Posted on 05/08/2010 9:01:38 AM PDT by Joya
How Principalities Fall
Bill Somers
Mount Gilead Ohio USA
www.etpv.org
February 20, 2009
John 16:20-23
20 Verily, verily, I say unto you, That ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice: and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy.
21 A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come: but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world.
22 And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you.
23 And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you.
Mike Bickle of the Kansas City IHOP posted a prophetic dream this past week that has some interesting aspects Victorious Church In The End Times by Mike Bickle
Here’s an excerpt that led to the present article.
Victorious Church In The End Times by Mike Bickle
Prophetic Dream On February 13, 2009
C. Immediately as I finished the second session at 5 PM, I saw a token of a few of the events that John prophesied in Revelation 12:7-9 when war breaks out in heaven between Satan and Michael the archangel, resulting in Satan being cast to the earth at the beginning of the Tribulation.
7 And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought,
8 but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer.
9 So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan…he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him… (Rev. 12:7-9)
D. I did not see Satan—I saw demonic principalities being cast to the earth. They looked like large snakes (over 100 yards long and 50 feet thick), each having a huge head that looked like a dragon, and many of them were coming from the sky down to the earth.
His angels [Satan’s] mentioned there in verse 9 are what we think of as demonic principalities.
Now Some Background
We want to add some insights to what’s going on there so we’ll start with some background.
Principalities
OK so what is a demonic principality? The best knows reference to these beings is in Ephesians 6.
Ephesians 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
They are also mentioned a few other places, especially Daniel 10 which mentions the prince of Persia and of Greece. This verse from Ephesians 6 gives several descriptions of them, they may all be somewhat synonymous. Going a few chapters in Ephesians there is another important mention of them.
Ephesians 3:10 To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God,
Leading into this verse is a long discussion of various ideas. One of these verses mentions being raised up into heavenly places.
Ephesians 2:6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
The idea here is that God’s people, those mentioned in Ephesians 2:6, are at some point raised to heavenly places to show God’s wisdom to the principalities and powers that hang out there. This may not be the only reason behind Ephesians 2:6, and it awaits fulfillment of the scriptures of the Book of Ephesians. As seen here in this next quote, it awaits the fullness of time.
Ephesians 1:10 That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:
There is a similar thought in Isaiah 51:
Isaiah 51:16 And I have put my words in thy mouth, and I have covered thee in the shadow of mine hand, that I may plant the heavens, and lay the foundations of the earth, and say unto Zion, Thou art my people.
Old Testament Picture Of Wickedness
Now keep that in mind while we look at an allegory involving a character from the Old Testament who presents a picture of wickedness in high places.
This passage from Second Kings 9 shows the fall of Jezebel our image of a wicked principality. Here she is seen looking down from a window, which speaks of a high or heavenly place.
2 Kings 9:30-33
30 And when Jehu was come to Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it; and she painted her face, and tired her head, and looked out at a window.
31 And as Jehu entered in at the gate, she said, Had Zimri peace, who slew his master?
32 And he lifted up his face to the window, and said, Who is on my side? who? And there looked out to him two or three eunuchs.
33 And he said, Throw her down. So they threw her down: and some of her blood was sprinkled on the wall, and on the horses: and he trode her under foot.
In this story, Jehu is a figure of Jesus and he is coming to take vengeance for the blood of Naboth [the name means fruit]. Remember here that Jezebel is a wicked ruler in a high place. Notice several things about those who throw Jezebel down. 1. They are on Jehu’s side, this speaks of being on the Lord’s side. 2. They obey instantly but do not act on their own, only at their Lords command. 3. They are on the same level as Jezebel, the same high window.
So to continue our comparison or allegory, what does it take to cast down a principality? It takes the same thing as it took to throw down Jezebel. Obedient servants of the Lord who can operate on the same level as the target principality.
The Eunuchs
Now keep that idea in mind too while we look at the meaning of eunuchs.
A eunuch is a castrated man, in particular one castrated early enough to have major hormonal consequences; the term usually refers to those castrated in order to perform a specific social function, as was common in many societies of the past. Over the millennia since, they have performed a wide variety of functions in many different cultures such as courtiers or equivalent domestics, treble singers, religious specialists, government officials, military commanders, and guardians of women or harem servants.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Eunuchs play a role in the Book of Esther where they have the task of preparing a bride for the King. They are incapable of desiring the bride for themselves, but only serve the Kings wishes.
In Matthew 19 Jesus makes a cryptic reference to eunuchs, speaking of those who make themselves eunuchs.
Matthew 19:12 For there are some eunuchs, which were so born from their mother’s womb: and there are some eunuchs, which were made eunuchs of men: and there be eunuchs, which have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven’s sake. He that is able to receive it, let him receive it.
Here he also says He that is able to receive it, let him receive it. This is quite similar to he that has ears to hear, let him hear. So lets hear the meaning of this through our spiritual ears and consider what a spiritual eunuch might be. We find our answer in Revelation 14.
The 144,000
Revelation 14:1 And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father’s name written in their foreheads.
Revelation 14:4-5
4 These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb.
5 And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God.
Here we find an answer to the nature of a spiritual eunuch. These are redeemed from among men, male or female. Which means they are virgins, that is, purified and without fault. They have made themselves that way by submitting unto God and resisting the Devil. They have allowed Jesus to enter their heart with his perfect love which drives out fear. So they have overcome fear, and the Devil has no power over them.
James 4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
You can find them mentioned in Revelation 7, the 144,000. How do we know they are the same bunch as mentioned in Chapter 14? Because they are called servants of our God and they are sealed in their foreheads. Here is the reference.
Revelation 7:3-4
3 Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.
4 And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel.
The parallels with Chapter 14 are that they are standing atop Mt. Zion, a high place, with the Lamb, Jesus and have his fathers name written in their foreheads, and that they follow Jesus wherever he goes. This speaks of death to self and instant obedience to the Lord. So here we have spiritual eunuchs, the 144,000 seated together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus, as mentioned in Ephesians 2:6.
These are said to come from all the tribes of Israel. Since most of these are what is considered the lost tribes, we are not just talking about Jews from Israel. Those in the lost tribes became gentiles. And lot’s of them are likely to be Muslims: Arabs, Iranians, Turks, Kurds, Indians, and Pakistanis! Secondly the tribes of Israel are figures for the denominations of the church, so these 144,000 could be believers from anywhere on the Globe.
The Manchild
In Mike Bickle’s article he quotes from Revelation 12 verses 7-9. Let’s back up a couple verses and pick up on what else is going on there.
Revelation 12:5-7
5 And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.
6 And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.
7 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,
Here you can see that just before there is war in heaven, a manchild is birthed and caught up to the throne of God. This event is sometimes called the Rapture of the Manchild. One thing we know about this manchild is that he shares with Jesus the authority to rule nations with a rod of iron.
The manchild is in verse 5 and the war in heaven is in verse 7, so it looks like one thing leads to another. The manchild going up somehow ‘triggers’ the war in heaven.
And where else to we see this mentioned but in Revelation 2.
Revelation 2:26-27
26 And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations:
27 And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father.
Here Jesus gives a promise to a certain group of overcomers that they will receive authority to rule nations with a rod of iron. So these overcomers are later known as the manchild. See the quote from John 16:20-23 at the beginning of this essay. And besides that there is the promise in Rev 3:21.
Revelation 3:21 To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.
Next, how do we link this manchild to the 144,000. [The number is symbolic, and may also have a literal meaning.] Well how’s this. When the manchild is caught up to the throne of God, where else does he land but smack dab right on top of Mt. Zion with Jesus, the lamb like you see in Revelation 14? That makes the manchild people to be spiritual virgins or spiritual eunuchs.
Now what makes this Zion the throne of God? God’s choice as he says in Psalm 132.
Psalms 132:13-14
13 For the LORD hath chosen Zion; he hath desired it for his habitation.
14 This is my rest for ever: here will I dwell; for I have desired it.
And we’re not talking about some hill over in Jerusalem. We are talking about the Mt. Zion in Hebrews 12, in the New Jerusalem. That’s the Mt. Zion seen in Revelation 14.
Hebrews 12:22-24
22 But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels,
23 To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,
24 And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.
Summary
God has a group of overcomers, mentioned in Revelation 2. These show up in Revelation 12:5, known as a manchild. They are raised up into heavenly places as mentioned in Ephesians, and they have a message to bring to the principalities there.
Then they show up in Revelation 14, caught up to Mt. Zion, where they fit our description of spiritual eunuchs. We also see them in Revelation 7 as the servants of God, who are sealed in their foreheads.
And then as we have seen with our illustration of Jezebel, it takes eunuchs in high place to kick out the bad apple principalities and take their place. So this is exactly what’s going down in Revelation 12:7-9 and in Mike Bickle’s vision, where Satan’s angels get their eviction papers. And guess what comes next? The Kingdom Of God.
Revelation 12:10-12
10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.
11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.
12 Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.
There is also a second group of overcomers. You see them in verse 11 above. They are the end time martyrs.
The establishment of the Kingdom is also seen from a different perspective, in Revelation 11. Once the principalities fall, their domains, The kingdoms of this world come under new management. And coming under new management usually brings a Grand Opening doesn’t it.
Revelation 11:15-17
15 And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.
16 And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God,
17 Saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned.
And that brings us back to Isaiah 51.
Isaiah 51:11 Therefore the redeemed of the LORD shall return, and come with singing unto Zion; and everlasting joy shall be upon their head: they shall obtain gladness and joy; and sorrow and mourning shall flee away.
And Isaiah 52.
Isaiah 52:7-8
7 How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!
8 Thy watchmen shall lift up the voice; with the voice together shall they sing: for they shall see eye to eye, when the LORD shall bring again Zion.
If My People
Bill Somers
Mount Gilead Ohio USA
www.etpv.org
January 2009
2 Chronicles 7:14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
We have heard this verse quoted time and time again. It is appears on banners. It forms the lyrics of songs. Ministries us it as their motto. We know of places scattered about the planet where it has actually been fulfilled on a small scale. But this promise, great and wonderful as it is, remains generally unfulfilled. And why not should be plain enough, we have not met the conditions God has set forth for this to happen.
Using The Whole Counsel Of God.
There is a way some speakers or writers play around with misquoting the bible to get people’s attention or to make a strong point. It works like this. You take a familiar verse from scripture and change is a little to mean something different. Then you ask: Is That what the Bible says? NO! Then you take and quote it correctly.
Here are a couple examples:
James 4:7 Submit yourselves under your pastor’s covering. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
Is That what the Bible says? NO! Here is what it says:
James 4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
Or try this one.
