism.” [Assoc. Dir ME Forum: Egypt’s Identity Crisis.]

Did you read in my email 10 Feb of Dutch Sheets’ word given 13 Jan about the Lord supernaturally visiting the Middle-East? Well, on Monday I bought his classic book Intercessory Prayer but didn’t dig in until last night. On fanning through I was drawn to a prophetic word about nations falling rapidly before Him (see large red asterisk in attached). I think the Lord is trying to get our serious attention, don’t you?

THEREFORE, I believe it’s a pivotal prayer-time to ask the Lord for those nations that are closed to Him to become fully open to the Gospel. The harvest fields are ripening.

For example, many Iranians realise that 30 years’ Islamic rule has utterly failed. They’re desperate for the real truth of God. Previously it took one missionary a life time to bring 10 to Christ. Yet last year just one phone call served to bring 30 to salvation! Multitudes are responding to dramatic personal visitations and miracles direct from the Lord, as well as through satellite/phone evangelism. (Dr Hormoz Shariat, Iran Alive Ministries.)

“…By Myself I have sworn, My mouth has uttered in all integrity a word that will not be revoked: Before Me every knee will bow; by Me every tongue will swear (allegiance). They will say of Me, ‘In the Lord alone are righteousness and strength’.” All who have raged against Him will come to Him and be put to shame. But in the LORD the descendants of Israel will be found righteous and will exult.

[Isa 45.23-24 NIV’s ‘raged’ seems more appropriate than ‘incensed’ in NKJV & Amp]

I close as All Hail The Lamb starts playing on pc – WOW, what a coincidence, or rather God-incidence!!

“He’s the Lamb upon the throne…He IS the Lord”

UPDATES:

A Third Great Awakening?

Part 2 of pre-blog email Today’s News: ‘Deep US-Saudi Rift’ – see previous post:

The Lord’s Perspective:

However, as regards these events (Egypt and Saudi-USA rift) it’s far more important to seek the Lord on any connection to His Word and on how He sees them, and to ask about His plans. In this connection we’d watched the prophetic intercessor Dutch Sheets on this issue.

On 13 January (2011) Nathan Morris was off with ‘flu from the revival meeting in Mobile, Alabama. However, Dutch stood in for him and taught about it being a true revival and become so significant outpouring of the Holy Spirit it would be the start of a ‘Third Great Awakening’. He said this is indicated by an unsurpassed number of medically attested miracles and salvations amongst the young.

Dutch SheetsAfterwards, Dutch went into intercession for a number of nations, but stopped and fervently declared he believed he’d just heard that the Lord is going to move super-naturally across the Middle East with dreams, visions and miracles. He claimed the Lord would be doing what evangelists cannot do in these closed lands and bring whole Muslim villages to salvation in Jesus. [NOTE below]

Watch the following profoundly important prophetic message after John Kilpatrick hands over to Dutch at 1hr40min. Three minutes later he opens up about a ‘great awakening’  which the Lord has been talking to him about since 1991. [Note: this brief note of a word given in June 2012 is also relevant. Read also of his experience in Sept 2014  – email updated 13 Nov 2014.]

Dutch’s descriptions reminded me of a vision of holy fire sweeping up the eastern side of Africa from Mozambique (where Rolland and Heidi Baker have brought whole Muslim provinces to Jesus), up to Sudan and Egypt and then into the Arabian peninsula!  Even so, the one who would usurp God’s throne will no doubt get stirred up.  So we shall see…

[2012 Note: The vision came when I first saw Heidi addressing a conference in Toronto. Suddenly, it was as though I was in orbit over central Africa and saw tall flames leaping high into the atmosphere over the whole of Mozambique and which spread northwards. The Mediterranean coast sat on the curvature of the globe and I saw the flames go along it and across the Sinai peninsular. Upon speaking to Rolland Baker a year or so later, he informed me this vision is similar to that which their director Supresa Sithole had for Iris Ministries.]

Praise our Almighty God and Father of Lord Jesus.

NOTE: The day after Dutch’s intercession the president of Tunisia fled to Saudi Arabia.  Three days later an Egyptian man copied the earlier self-imolation of a Tunisian street seller, which led into the major protests in Egypt and toppling of president Mubarak.   See Timeline (24 Jan 2012)

Is Egyptians’ attitude better than British one?

COPY of pre-blog email, with my emphases .:

Friends,
At a ladies’ regular house gathering in a village near Guildford, guest speaker ‘H’ was eloquently forthright about the situation here in comparison with her homeland of Egypt.  There ordinary Muslims would expect Christians to be as fervent as they are in their faith.

 [I’m only too aware of the current persecution of our Coptic brethren, possibly because that’s where the Muslim Brotherhood took root and which is pressing for political power in the event of President Mubarak’s demise. One of its martyred leaders is regarded as the founding father of modern jihad and its deeply doctrinaire targeting on all fronts of America and Europe.

[Update: see Robert Spencer; Egyptian Copts overwhelmed by “anxiety and fear”, see Muslim Brotherhood government as “worst in memory” – 14 Oct 2012] 

You may recall my having quoted Miracles Among Muslims by Christine Darg. So, it was good to hear ‘H’ say over a million Egyptian Muslims secretly believe in Jesus and that Middle Eastern believers are migrating to the relatively more tolerant Egypt. [NB: 2 years ago!]

‘H’ mentioned the Lord had advised her not to regard outward events as being of His will but to look for His redemptive plan for nations.  Thus, she gained insight into the Isaiah 19 prophecy regarding Egypt, Israel and Assyria (ie Iraq) – which is also a  pillar for Canon Andrew White’s reconciliation work in Baghdad, Jerusalem and Cairo!!  [See previous post.]

Perhaps the serendipitous references to this scripture came in answer to my thoughts upon Acts 1:6-7?  When answering the disciples’ query on restoring the kingdom to Israel, could Jesus have had in mind Father’s strategy to fulfil that prophecy??  What do you think, my friend?  Some teach that Jesus rebuked them because they were mistaken about God’s purposes. But surely Jesus would have explicitly said so? 

Let’s remember when He upset them by saying He was going away to prepare a place for them in Father’s house, He explained: “Were it not so I would have told you” (John 14.2).  Surely, Jesus would have applied that same teaching principle when answering their question about Israel’s future, wouldn’t He?  

Jesus’ answer was not an emphatic “No” but rather a “Not yet and it’s not for me to say – I have a something else for you”.

Meanwhile, let’s take our stand…

Richard