Ephesians 4:11-12
11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
12 to do the work of the ministry
Is That what the Bible says? NO! Here is what it says:
Ephesians 4:11-12
11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
Here’s another:
Matthew 16:17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for thou hast employed the time tested literal method of interpretation.
Is That what the Bible says? NO! Here is what it says:
Matthew 16:17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.
One more example:
Galatians 5:18 But if ye be a faithful church member, ye are not under the law.
Is That what the Bible says? NO! Here is what it says:
Galatians 5:18 But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.
Now try this one:
2 Chronicles 7:14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray for Obama, then I will change his heart, and things will go back to normal.
Is That what the Bible says? NO! Here is what it says:
2 Chronicles 7:14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
Now we are going down a side trail, that will lead us back to the theme, If My People.
Here is a short excerpt from a excellent article from Hannah Weiss.
G-d’s Ultimate War Objective
Hannah Weiss
G-d’s War on the Israel-America “friendship”
What I saw [in a vision] was a big piece of cloth, which was a kind of map. The western half was the United States, the eastern half was Israel. There was a rip beginning at the top, and the two halves were coming apart. There were no hands visible - it was G-d who was ripping them apart. But on both sides of the map were tiny people running back and forth, trying to stop the ripping. It was a slow process, but they could no more stop it than ants could stop one of us from tearing a napkin.
The Lord then said, “I am tearing Israel away from America. The US is moving away from Me into darkness, and I will NOT let her take Israel, My inheritance, along with her. Israel is staying here with Me.” He said it in a tone of jealousy and possessiveness. He then said that the horrible string of terror attacks was a necessary part of the tearing process: America would not lift a finger to stop them; eventually Israel would see the falseness of such an “ally” and would stop fighting His plan to separate them.
Fullness of Iniquity
The Fullness of Iniquity is a concept relating to God’s judgments being held back, for he is slow to anger. But there comes a point where the sins of a people reach a fullness or tipping point; a point of no return. When this is reached, judgment falls. Here are a couple clues to this idea.
Genesis 15:16 But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full.
Matthew 23:32 Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers.
There are three major issues in which America, and others have been walking a thin line, just short of the full measure of iniquity that it would take to bring down God’s severe judgments. They are abortion, homosexuality, and support of Israel. In Hannah’s word the Lord is saying the US is moving away from Me into darkness. I believe this is to say that the US and others, are about to step over the line and fill the cup of her sins. And this will be on all three major issues in very short order.
[This is the darkness spoken of in Isaiah 60. But when this darkness takes hold, his glory shall rest on his people.
Isaiah 60:2 For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee.]
A Look At The Long View
I believe there are two long range goals God has in mind for gentile nations before his final dealings with Israel.
First, for America and anyone else with the desire and ability to help Israel. Their power must be reduced to the point where they are simply unable to give Israel any support at all. This is a fixed minimum amount.
Second, for America and any other nation with a covenant relationship to the Lord. They must be judged and shaken to the point of repentance; the point where the promise of 2 Chronicles 7:14 comes to pass. Then the Lord will heal that land and fight against their enemies. This is a variable amount. It depends on the prayers of the saints.
After This Manner Therefore Pray
Here is a short word from Glenn Jackson. I see it as another way of expressing a great truth from the word. Whatever is not of faith is sin.
Romans 14:23 … whatsoever is not of faith is sin.
Exhortations From The Father
Glenn H. Jackson
January 23rd 2009
“Everything” in My Kingdom [relationships - beginning with one’s relationship with Me, positioning and, indeed, ALL things said and done] must be built on the foundation [rock] of revelation knowledge [Matthew 7:21-27]. For to approach ANY situation or circumstance in one’s own understanding [the mind of the flesh] instead of in the mind of Christ [1 Corinthians 2:16] surely means that one is unrighteously motivated and, thus, ALL that they say and do [regardless of how “good” it may appear or sound] is apart from Christ [John 15:5].
The Cry For Mercy Must Come First
Recently I have written a couple things about praying for Obama. There I came against legalistic prayers, and hypocritical prayers. These kinds of prayers are ‘not of faith’ others are. I still maintain that the cry for mercy needs to be louder than the cry for change.
Since then we have posted at least three major articles detailing how to pray, including praying for Obama. Like a shopping list, you add things to it as you go along.
Now if someone has a specific word or direction from the Lord to pray that way, then that is their assignment. If you take up someone else’s assignment and imitate their prayers, it’s not of faith. If you have a divine leading to pray in some other vein, then that is your assignment.
If you have no leading whatever on now to pray, pray in the spirit or enter into worship. Besides that the bible does give us a guideline on how to pray and what should take priority. [Priority and prioritize are words relating to what should come first, or what should come before something else.]
Now let’s take a look at how Jesus taught his followers to pray.
Matthew 6:9-13
9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
Here it’s pretty plain that “forgive us our debts” i.e. cry for mercy, should come before praying for Obama “deliver us from evil”. What we need today are apostolic leaders who will pray this way after the examples in Ezra 9, Daniel 9, and Nehemiah 1.
Nehemiah 1:6-9
6 Let thine ear now be attentive, and thine eyes open, that thou mayest hear the prayer of thy servant, which I pray before thee now, day and night, for the children of Israel thy servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel, which we have sinned against thee: both I and my father’s house have sinned.
7 We have dealt very corruptly against thee, and have not kept the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the judgments, which thou commandedst thy servant Moses.
8 Remember, I beseech thee, the word that thou commandedst thy servant Moses, saying, If ye transgress, I will scatter you abroad among the nations:
9 But if ye turn unto me, and keep my commandments, and do them; though there were of you cast out unto the uttermost part of the heaven, yet will I gather them from thence, and will bring them unto the place that I have chosen to set my name there.
Also see 1 John.
1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Joel 2:12-13
12 Therefore also now, saith the LORD, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning:
13 And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil.
Revival In Israel Sooner Or Later
Bill Somers
Mount Gilead Ohio USA
www.etpv.org
Jan 2009
Heinz’ Law of Eschatology says: For any given topic in end time bible prophecy there are 57 Varieties of opinion.
This essay will take a look at some of the ins and outs of various end time theories as they bear on revival in Israel and the Return of the Lord. If you hear some saying ouch, it’s that we may well step on some toes in our treatment of this issue. It will not be an exhaustive treatment, but more in the way of exploration and speculation. [An exhaustive treatment would be exhausting and probably never get written.]
Israel Closed To The Gospel
Years ago I was blessed by a set of teaching tapes done by Ralph Mahoney on the subject of Spiritual Influences on the Mind. Mahoney is one of those known as missionary statesmen. This would be like an apostle to the missionaries. A missionary himself in his early years, he went on to become a trainer and executive leader of missionaries.
A great part of the teaching had to do with spiritual influences of demonic princes determining whether a given country or region was open to the gospel. Missionary administrators have to determine which areas are open and which are not open for efficient deployment of their missionaries and their monies. Then he took time to lament the fact that a disproportionate number if the church’s resources were spent on missions in Israel, which was and is still closed to the gospel. And he noted that in terms of results, much of these resources should be sent somewhere else. In other words, a lot of the missionaries sent and money spent in Israel was a waste of effort.
That is not meant to say we shouldn’t be working in Israel. But if you are in Israel, please be sure that’s where you are called to be. Keep in mind the saying, Some were called, some were sent, others just packed up and went.
Romans 11:28 tells us that they are enemies of the Gospel.
Romans 11:28 As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers’ sakes.
While Romans 11:16 indicates that all Israel will be saved.
Romans 11:26 And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:
So for now, Israel is closed to the Gospel, but at some point all Israel will be saved. This has to mean there will come a point when the situation is turned around and Israel becomes open to the Good News Of The Kingdom Of God. The question is when? Sooner or later it will happen, when and how it will happen is the main focus of our discussion.
Theories, Theories, Theories Everywhere
Several theories I have come across recently suggest that the revival in Israel comes at the beginning of the tribulation. Just when this ‘tribulation’ begins or how long it lasts are points of disagreement. Some say 7 years, some say 3 and a half, some say it depends. But most agree there is going to be a time of tribulation of some kind. Remember Heinz’ Law.
All Israel Saved At The Beginning of the Tribulation
This theory is very widespread. It goes like this. A somewhat literal reading of Revelation 14:1-5 is seen as the Lord appearing with the 144,000 servants of God mentioned in Revelation 7:3-8, 12,000 from each tribe, in the city of Jerusalem on the hill called Mount Zion. So this is taken to mean a revival in Israel. Then this revival in Israel produces a great wave of evangelism so that the Gospel is preached through all the world. This world wide preaching of the Gospel is one of the conditions that must be met before the end will come, as explained in Matthew 24.
Matthew 24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.
While one view is that this 144,000 is a remnant of the Jews there is another view that is held by some, especially Messianic Jewish believers. This view is that the revival seen in Revelation 14 is the point when ‘All Israel’ gets saved.
Here are the key verses from Romans 11.
Romans 11:15 For if the casting away of them {Israel] be the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead?
Romans 11:25 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.
26 And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:
The reference, as it is written, points to Isaiah 59.
Isaiah 59:20 And the Redeemer shall come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith the LORD.
There are some who balk at this idea of All Israel saved. We hear talk of only a remnant saved, or mention that individual Jews can be saved but they must repent first, just like anyone else. Verse 23 mentions that they cannot remain in unbelief and still be restored.
Romans 11:23 And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be graffed in: for God is able to graff them in again.
Yet verse 26 says the deliverer shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob [Israel] To show exactly how it is that ‘all Israel’ gets saved this scripture from Zechariah is usually cited.
Zechariah 12:10 And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.
Here we see a mention of the spirit of grace and of supplications. This is the Holy Spirit, the Deliverer of Zion, which gives the people the grace to repent and to intercede. Since this grace is given to the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, we understand that to mean Israel. This is what makes it possible for ‘all Israel’ to repent and be saved at once.
Keep in mind that this can refer to literal sight, that is, physical seeing and to spiritual sight which is understanding. At this time they cannot see him physically because he has risen to heaven and sits at the Father’s right hand. Secondly, they cannot see him with their understanding because of the blindness mentioned in Romans 11. So when blindness is removed, spiritual sight is granted. And by this grace, Israel can make supplication, or in simpler language, make prayers of repentance.
Why is this needed? Let’s jump over here to Matthew 23 we see where Jesus says he will not return till his people pray and ask him to.
Matthew 23:39 For I say unto you, [speaking to Jerusalem] Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.
How did this blindness get there? One view is that the blindness came because Israel missed their time of visitation. A close reading of Romans 11 however shows that it was there all along.
Romans 11:7-8
7 What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded
8 (According as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear;) unto this day.
Here you see in verse 8, where is says as it is written, a reference to a verse in Deuteronomy 29 that supports the idea that it was there all along.
Deuteronomy 29:4 Yet the LORD hath not given you an heart to perceive, and eyes to see, and ears to hear, unto this day.
Let’s keep moving along with this theory that all Israel is saved at the beginning of the tribulation. Life from the dead [Romans 11:15] is seen to be the revival of “Israel” to fulfill her national calling. This calling is to be a light to the nations. The nations are the gentiles and thereby the 144,000 are those who will evangelize the world. And so the gospel of the kingdom is preached to all the world. And the harvest of the gentiles is completed. Then the end comes as Jesus returns and sets up a kingdom to rule from Jerusalem for 1000 years.
See: Revival Redemption and Return of the Lord http://www.etpv.org/2008/rrnrotl.html by Bill Somers
One problem with this is how the Lord is Revealing Himself to the Jews. According to Romans 11:25 this requires the removal of the blindness. This is in turn requires the fullness of the gentiles. If the fullness of the Gentiles speaks of the harvest of the gentiles, then the above scenario is a case of circular reasoning. That is they are saying in effect that the fullness of the gentiles yields a removal of the blindness. This produces the revival in Israel which brings about the fullness of the gentiles. Naturally there is a way around this if you claim that the fullness of the gentiles means something other than the harvest of the gentiles as is commonly thought. Remember Heinz’ Law.
Now we are going to focus on the idea of “All Israel Shall Be Saved” and the setting whereby this happens at the end of the tribulation.
All Israel Saved At The End of the Tribulation
A Spiritual reading of Revelation 14:1-5 would see it as depicting revival coming to the Church at the beginning of the tribulation, not to ‘all Israel’ or even part of Israel. In this case, Mt. Zion is the church, as in Hebrews 12:22-23. And the 144,000 are followers of the Lamb, Jesus. They are Jews and Gentiles from every group and denomination including the outcasts of Israel.
This does not rule out any sort of revival in Israel to come at any time. We certainly welcome any move of God in Israel. All we are saying is that Revelation 14:1-5 is not interpreted as applying to natural Israel.
This view sees it as linked to other passages which show the same event from differing vantages or express it in differing language. Some of these links are Revelation 12:10, Revelation 11: 15-17, Psalm 2:6, Isaiah 28:16, Zechariah 4:7 and others. All of these relate to the Kingdom of God. In this view, the church does not usher in the Kingdom, the church does not expand the kingdom, and the church does not establish the kingdom. Rather the church becomes the kingdom by way of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, and the Revelation of Jesus Christ. We are still living in the days when there was no king is ‘Israel’ and every man did what was right in his own eyes. When the King comes, we can say, Our God Reigns. This is the Gospel of the Kingdom mentioned in Matthew 24.
Matthew 24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.
The Gospel: Good News and Glad Tidings for all peoples.
The Gospel of the Kingdom has two expressions. One is the Promise of Salvation to all peoples in terms of saying there is a kingdom Coming.
It speaks of ‘salvation ready to be revealed in the last days.’
1 Peter 1:5 Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
After it is revealed in the last days, i.e. the Revelation of Jesus Christ, the Gospel will have a new expression. It will say “Our God Reigns” as those end time saints go forth proclaiming this good news. They have the lovely feet shod with the preparation of the Gospel of Peace. And this is what truly enables world wide evangelization.
In the first expression, we say, like Jesus did, repent for the kingdom is at hand. In the second, we say the kingdom is now here.
Opposition To The Spiritual Approach
This whole approach is shunned by dispensationalists, i.e. pre-tribulationists, because it puts the church in the tribulation period. Any hint of such an approach triggers a ‘don’t go there’ reaction.
It is also loathed by messianic believers for several reasons. First is spiritualizes ‘Israel’ which can lead to a doctrine of demons called ‘replacement theology;’ a theory that leaves natural Israel out in the cold. Second, it puts off the salvation of ‘all Israel’ to the end of the tribulation, meaning that Israel would never fulfill her national calling to be a light to the nations and that she will remain an enemy of the gospel till the very day Jesus returns. And third, it undercuts the view that Jesus will set up a literal physical Kingdom, with it’s capitol in Jerusalem when it’s all over. And finally it sidesteps the issue of Israel’s right to inherit the land promised to it in the bible.
Israel Saved At The End: A Quick Summary
Revival in The church.
Church evangelizes the world.
Fullness of the Gentiles. Romans 11:25
Israel’s Blindness removed Romans 11:25
Israel receives the Spirit of grace and supplication Zechariah 12:10.
Israel calls on the name of the Lord and Jesus returns Matthew 23:39
Resurrection of the dead Romans 11:15
Jesus and the armies of heaven fight the battle at Armageddon. Revelation 19:19
Zechariah 12:10 Linked to the Second Coming
In the earlier discussion we looked at how it is that ‘all Israel’ gets saved, quoting from Zechariah.
Zechariah 12:10 And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.
This indeed shows the means for All Israel being saved. But we also need to look at other cross references here that speak of the Second Coming. These following verses provide a picture of the Second Coming.
This shows him coming in the clouds.
Matthew 24:30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
This one tells us that when he comes in the clouds, everyone shall see him, especially those which pierced him, at the crucifixion, his own Jewish people.
Revelation 1:7 Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.
And then the mention of they also which pierced him takes us right to Zechariah 12:10 which mentions me whom they have pierced. So the work of the spirit of Grace and Supplications that is needed to bring about the salvation of ‘all Israel’ is directly tied to nothing less than the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. And this places the salvation of ‘all Israel’ right at the end of the tribulation.
Tie in to Romans 11 to Matthew 23:39
Matthew 23:39 For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.
Romans 11:11-12
11 I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy.
12 Now if the fall of them be the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their fulness?
Romans 11:15 For if the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead?
Here the argument is that if the receiving of them i.e. the salvation of Israel, comes at the Second Coming, then the phrase life from the dead is the resurrection.
Romans 11:25-26
25 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.
26 And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:
Romans 11:27 For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.
Battle of Armageddon
The Battle of Armageddon is laid out in these three quotes.
This shows all the world coming against Israel.
Zechariah 12:2-3
2 Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem.
3 And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it.
This shows where they are gathered to battle.
Revelation 16:16 And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.
This shows that all those gathered to battle against Jerusalem, are there to fight against ‘Him that sat on the horse,’ Jesus.
Revelation 19:19 And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army.
There are many who will not like this scenario and present alternate views. Remember Heinz’ Law. There are many who don’t like the idea that ‘all Israel’ will be saved. And others who don’t want to believe that the hope of Israel is deferred to the very end of this tribulation, also known as Jacob’s trouble.
This is why you can find endless quibbling about who is Israel, who is a Jew, or what does ‘all Israel’ mean. What about the lost tribes? And some are saying the fullness of the gentiles refers to the times of the gentiles.
Further consequences for the church
Questions we need to ask.
Does the blindness get removed because the Holy Spirit comes? Or Does the Holy Spirit come because the blindness is removed?
What is the fullness of the gentiles? And what is the fullness of Israel? Besides the notion of ‘full number’, the context of Romans 11 seem to indicate that fullness means their salvation. In Genesis 48, Jacob prophesies over Ephraim. The Hebrew word there for multitude is also translated fullness, elsewhere in the Hebrew old testament.
Genesis 48:19 And his father refused, and said, I know it, my son, I know it: he also shall become a people, and he also shall be great: but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his seed shall become a multitude of nations.
This idea of salvation here is linked to the idea of a multitude; we are speaking of the salvation of a multitude or large quantity of nations or gentiles.
Romans 11:11-12
11 I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy.
12 Now if the fall of them be the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their fulness?
In these verses, their fall is contrasted with their fullness, so fullness speaks of restoration or salvation. What if they had not fallen? Then salvation would not have been available to the gentiles. If they knew Him to be their Messiah, they would not have had him crucified, and then there would be no redemption for mankind.
While there is a promise that ‘all Israel’ shall be saved, there is no similar promise that ‘all gentiles’ will be saved. Still we see that the Gospel must be preached to all the world, and this fullness of the gentiles must have ‘come in to remove the blindness’. So if it is not all the gentiles, then it has to be some number gentiles. It has to be a vast multitude from every tribe and nation, still it is some number that has to be reached.
In the book of Revelation, when sixth seal is mentioned, there is a clue. Here it is saying the return of the Lord, to avenge his martyrs, must await the fulfillment of the rest of the martyrs that should be killed. There is a certain number to be fulfilled. That is a certain quantity.
Revelation 6:9-11
9 And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held:
10 And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?
11 And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.
Let’s spell this out very carefully. The request to Judge and Avenge in Revelation 6:10 is talking about the second coming of Jesus. Here it is seen in 2 Thessalonians where the bible tells of vengeance happening at the return of the Lord.
2 Thessalonians 1:6-8
6 Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you;
7 And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels,
8 In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:
So all this is to say there is a ‘certain number’ of martyrs that must be fulfilled before Jesus returns. While Romans 11:25 is saying there is a ‘certain number’ of Gentiles that must be fulfilled before Jesus returns. When you phrase it that way, the connection becomes very clear.
Is fullness of the martyrs then the fullness of the gentiles? And when that number is reached, will the Lord say Vengeance Is Mine, I will repay.
Romans 12:19 Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.
If the fullness of the martyrs means the fullness of the gentiles, many will be quite unhappy with the idea that the church goes through the tribulation only to be martyred at the end. On the other hand, this means the martyrdom of the church which is fullness of the gentiles brings about the revival in Israel, and in turn this leads to the Return of Christ. This is something we should look forward to and be glad in.
All this reasoning involves long chains of logic. If any one of them proves to be a weak link, then the whole idea falls apart. Remember Heinz’ Law. Still this is what the Lord has shown me, as far as I understand it, and there are confirmations of it given in other articles I have written. Consider that the whole discussion beginning in Romans 10 has a conclusion in the use of the word therefore in Romans 12:1.
Romans 10:1 Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved.
Romans 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
And this leads to the conclusion of Romans 12, a promise and a prophecy.
Romans 12:19 Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.
What Have We Learned In 2008
Bill Somers
Mount Gilead Ohio USA
December 3, 2008
Mark 3:25 And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand.
Just in case we didn’t realize it before, we learned that we are a House Divided Against Itself.
This applies to America, Israel and to the Church as a whole, world wide.
If you paid any attention to the controversy of the Lakeland Outpouring, Political strife in Israel, or the American Electoral Process, this should be clear.
God’s people are deeply divided. And we are divided in multiple ways. Doctrinal divisions, sects and denominations, political aims, culture and race.
We are not the church that Jesus is building. We are not walking in the spirit of holiness. We are not the kingdom of God that we claim to be. We are not come into unity; Nor are we dwelling on Mt. Zion under a new covenant of grace.
We are saying to ourselves, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; but really we are wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: [Revelation 3:17]
That’s what we have learned this year, right?
A Sobering Thought
Bill Somers
Mount Gilead Ohio USA
www.etpv.org
November 20, 2008
This past November 12 we posted a vision written by Steve Foss.
The End Time Battle Steve Foss
This was received by him and posted May 15th, 2000, and can be found on his website. http://stevefoss.com/endtimebattle.html
The vision shows the end time army of the Lord battling the enemy and freeing captives. Here is a quote of one of the paragraphs.
As the army got to the front lines of the enemy it was a one sided slaughter. The enemy was literally over run by the overwhelming power of the Army of the Lord. As the army got to where the camps were, the brightness of their light caused all to see who they were. Everyone reached out a hand to them as they passed by.
When they saw it was Christians all had a shocked look on their face. Many smiled a stretched their hand even more and were lifted up by one or more of the soldier and were placed into the army. They too became brilliantly white.
Others when they saw it was the church and that Jesus led the army, they got a repulsive look on their faces, pulled back their hands, and laid back down to the ground amongst the slaughter and the waste. They quickly became diseased and died. This was quite shocking to me as some of those who pulled back their hands said with great disgust when the saw Jesus and the Church, “Not YOU!!!”
As disgusting as their camps were and as brilliant Jesus and the church was, they didn’t want Him. They were offended at Jesus. They willfully rejected Him.
As I sought the Lord about this how this showed people rejecting him, I believe this is what he showed me. I’m working from the idea that Jesus does not always appear to people in his glory. Sometimes he appears as someone else, or as an angel. In this case, for those saying ‘Not You’ he is appearing as the one person they always hated and never could forgive. And with stubborn, prideful unforgiveness in our hearts, we cannot receive His mercy.
Now what could some possible examples of this be?
For those who railed against Catholicism and hated Catholics, he could appear as one of the Popes, Padre Pio, or even Bishop Sheen!
For those who loved their Jewish Brethren but despised the Arabs, he may look like Yasser Arafat.
To those who couldn’t’ stand Televangelists, he might appear as Benny Hinn!
For those who opposed pretribulationism, he might look like Tim LaHaye.
To those who cast scorn on the Holy Laughter, Toronto and Brownsville, he may appear to be Rodney Howard-Browne.
For those appalled by the Lakeland Revival, he might even look like Todd Bentley.
To those upset by the elections, he may look like Barak Obama!
He might even appear to you as your Ex!
I can think of quite a few of my Christian brothers and sisters who I am not exactly pleased with, and realize I must forgive them. If not I may be rejecting Jesus himself. What about you?
Excerpt ...
November 9, 2008
In the musical Fiddler On The Roof, there is a point where the village rabbi is asked to pray for the Russian Tsar, their oppressor. What he comes up with is a sort of politically correct bit of lip service and sarcasm. He says:
May The Lord God bless and keep the Tsar - - - far from our village.
Here is a perfect example of a religiously correct, hypocritical prayer. One that is prayed out of a sense of obligation. But there was no real intention to bless the Tsar there.
### end of excerpt ###
http://www.etpv.org/bills_page/isnr4o.html
Dangerous Radical Prayers
Bill Somers
Mt. Gilead, Ohio USA
Numbers 6:24-26
24 The LORD bless thee, and keep thee:
25 The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee:
26 The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.
Have you ever had someone tell you never pray for patience? And in saying this they talking about how the bible says tribulation brings patience? And who wants more tribulation, right?
Well this is partly a joke and partly an admission that one wishes to avoid God’s dealings and just stay the way we are. That is we like it in our comfort zones and we want nothing to disturb us there. God however is going to put us through tribulations anyway, to produce patience whether we like it or not, so why are we making it harder than it has to be?
Blessings
The blessing quoted above is becoming a popular saying these days, and is well suited for those who love their comfort zone.
Now compare that to a really dangerous prayer, one you best not pray unless you are totally serious with God. It goes like this:
Lord, judge me, strictly,
and correct me severely,
so I may serve you perfectly.
Did you say ouch?
Well we’re going to build on this idea and offer some scriptural prayers of blessing. These will be based on our own end time prophetic vision; dangerous radical prayers. We will include scripture references with each one, ones that form the basis of each prayer.
In a previous article of mine, The Stumbling Block, I spoke of how the bible has over 40 some verses that detail promises to those who will follow Jesus. They are promises of persecution, suffering and martyrdom. We will lay out some dangerous radical prayers that fall under each of these headings. But first let’s start with something relatively tame; and then give some of a more generic nature. Here goes!
May you never walk in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stand in the way of sinners, nor sit in the seat of the scornful. But let your delight be in the law of the LORD; in which you meditate day and night. And may you be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bring forth fruit in his season; whose leaf does not wither; and whatsoever he does shall prosper. [Psalms 1:1-3]
May you trust in the Lord with all your heart and not depend on your own ability or understanding. May you acknowledge him in everything you do, letting him direct you in all things. May you not be wise in your own eyes, but fear the Lord and depart from evil. [Proverbs 3:5-7]
Now one not so tame:
May you be willing in the day of His power. [Psalms 110:3]
Willing to do what? What ever the Lord will command!
[John 2:5]
May you be conformed to the image of Christ. [Romans 8:29]
May the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: That the eyes of your understanding will be enlightened; so that you may know the hope of his calling, and the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, And the exceeding greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, [Ephesians 1:17-19]
May God grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passes knowledge, that you might be filled with all the fullness of God. [Ephesians 3:16-19]
May you be poor in spirit, mournful and meek. May you hunger and thirst after the kingdom of God, and it’s righteousness. May you always be a peacemaker, merciful, and pure in heart. [Matthew 5:3-9, Matthew 6:33]
May you be hidden in Him in the day of his anger. [Zephaniah 2:3]
May you mature and grow up into the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God. May you come unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ: That you will thereafter not be as a child, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; so that you may put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. [Ephesians 4: 13-15; 23-24]
May you be clothed with righteousness. Psalms [132:9, 16]
May you put away childish things as you mature. [1 Corinthians 13:11]
May you behold how pleasant it is to dwell in unity and receive the blessing of life for evermore. [Psalms 133:1-3]
May you be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might, putting on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. [Ephesians 6:10-13]
May the Spirit fall upon you and make you into another person. [1 Samuel 10:6-7]
Persecution
May you be persecuted for righteousness’ sake. May men hate, revile, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for Jesus’ sake knowing that he who endures to the end shall be saved. [Matthew 5:3-11 Mark 13:13].
May you be troubled on every side, yet not distressed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; [2 Corinthians 4:8-9]
May you count it all joy when you fall into various temptations knowing that the trying of your faith works patience. Let patience have her perfect work, that you may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. [James 1:2-4]
May you consider the things of this world as trash and waste for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus. And may you know him, the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; [Philippians 3:8-10]
Suffering
May you be a chosen vessel unto the Lord, refined, but not with silver; rather chosen in the furnace of affliction. May he show you what great things to suffer for his name’s sake. Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for you in the flesh, arm yourself likewise with the same mind: for he that has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin; That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God.
And may you never terrified by your adversaries: which is to them a proof of destruction, but to you of salvation. For to you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake; [Isaiah 48:10, Acts 9:15-16, 1 Peter 4:1-2, Philippians 1:28-29]
May you learn perfection through the things you will have to suffer. [Hebrews 5:8]
As you suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of your soul to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator. [1 Peter 4:17-19]
May the Lord demonstrate his great love for you by chastisement. And may you never despise the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when you are rebuked. For whoever the Lord loves he chastens, and scourges every son whom he receives. If you endure chastening, God deals with you as a son for your profit, that you might be a partaker of his holiness, and afterward receive the peaceable fruit of righteousness. [Hebrews 12:5-7:10-11 Revelation 3:19 Proverbs 3:11-12]
May he work patience in you by many tribulations. And may you glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation works patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope will make you unashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in your heart by the Holy Ghost which is given unto you. [Romans 5:3-5]
Rejoice, inasmuch as you are a partaker of Christ’s sufferings; so that, when his glory shall be revealed, you may be glad also with exceeding joy. If you are reproached for the name of Christ, then may you be happy; for the spirit of glory and of God rests upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified. [1 Peter 4:13-14]
May his strength be made perfect in your weakness May his grace be all you need in any situation. May you take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake. For when you are weak, then you are strong, because his grace is sufficient and his strength is made perfect in your weakness. [2 Corinthians 12:9-10]
May you reap in joy after sowing in sorrow. Psalms 126:5-6
May you have suffering turn to Joy as when a woman is delivered of child. John 16:20-21]
May the Rock fall upon you and grind you to powder, and may that powder then be mixed with water from the river of life, forming a marvelously pliable clay. May the master potter then take this clay and fashion a vessel fit for His use. [Luke 20:17-18, Isaiah 64:8, Romans 9:20-23, 2 Timothy 2:20-21]
Martyrdom
May you be given grace, by the mercies of God, to present your body a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And to not be conformed to this world: but to be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. [Romans 12:1-2]
May you be ready to be offered up after you have run your race! That you will know when the time of your departure is at hand; having fought a good fight, finished your course, and kept the faith: [2 Timothy 4:6-7]
May you have boldness in the day of judgment. May the perfect love of the father be shed abroad into your heart by the Holy Spirit. So that as perfect love casts out all fear, you may walk through the valley of the Shadow of death fearing no evil. [Romans 5:5, 1 John 4:16-18, Psalms 23:4]
May you be always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest. For those who live are always delivered unto death for Jesus’ sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in your mortal flesh. Knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise you up also by Jesus. Though your outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. For your light affliction, which is but for a moment, works for you a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; as you look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal. [2 Corinthians 4:6-18]
As you endure tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword may you be more than a conqueror through him that loved you. For neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate you from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. [Romans 8:35-39]
May you be able to say with Job Though He slay me, yet I will trust him! [Job 13:15]
May the Lord be your God for ever and ever: and be your guide even unto death. [Psalms 48:14]
May your death be precious in the sight of the LORD. [Psalms 116:15]
May you come to sit with him in his throne as he is seated with his father. Amen. [Revelation 3:21]
esus In The Kitchen
Bill Somers
Jesus in the Kitchen or What is God cooking up anyway?
Part One: The Pickle Recipe
Some time back I copied the following definitions from the On Line Bible program. This definition of baptism came with a very interesting word study that illustrates what God is about to do in the Church. There are two words closely related to baptism; Bapto and Baptizo.
quoted text-—
baptizo {bap-tid’-zo}
1) to dip repeatedly, to immerse, to submerge (of vessels sunk)
2) to cleanse by dipping or submerging, to wash, to make clean with water, to wash one’s self, bathe
bapto {bap’-to}
1) to dip, dip in, immerse
2) to dip into dye, to dye, colour
Not to be confused with baptizo. The clearest example that shows the meaning of baptizo is a text from the Greek poet and physician Nicander, who lived about 200 B.C. It is a recipe for making pickles and is helpful because it uses both words. Nicander says that in order to make a pickle, the vegetable should first be ‘dipped’ (bapto) into boiling water and then ‘baptised’ (baptizo) in the vinegar solution. Both verbs concern the immersing of vegetables in a solution. But the first is temporary. The second, the act of baptising the vegetable, produces a permanent change.
When used in the New Testament, this word more often refers to our union and identification with Christ than to our water baptism. e.g. Mark 16:16. ‘He that believes and is baptised shall be saved’. Christ is saying that mere intellectual assent is not enough. There must be a union with him, a real change, like the vegetable to the pickle! Bible Study Magazine, James Montgomery Boice, May 1989.
end of quoted text.
The interesting idea here is that union with Christ is what He requires and when this is real there will come a real, permanent change in us. Like the vegetable is radically transformed, well so must we be transformed.
All the great moves of God in the past have just been bapto’s, temporary changes. The revivals of the past have had long term permanent effects of course but the awesome holiness, the irresistible power of the Lord has only lingered on for short periods.
Even this refreshing called the new wine or the river is just a bapto. A bapto is the ankle deep water of the river. the knee deep and waist deep, the chest deep water is still a bapto. At these levels you can always get back out of the water. When it gets over your head, it’s baptizo. When you can no longer go on your own way, it’s baptizo. When you have to change from walking to swimming, never to go back it’s baptizo. It’s a permanent change. It’s the kingdom of God come into your life and you entering into the kingdom. Its the manifesting of the sons of God.
Like the pickle is changed, we will take on the texture, the color, the taste and the aroma of the Lord God of Heaven. We will be like Him because we will see Him as He is. The world will forget what we were like before because they will see Jesus in us.
Part Two: The Red Hot Sauce!
The Prophetic Necktie
One summer a few years back, I came across a pastor I knew and found him wearing a prophetic necktie. It seems that the McIlheny company of Avery Island Louisiana had marketed a series of new products to diversify advertise and to capitalize on the name of their Tabasco sauce. These included ash trays, coffee cups, napkins, towels, coasters and other house-wares; and neckties.
On this particular necktie you could see a bottle of the famous Tabasco sauce in the foreground and the night sky in the background. In the night sky there were 4 or 5 bright stars, and one of them was especially brighter than the others. Proceeding from this bright star was a ray of light that led directly to the Tabasco bottle. An interpretation instantly leapt to mind. So I told this pastor that his tie was prophetic and depicted the Bright and Morning Star [Jesus] sending down the Fire!
God’s Hot Sauce
[reposted from an earlier article]
In South Louisiana a standard table item is the bottle of hot sauce. Several years back while applying this to some of my wife’s home cooking, the Lord showed me a parallel between it and the church. This seemed good to share at this time, as I believe we are about to see it come to pass.
Hot sauce has three ingredients. Water, cayenne pepper and vinegar. And in these we can see a picture of the Church
Water represents the people of the Church. The pepper is the fire of God, or the anointing, and vinegar speaks of purging or cleansing. The vinegar is needed to keep the pepper mixed in the water.
The problem with this product is that if you let a bottle of hot sauce sit for a long time without using it the pepper separates out and floats to the top. There it forms a crust. Since the neck of the bottle is very narrow, it doesn’t take much time before it is completely clogged. No hot sauce will flow if the neck is clogged.
This is like a church that has sat inside its four walls and did little or nothing to reach the outside world. It has become useless.
God is desiring to use his Church to bring in a great harvest of souls in these end times, but the church has become like that bottle of hot sauce; clogged up and useless.
Now imagine that the harvest is like a big plate of jambalaya. That’s a rice dish with chicken, shrimp, ham, pork or sausage; seasonings and spices all mixed in. And before you eat this jambalaya you want to spice it up a bit with some hot sauce!
Well before God can bring in His harvest, he has to pour out his fire on the world and get some people saved.
But the instrument intended for this, his Church, has become of little or no use! What will he do?
The same as I would do with a bottle of hot sauce which was clogged up. Shake it!
One shaking is never enough either; it takes repeated shaking to clear up the stoppage. And after each time you shake it you bring it very close to your face so you can see if you have cleared up the blockage. If it’s not ready, you shake it again.
God is about to shake his Church. And with each shaking, we will draw it closer to Himself, examine it and judge it. And then shake it again till its composition is restored to usability. And all the little fragments have been put back into the mixture where they belong.
Then when he is ready, watch out world. His people will pour out of the old dead churches and astonish the world by showing them what Jesus is really like. They will be on fire for God and used mightily for His kingdom. Just like the burning bush, afire with the presence of God and not consumed.
RIP Bill Somers.
Prayers up for Bill Somers and his family.
Excerpted
Judgments in the Earth
by Bill Somers
... But just as all the world will come against Israel in the last battle; all the world will first come against America. She is God’s other covenant people. And when America finally repents her people will be willing to lay down their lives. Concurrently when the Church finally repents and God’s people are willing to lay down their lives, God’s purpose will go forward. The enemy will be overcome in the natural and the Adversary will be overcome in the spiritual.
AFTERWORD
The following paragraph is taken from an article in The Morning Star Prophetic Journal Vol 1 Nr 1. p. 45
1991 and Beyond by Rick Joyner
“The U.S. and her allies will win the impending Middle-East conflict but no one has yet comprehended the magnitude of the cost in both lives and future world influence. The eagle (U.S.) will have her “right wing” broken (conservative politics) and begin a downward spiral....
I read this prophecy when it came out in early 1991. It came home to roost in the late fall of 1992, after I had completely forgotten it. Tony Foster wrote to me from Russia, after the 1992 election was over and said the election results were that prophecy coming to pass! Of course he was right.
Our pastor, Rod Aguillard, points out that in 1988 the church received a call to rise up and put a stop to abortion through operation rescue. She did not, as a whole, answer that call. Therefor God has now turned us over to an oppressor, just like He did to Israel so many times in the book of Judges and elsewhere. (Oh Jerusalem, Jerusalem...) When the oppression gets bad enough, we will call upon his name.
Rev. Harold Cohen, a charismatic catholic priest in New Orleans, pointed this out, just after the election. The majority of Americans voted against the pro-life candidate (Bush). So in effect the U.S. has chosen death instead of life, and cursing instead of blessing. Not discouraged he added “We don’t know what the future holds, but we know Who holds the future!”
Now we see in the Clinton Administration foolish policies that will deliberately cripple our economy and devastate our military strength. Policies that will place us exactly in position for the coming prophesied catastrophes. We have chosen death, as a nation, and the curses are now piling up ever faster. And at the same time God is pouring out the new wine to the faithful remnant among his people. “He that sitteth in the Heavens shall laugh.”
APPENDIX
APPENDIX A : Brother Anonymous
This is transcribed from a taped TV interview of Brother Anonymous
There is a price to pay for the murder of abortion. Jericho paid that price....
Crisis draws us together. Every time there’s a crisis, people come. It’s been that way from the very beginning. God told the children of Israel “When I do these things, then you’ll seek me early. When I do these things, then you’ll call upon my name. When I do these things to you, then you’ll know that I am God. “It’s been that way always. It’s still that way today. And God still moves that way to get us to bow our knee.
Crisis is coming to America. To get us to repent, to bow our knees. To get us to give Jesus Christ Lordship over our lives. Not just to know Him but to know all of Him. Not just to have heard of him but to know all about him. To be intimate. We’re gonna end up bowing our knee before God Almighty. And God will save us.
“In the war that’s coming we will not be defeated, but we will be hurt. We will be neutralized. We’re not going to come out of it unscathed. China and Russia are both going to invade our territory. There’s going to be tremendous nuclear, or limited nuclear warfare. But tremendous bombing and a new type of weaponry that is going to hit the east and the west coasts of the United States. And those cities. The purpose in that is to desolate the populous areas. So then when invasion troops and invasion forces come in there’ll be fewer people that they have to deal with.
And they are not really after our cities; they are gonna be after our farms. They’re gonna be after our agricultural land. That’s what they’re coming after. That’s why they are gonna wipe out the populous areas, or try to, and then invade the middle of America.
I’ve seen missiles coming from submarines, to do it. And for some reason, the Lord told me, the missiles that Russia has are not accurate, and so they won’t depend on those greatly. But they’ll depend on submarine warfare. The missiles will come from submarines. But they don’t have a long range and so they’ll mainly attack the coastal areas.
But the great thing is that we’ll win. It’ll look like were going to be defeated. It’ll bring us to our knees. But were gonna win. At the same time, not only will we be neutralized but Russia will be neutralized. Russia will have - nothing - after it’s all said and done. And we’ll have nothing after it’s all said and done. Basically, we’ll have life. There’ll be some life left.
But when Russia’s neutralized and America’s neutralized, then you’ll see the Anti-Christ arise in power. That’s when he’ll arise. And he’ll say ‘Ah, now’ to himself or to those around him, ‘since I don’t have anything to worry about in America, I’ll leave it alone. The United States, I don’t have to worry about it; it’s no longer a power. I don’t have anything to worry about with Russia, it’s no longer a power. So I’m gonna concentrate all my forces upon this European segment.
But there is a force, Israel, I’ve got to deal with. Because it’s a thorn in my side. And God says ‘I’ll put a hook in your jaw and I’ll draw you out. He’s gonna put a hook in the jaw and He’s gonna draw him out. And they’re gonna come against Israel. But they won’t have the United States to worry about. They won’t have Russia to contend with. It’ll be the anti-Christ forces that are gonna bring this invasion of Israel.
But were gonna be neutralized and we won’t be able to intervene. Only God can intervene. And in a way, that’s what God wants. Is that when Israel can’t say ‘Help!’ to anybody but God. Only God will they be able to say help to. And when they say, ‘Daddy, help me!’ he’ll help them. And he’ll intervene, Miraculously!
But that’s the time period that we’re coming to. And so not a lot of people have thought that China would be involved in the invasion. But China is gonna be involved in the invasion. A lot of people said well that’s impossible because Russia and China hate each other. Well they’re gonna unite for a common cause. And when you unite for a common cause, each one of them will probably be thinking, ‘Well when it’s over with, I’ll take care of the other guy.’ And so were gonna be invaded.
China will still have enough people, after it’s said and done. China will still have enough people to send millions and millions. A hundred million marching toward Israel. They won’t be technological giants. But they’ll be giants in physical numbers, numbers of men. Numbers in the army that they’ll still be able to amass. But they’ll join, they’re gonna join Russia in this coming invasion.
God will supernaturally intervene. But the time frame it’s gonna leave us with is that you’ll see a lot more horse and buggies on the roads than you’ll see cars.
I’ve seen a time when there’s very, very few automobiles on the road, and a lot of horses. A lot of buggies; a lot of wagons. Some of them are really strange wagons. It’s like they didn’t know how to build them. They just constructed anything that would haul something. It’s like people who didn’t know how to do, how to build but did the best they could. And so you saw a lot of strange things on the road.
When I have visions, like this, the Lord gives me visions or dreams, it’s as if I went through this time period. So I can remember seeing certain things. Just like I can close my eyes and I can see ‘em just like I can see you. It’s like I lived through it. I lived through the horse and buggies. I lived through a time when there was no radio. I lived through a time when there was no TV. I lived through a time when the people didn’t know if there was any government.
So for a period of time, there was government by God through the people. And God literally formed theocracy. Not a democracy, not a monarchy, not a king. But a theocracy. For He told people what to do. Men were led by the Spirit of God. They made decisions based upon what the Holy Spirit of God said to do. And they lived.
And if they needed water, they walked out. The Holy Spirit says “here!” They drilled; Here; and there was water. They didn’t have to drill ten times. They drilled one time. There was the water.
So it’s gonna be an interesting time period that were entering into. A lot of people are anti that. I can’t help it. This is actually what’s going to take place in the United States of America.
But I tell you the Power of God! The power of God that’s coming in this next move. That will move here is going to be quite dramatic ....
The Lord wants this word to come out. He wants the church to hear. The Lord God is with them in all these things that are coming in the earth; coming stock market crash; coming famine; coming gangs that are going to start roaming when welfare is greatly cut back. Eventually there will be no welfare.
APPENDIX B : GW
...
The most solemn part of the vision, however, is that which relates to a great catastrophic war that is yet to come, and which presages a fearful devastation of our country. The details of the vision were communicated to a Professor Totten by an Anthony Sherman, who was with George Washington at Valley Forge. Professor Totten published it in tract form in “Our Race Leaflet” in September, 1898. May the reader note that in the vision only those wars which involved America by invasion are considered. Thus the War of 1812 and the Civil War are spoken of since blood flowed on our soil in both of these wars. This was not true in the War of 1898, nor of World War II. The ominous “red light” apparently speaks of communism (which originated in this century), which has already reached Cuba, an island within 90 miles of our shores. Whether soldiers will actually land on our coasts may or may not be indicated by the vision, for weapons now devised can destroy at a distance.
The Vision Professor Totten relates George Washington’s vision as follows:
The last time I ever saw Anthony Sherman was on the fourth of July, 1859, in Independence Square. He was then ninety years old and becoming very feeble. But though so old his eyes rekindled as he gazed upon Independence Hall, which he came to visit once more before he was gathered home.
“Let us to into the hall,” he said. “I want to tell you on an incident of Washington’s life - one which no one alive knows of except myself; and if you live, you will before long see it verified.
“From the opening of the Revolution we experienced all phases of fortune, now good and now ill, one time victorious and another conquered. The darkest period we had, I think, was when Washington after several reverses, retreated to Valley Forge, where he resolved to pass the winter of 1777. Ah! I have often seen the tears coursing down our dear commander’s careworn cheeks, as he would be conversing with a confidential officer about the condition of his poor soldiers. You have doubtless heard the story of Washington’s going to the thicket to pray. Well it was not only true, but he used often to pray in secret for aid and comfort. And God brought us safely through the darkest days of tribulation.
“One day, I remember it well, the chilly winds whistled through the leafless trees. Though the sky was cloudless and the sun shone brightly, he remained in his quarters nearly all of the afternoon, alone. When he came out I noticed that his face was a shade paler than usual, and there seemed to be something on his mind of more than ordinary importance. Returning just after dusk, he dispatched an orderly to the quarters of an officer, who was presently in attendance. After a preliminary conversation of about half an hour, Washington, gazing upon his companion with that strange look of dignity which he alone could command said to the latter.”
“I do not know whether it is owing to the anxiety of my mind or what, but this afternoon, as I was sitting at this table engaged in preparing a dispatch, something in the apartment seemed to disturb me. Looking up, I beheld standing opposite me a singularly beautiful being. So astonished was I, for I had given strict orders not to be disturbed, that it was some moments before I found language to inquire the cause of the visit. A second, a third, and even a fourth time did I repeat my question, but received no answer from my mysterious visitor except a slight raising of the eyes.
“By this time I felt strange sensations spreading through me. I would have risen but the riveted gaze of the being before me rendered volition impossible. I assayed once more to speak, but my tongue had become useless, as if paralyzed. A new influence, mysterious, potent, irresistible, took possession of me. All I could was to gaze steadily, vacantly at my unknown visitor.
“Gradually the surrounding atmosphere seemed to fill with sensations, and grew luminous. Everything about me seemed to rarefy, the mysterious visitor also becoming more airy and yet more distinct to my sight than before. I began to feel as one dying or rather to experience the sensations which I have sometimes imagined accompany death. I did not think, I did not reason, I did not move. All were alike impossible. I was only conscious of gazing fixedly, vacantly at my companion.
“Presently I heard a voice saying, ‘Son of the Republic, look and learn,’ while at the same time my visitor extended an arm eastward. I now beheld a heavy white vapor at some distance rising fold upon fold. This gradually dissipated and I looked upon a strange scene. Before me lay, spread out in one vast plain, all the countries of the world - Europe, Asia, Africa and America. I saw rolling and tossing between Europe and America the billows of the Atlantic, and between Asia and America lay the Pacific. ‘Son of the Republic,’ said the same mysterious voice as before, ‘look and learn,’”
At that moment I beheld a dark, shadowy ‘being’ like an angel, standing, or rather floating in mid-air, between Europe and America. Dipping water out of the ocean in the hollow of each hand, he sprinkled some upon America with his right hand, while with his left he cast some over Europe. Immediately a cloud arose from these countries, and joined in mid-ocean. For a while it remained stationary, and then it moved slowly westward until it enveloped America in its murky folds. Sharp flashes of lightning gleamed through it at intervals and I heard the smothered groans and cries of the American people. (This may be interpreted to have been the Revolutionary War then in progress.)
“A second time the angel dipped water from the ocean and sprinkled it out as before. The dark cloud was then drawn back to the ocean, in whose heaving billows it sank from view.
“A third time I heard the mysterious voice saying, “Son of the Republic, look and learn.’ I cast my eyes upon America and beheld villages and towns and cities springing up one after another until the whole land from the Atlantic to the Pacific was dotted with them. Again, I heard the mysterious voice say. ‘Son of the Republic, the end of the century cometh, look and learn.’
And this time the dark shadowy angel turned his face southward. From Africa I saw an ill-omened specter approach our land. It flitted slowly and heavily over every town and city of the latter. The inhabitants presently set themselves in battle array against each other. As I continued looking I saw a bright angel on whose brow rested a crown of light, on which was traced the word ‘UNION.’ He was bearing the American flag. He placed the flag between the divided nation and said ‘Remember, ye are brethren.’
Instantly the inhabitants, casting down their weapons, became friends once more and united around the National Standard.
“Again I heard the mysterious voice saying, ‘Son of the Republic, look and learn.’ At this the dark, shadowy angel placed a trumpet to his mouth, and blew three distinct blasts; and taking water from the ocean, he sprinkled it upon Europe, Asia, and Africa.
Then my eyes beheld a fearful scene. From each of these continents arose thick black clouds that were soon joined into one. And throughout this mass there gleamed a dark red light by which I saw hordes of armed men. These men, moving with the cloud, marched by land and sailed by sea to America, which country was enveloped in the volume of cloud. And I dimly saw these vast armies devastate the whole country and burn the villages, towns and cities which I had seen springing up.
As my ears listened to the thundering of the cannon, clashing of swords, and the shouts and cries of millions in mortal combat, I again heard the mysterious voice saying, ‘Son of the Republic, look and learn.’ When the voice had ceased, the dark shadowy angel placed his trumpet once more to his mouth and blew a long and fearful blast.
Instantly a light as of a thousand suns shone down from above me, and pierced and broke into fragments the dark cloud which enveloped America. At the same moment the angel upon whose head still shone the word ‘UNION,’ and who bore our national flag in one hand and a sword in the other, descended from the heavens attended by legions of white spirits. These immediately joined the inhabitants of America, who I perceived were well-nigh overcome, but who immediately taking courage again, closed up their broken ranks and renewed the battle.
“Again, amid the fearful noise of the conflict, I heard the mysterious voice saying, ‘Son of the Republic, look and learn.’ As the voice ceased, the shadowy angel for the last time dipped water from the ocean and sprinkled it upon America. Instantly the dark cloud rolled back, together with the armies it had brought, leaving the inhabitants of the land victorious.
“Then once more I beheld the villages, towns and cities springing up where I had seen them before, while the bright angel, planting the azure standard he had brought in the midst of them, cried with a loud voice: ‘While the stars remain, and the heavens send down dew upon the earth, so long shall the Union last.’ And taking from his brow the crown on which blazoned the word ‘UNION’ he placed upon the Standard while the people, kneeling down said, ‘Amen’!
“The scene instantly began to fade and dissolve, and I at last saw nothing but the rising, curling vapor I at first beheld. This also disappeared, and I found myself once more gazing upon the mysterious visitor, who, in the same voice I had heard before, said, ‘Son of the Republic, what you have seen is thus interpreted; Three great perils will come upon the Republic. The Most fearful for is the third. But the whole world united shall not prevail against her. Let every child of the Republic learn to live for his God, his land and Union.’ With these words the vision vanished, and i started from my seat and felt that I had seen a vision wherein had been shown me the birth, the progress, and destiny of the United States.”
“Such, my friends,” the venerable narrator concluded, “were the words I heard from Washington’s own lips, and America will do well to profit by them.”
APPENDIX C : Dimitri Duduman
An interview with Dimitri Duduman
This material is taken from a tape titled America Will Burn! which is distributed by the League of Prayer PO Box 4038, Montgomery AL 36103. It consists of a conversation between an interviewer, Duduman and an interpreter. The nature of the revelations is somewhat awkward because the interpreter is doing a running translation of Duduman speaking in his native tongue. The voice we are quoting is the interpreter.
In the beginning of the interview, Duduman tells something of his experiences under communist persecution in Romania, and his supernatural deliverance with the assistance of the Angel Gabriel.
At a time of deep discouragement, after coming to America, he once again encounters the Angel Gabriel who has a message for him to give to the Church.
“He said “America will burn.” I said “How will America burn?” I said why did you bring me here, why didn’t you let me die in jail in Romania.” He said, “I told you to have patience.” and he said get on this here next me. I got on something. It wasn’t a vision. It wasn’t a dream. I was awake like I’m awake now. And he showed him all over California. He showed him Las Vegas. And he said, ‘Do you see what I’ve shown you here?” He said this is Sodom and Gomorra and all of this, in one day it will burn.” “He went and he showed him New York and he said “This is New York. And he said this is Sodom and Gomorra. In one day it will burn.” He went and showed him Florida. And he said, “This is Florida.” And he said, “Everything that I’ve shown you, in one day it will burn.” “I said, ‘How will it burn in one day?’” Because the Russian spies have found out the most powerful nuclear warehouses in America. And when the Americans will think it’s peace and safety, the communists from America will start a Revolution against the government, and the government will be busy with them. And then, he said, from the ocean, from Cuba, from Nicaragua, from Mexico, and he told him two other countries but he don’t remember these. And they will bomb the nuclear warehouses. And America will burn.
I said “What will you do with the church?” He said “The church has forsaken him.” I said “How come you don’t have people right here in America?” The angel said “Remember what I have told you. You will go on television. You will go on radio. You will go in churches. No matter where you will be, tell them everything that I told you.
Tell them that I’m not with the church no more. Because the people give praises to themselves. The honor that’s supposed to be given to Christ, the people take it on themselves. In the churches, there is divorces, there’s adultery in the churches, there’s homosexuality in the churches, there’s abortion in the churches and every kind of sin in the churches. And they turn some of the churches for businesses for money. And all the evangelists, they only preach salvation and happiness.
But they don’t want to show the destruction. They don’t want to show the hard times that will come upon America. And that’s why I’ve brought you here. Because through your mouth I want to wake up a lot of people. Because I love this country. And I want to save the church.”
I said “How will you save them? If America will burn, how will you be able to save them?” He said “Tell them this, the way I’m telling you.” He said “The way I saved the three young ones from the furnace of fire; How I saved Daniel from the lions den; I will save them the same way.” He said “Tell them to stop sinning. Tell them to turn towards the Lord. Because he never gets tired of forgiving. And they must look for the Lord with all their hearts.
Because in a short time it will happen. Everything that I just told you. Tell them do not be afraid of trouble. Because I will be with you.”
He said that “I will go before you and I will work powerfully. He said “I will heal a lot of people of their sickness. And I will open the door so you can go on television and on the radio.” And that’s what it happened. Because the lord had done a lot of healing upon American churches. And those people that were healed they went on the television. They were in California, in Utah, in Indiana, in Missouri, and other states. And the Lord had opened the doors. And I spoke on the television; I spoke on the radio.
And I’ll never keep quiet. As long as I have breath in me. I will sound the trumpet so the American Church will wake up. Because America took the bible all over this world. Because Americans did go as missionaries all over this world. But America fell from the truth. And the church from America; they fell from the truth. And Christ want’s to save them. But only if they will stop sinning; and they will turn towards him.”
And the Angel said also; he said that “The Lord has blessed this country. Because of the Jewish people that is in this country.” He said that “over here he has 7 million Jewish. Which they never tasted of torture. They never went through tortures; through hard times; and the Lord has blessed them in this country. But they don’t want to recognize the Lord. They started sinning. And they started all kinds of evil things. And the Lord wants to punish them together with America. And Israel is not recognizing the Messiah, because they put their faith on the Jewish people from America. And the Lord will punish America.
And then when America will be punished, all the people will be frightened. The Lord will give power to China and Japan, and other nations. And they will go against the Russians and they will beat the Russians. He said they will push them all the way to the gates of Paris. Over there they will make a treaty of peace.
And all the people, they will turn towards Israel. That’s when the war of Armageddon will be. He said that Israel will be frightened. They will not have the help from America no more. And then they will call upon the Messiah. That’s when the Messiah will come. In the help of Israel.
But the church must meet the messiah. We must get ourselves ready so we can meet the Lord. Because Christ will set on the Mount of Olives together with the church.”
And he told him this, “Tell this to all the people. Tell them to read from the bible.” I asked him, he said, “If you’re the Angel of the Lord, where does it say in the bible what you just told me?” And he said “Tell them to read this. In Jeremiah 51:8-15. and Revelation, chapter 18. Over there it tells exactly what will happen to America. And how America will burn. And the battle that Christ will go against, he’ll fight against all the nations. How Christ will fight against all the nations.” He said “Tell them to read from Zechariah, chapter 14.”
Whenever I put my hand on the Bible, I was learned by the Lord. Because everything, what the Angel of the Lord said; it was prophesied before. With the meaning about this country. Because all the evangelists and all the American preachers; they only talk about the salvation of the people. They talk about the happiness of the people. But they don’t want to preach the true word of the Lord. And the American pastors they cannot speak the truth no more. Because if they speak the truth to the people, the people will leave the church.
But we will have to answer before the Lord of the teaching that we give to other people. And we must preach the true word the way it’s written. And I wish to visit American Churches as much as possible. And I must tell all the people to turn towards the Lord. So on the day when America will be on fire, so they will be able to be saved. And a lot of times, in my suffering, when I was being tortured, the angle of the Lord was next to me. May the Lord bless him.
APPENDIX D : MARY STEWART RELFE
Synopsis and Comment re: Dimitru Duduman by Mary Stewart Relfe of the League of Prayer
The Angel Gabriel told Dimitri “America Will Burn” America will be deceived by Russia’s “Peace! Peace!” This tape was made a couple of years before Glasnost.
Russia will locate our nuclear missile silos. And from Cuba and Nicaragua, bombard them. Los Angeles, Las Vegas, New York City and Florida will burn. Christians, God’s blood bought, God will preserve, as He did Shadrac, Meshach and Abednigo in the fiery furnace. The church in America, he said is corrupt, full of divorce and adultery. Its preachers, generally are not declaring the whole counsel of God. Though God does have a remnant.
Revival, for which League of Prayer is praying, is always accompanied by or followed by Judgment. Judgment is not a pleasant subject. The prophet Isaiah calls judgment Gods “strange work” (Isaiah 28:21).
For example, after the great revival of 1858, when millions of people were won to the Lord in this nation, The Civil War soon broke out and took the lives of multitudes, many of whom God had saved.
After the great Wales awakening, that swept the world in 1904 through 1912, World War I broke out and millions of people who were saved in that great revival, their lives were taken in the war. It seems that God always extends his great hand of mercy, before he sends judgment.
While America goes happily along, I can assure that the Holy Spirit has born witness in my heart that the Church is on the Cutting Edge of a great outpouring of God’s Spirit in America. And when God’s Spirit is poured out in great power on a lukewarm church, there are always “Annaias and Sephiras”. Charles Finney spoke of it frequently.
APPENDIX E : Richard Pipes
Why the Soviet Union Thinks it Could Fight and Win a Nuclear War
by Richard Pipes Baird Professor of History, Harvard University Reprinted from Commentary, 1977
A Summary of the Argument
American and Soviet nuclear doctrines are diametrically opposed. They are products of totally different historical experiences and political and socioeconomic systems. The apparent contradictions in Soviet nuclear doctrine and the dangers of U. S. unilateral adherence to a strategy of mutual deterrence are best understood when put in historical perspective.
The American view of war has been conditioned by the ideas characteristic of a Western commercial society. Underlying it is the notion that human conflict results from misunderstandings that can be resolved by negotiation. Marxism, on the other hand, holds conflict to be normal (and military forces as a political tool and a part of grand strategy. Americans generally regard war as an abnormal situation and want to end it rapidly through technological superiority and with the least possible loss of friendly (but not necessarily enemy) lives. Large peacetime forces are an unwelcome expense.
These contrary views of war were affected differently by the coming of nuclear weapons. In the U. S., atomic and thermonuclear bombs were considered “absolute” weapons, capable of destroying a society or even a civilization, and against which there was no defense. Thus, Clausewitz’s dictum that war is an extension of politics was considered dead. Since nuclear war could serve no rational political purpose, the function of strategic forces should be to avert war. Because of the vast destructiveness of nuclear weapons, a “sufficiency” of weapons to retaliate was believed to be enough. Numerical superiority was thought to have little meaning. To ensure a stable balance, in which conflicts could be resolved by negotiation, the USSR should even have the ability to do unacceptable second-strike damage to the U. S. This concept of mutual deterrence, or mutual assured destruction, became U. S. policy and as nuclear delivery capabilities improved, remained the foundation of a somewhat more flexible policy.
These U. S. strategic theories were developed largely by civilian scientists and “accountants,” with little contribution from military professionals. The theorists were guided significantly by fiscal imperatives — the desire to reduce the defense budget while retaining a capacity to deter Soviet threats to U. S. interests. The theories were formulated without reference to their Soviet counterparts, and in the belief that we can “educate” the Soviets to adopt our views.
In the USSR, where strategy is considered a science and the special province of the military, nuclear weapons were not held to be “absolute,” except perhaps briefly after Stalin’s death. The idea of mutual deterrence was never accepted. Soviet theorists rejected the idea that technology determines strategy. They adapted nuclear weapons to their traditional Clausewitzian view of war as an extension of politics.
The Communist revolution eliminated that segment of Russian society that was most Westernized, and put the peasant class in power. History had taught the Russian peasant that cunning and coercion assured survival; cunning when weak; cunning and coercion when strong. “Not to use force when one had it indicated some inner weakness.” That concept of the use of power and the fact that, since 1914, the USSR has lost up to 60,000,000 citizens through war, famine, and purges and survived has no doubt conditioned the development of Soviet nuclear strategy.
Soviet nuclear doctrine, expounded in a wide range of Russian defense literature, has five related elements: > Preemption (first strike).
> Quantitative superiority (a requisite for preemption and because the war may last for some time, even though the initial hours are decisive).
> Counterforce targeting.
> Combined-arms operations to supplement nuclear strikes.
> Defense, which has been almost totally neglected by the U. S. under its concept of mutual deterrence.
Soviet Doctrine is both a continuation and an extension of the Soviet belief that all military forces — nuclear and conventional — serve a political purpose as guarantor of internal control and an instrument for territorial expansion. Thus, large military forces are accepted in the Soviet Union as a rational capital investment, regardless of their impact on social programs.
Soviet writing on nuclear strategy has been largely ignored, or has been ridiculed in this country because if its jingoism and crudity, and the obscurity of Communist semantics. It is a strategy of “compellance,” in contrast to the U. S. doctrine of deterrence.
But “... the relationship of Soviet doctrine and Soviet deployments (is) sufficiently close to suggest that ignoring or not taking seriously Soviet military doctrine may have very detrimental effects on U. S. security.”
Finally, “... as long as the Soviets persist in adhering to the Clausewitzian maxim on the function of war, mutual deterrence does not really exist. And unilateral deterrence is feasible only if we understand the Soviet war-winning strategy and make it impossible for them to succeed.”
APPENDIX F : Lance Lambert
This is from Christ for the Nations Vol 43 nr 2, May 1990.
The Article is ‘As I see it.’ by Lance Lambert
(This is cited as another confirmation of the Dimitri Duduman prophecy.)
...There was a prophecy given in 1911 that shortly an evil would take Russia, and wherever this evil would go, rivers of blood would flow. It was not the Russian soul; it was not an ideology or a philosophy, but a spirit from hell. In the last days, the prophecy went on to say, Germany would be divided; Italy would be judged by natural disasters; France would be nothing much; Britain would lose her empire and come almost to ruin, but would be saved by praying women; the U. S. would feed the world and be the greatest power, but would FINALLY BE REDUCED. In the end Russia would be free and believers would go forth from Russia and China taking the Good News to all the earth before the antichrist.
APPENDIX G : Hudson Taylor
On one of his furloughs in the 1850’s to England, Hudson Taylor was preaching when he suddenly stopped and just stood for a period of time with his eyes closed. When he started to speak again he explained that he had seen a vision. In this vision he saw a great war that would encompass the whole world. He saw this war recess and then start again, actually being two wars. After this much unrest and revolts would affect many nations. There would be spiritual awakenings in some places. In Russia there would be a “general, all encompassing, national spiritual awakening so great that there could never be another like it.” From Russia awakening will spread to many European countries, followed by an all out awakening, after which Christ will come.
APPENDIX H : Bill Hamon
One of the best known principles for determining the Will of God is the scriptural requirement that everything must be confirmed in the mouth of two or three witnesses before accepting it as fact. This principle about receiving confirmation was established in the law of Moses (Dt. 17:6; 19:15) and reestablished under grace in the Church by the Apostle Paul (2 Cor. 13:1).
The rule can be applied to a word of counsel, a word of prophecy, or a rhema word. Just as the general Will of God cannot be established by a single verse, neither can the specific Will of God be established by one prophecy, one rhema, one counselor, or one anything else. It is not offensive to the Lord for you to withhold judgment on a word until you receive confirmation from two or three other sources. In fact, He insists that in all serious matters there be at least two and preferably three witnesses before you accept a prophetic word.
taken from ‘Prophets and Personal Prophecy’ by Dr. Bill Hamon
APPENDIX I : Paul Erdman
This is taken from the novel “Panic of ‘89” by Paul Erdman. It is included to show the extent of anti-American sentiment around the world. And to prove that the prophesied turn of events, all the world turning against the U.S., is not inconceivable.
“The United States, by the end of 1988, had become the world’s most hated country....And not just in Latin America where the United States had for generations been regarded as the world’s last imperialist power. No the same hatred was also endemic in Europe. Here the United States was seen as a bully nation led by primitive men who were forever threatening the extinction of mankind, obsessed, as they were, with retaining global power no matter what the cost might be ... for others. If it come to a showdown with the Russians, many Europeans were convinced that the Americans would fight...to the last German and Frenchman and Britisher. Better them dead than America Red.
“In Asia the United States was seen as a big crybaby. The Americans had, to a man, been for free trade as long as the rest of the world lay in ruins after World War II. Peoples everywhere were desperate for all those things which only America could supply. They bought them regardless of either price or quality. But when the productive facilities of the rest of the world were finally renewed, the Americans suddenly found that they were no longer able to compete with Japan and Hong Kong and Taiwan and South Korea in steel and automobiles and consumer electronics and textiles and even computers. When free trade no longer meant easy profits for Detroit or Silicon Valley — what did they do? Instead of working a little harder, they tried to force the government in Washington to close up their markets by establishing import quotas. And when it worked, they said to the foreigners: “Too bad. We have to look after ourselves for a change.”
“In the Middle East, the United States was seen as a nation which would never cease giving blind support to Israel. In black Africa, it was seen as a silent supporter of apartheid; in white South Africa it was seen as a nation of gullible wimps who would rather listen to Bishop Tutu than the Reverend Jerry Falwell.”
APPENDIX J : A ‘prophetic’ game.
In 1976 Simulations Publications Inc., now defunct, of New York published a Wargame titled ‘Invasion America.’ This game, designed by James F. Dunnigan with J. A. Nelson is a hypothetical study of a some time future invasion of North America by European, South American and Asian Allies. Interestingly the proposed “historical justification” for the game reads as follows.
“2000: U. S. soil becomes the most valuable commodity in the world. Food shortages and greed are the main factors involved in the launching of a relatively coordinated invasion of the North America Continent.”
http://www.etpv.org/bills_page/judgment.html
An After Word
As I write this, we are seeing a great deal of strife, A Civil War In The Church because of the Healing Outpouring that began in Lakeland Florida.
Bill Somers thought the NAR Lakeland revival with Todd Bentley/Bob Jones/Rick Joyner was... of God?
Yikes.
Jehu’s Wild Ride
Bill Somers
… the driving is like the driving of Jehu the son of Nimshi; for he driveth furiously
We hear and read a lot these days about the Church coming into the Third Day and the changes this will bring about. In this article, I want to take a look past the transformation of the Church, toward what this is all leading to. That is The Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.
And be ready against the third day: for the third day the LORD will come down in the sight of all the people ….. Ex 19:11
The quote about driving above is taken from 2 Kings Chapter 9, where we see this discussion of Jehu’s wild ride. Here is the complete text.
So Jehu rode in a chariot, and went to Jezreel; for Joram lay there. And Ahaziah king of Judah was come down to see Joram
And there stood a watchman on the tower in Jezreel, and he spied the company of Jehu as he came, and said, I see a company. And Joram said, Take an horseman, and send to meet them, and let him say, Is it peace
So there went one on horseback to meet him, and said, Thus saith the king, Is it peace? And Jehu said, What hast thou to do with peace? turn thee behind me. And the watchman told, saying, The messenger came to them, but he cometh not again
Then he sent out a second on horseback, which came to them, and said, Thus saith the king, Is it peace? And Jehu answered, What hast thou to do with peace? turn thee behind me
And the watchman told, saying, He came even unto them, and cometh not again: and the driving is like the driving of Jehu the son of Nimshi; for he driveth furiously
And Joram said, Make ready. And his chariot was made ready. And Joram king of Israel and Ahaziah king of Judah went out, each in his chariot, and they went out against Jehu, and met him in the portion of Naboth the Jezreelite
And it came to pass, when Joram saw Jehu, that he said, Is it peace, Jehu? And he answered, What peace, so long as the whoredoms of thy mother Jezebel and her witchcrafts are so many
And Joram turned his hands, and fled, and said to Ahaziah, There is treachery, O Ahaziah
And Jehu drew a bow with his full strength, and smote Jehoram between his arms, and the arrow went out at his heart, and he sunk down in his chariot
Then said Jehu to Bidkar his captain, Take up, and cast him in the portion of the field of Naboth the Jezreelite: for remember how that, when I and thou rode together after Ahab his father, the LORD laid this burden upon him
Surely I have seen yesterday the blood of Naboth, and the blood of his sons, saith the LORD; and I will requite thee in this plat, saith the LORD. Now therefore take and cast him into the plat of ground, according to the word of the LORD. (2 Kings 9:16-26)
Jehu’s ride is a picture of Jesus Second Coming
What caught my attention in this passage, and led to the Lord opening up my understanding of it, is the detail of Jehu’s driving. This is seemingly an insignificant historical tidbit.
But the point of it is that the people watching could tell it was Jehu coming while he was still a long ways away. They knew who it was before he even came close! Hallelujah! Now what does that remind you of except the Second Coming?
And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. Mt 24:30
And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Lu 21:27
Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen. Re 1:7
So the way Jehu drives is not just some trivial tidbit, but a vital clue that this entire story has end time meaning. The story continues through chapter 9 and into chapter 10 up to verse 28, where it says:
Thus Jehu destroyed Baal out of Israel. 2 Ki 10:28
Here are some other points of comparison between Jehu’s Wild Ride and The Second Coming.
A. He is joined by a small party that goes out to meet him.
This is the so called rapture, but it is only a small remnant [those still remaining alive] of the saints at this time.
Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 1Th 4:17
B. He destroys the two Kings,
These stand for the ‘Beast’ and the ‘False Prophet’.
And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. Re 19:20
C. He calls for the Overthrow of Jezebel
In Revelation Chapter 2, Jesus calls for the overthrow of a Jezebel. Notice that in the story of Jehu, he does not personally destroy Jezebel, it is the eunuchs who do so. The reason they can do so is they are on the same level as her.
And when Jehu was come to Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it; and she painted her face, and tired her head, and looked out at a window.
And as Jehu entered in at the gate, she said, Had Zimri peace, who slew his master?
And he lifted up his face to the window, and said, Who is on my side? who? And there looked out to him two or three eunuchs.
And he said, Throw her down. So they threw her down: and some of her blood was sprinkled on the wall, and on the horses: and he trode her under foot. 2Ki 9:30-33
Here we see that Jezebel looks out from a window. This means that she is in the palace on some upper floor. This is a picture of a wicked ruler in a high place. A spiritual high place held by a demonic power.
Who are these eunuchs? I believe they are prophetic intercessors. Those who are able to operate in heavenly realms, having made themselves pure in order to do so. These can throw down the spirit of Jezebel because they can reach her level and execute judgment there.
For there are some eunuchs, which were so born from their mother’s womb: and there are some eunuchs, which were made eunuchs of men:
and there be eunuchs, which have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven’s sake. He that is able to receive it, let him receive it. Mt 19:12
D. He slaughters all of the worshippers of Baal
Jehu called for a great sacrifice to Baal and required all the worshippers of Baal to wear special clothing that easily identified them. Then he commanded his troops to slay them all. The special clothing speaks of the Mark of the Beast.
And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,
The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: Re 14:9-10
And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh. Re 19:21
E. The Meaning Of Naboth’s Vineyard.
This speaks of the martyrdom of the saints.
In 2 Kings 9:25-26, quoted above we find Jehu’s primary stated reason for returning to Jezreel. And that is to avenge the blood of Naboth. Here Jehu refers to an incident that took place during the reign of Ahab. This is given in 1 Kings 21; the entire chapter is devoted to telling this story.
So what’s so important about Naboth that the bible spends an entire chapter on him?
Naboth, whose name means fruit or fruits, owned a vineyard near Ahab’s palace. Ahab wants the vineyard, but only to use the land for growing something else. So Ahab offers to buy the vineyard or trade him a better one but Naboth stands up to him and refuses.
1Ki 21:3 And Naboth said to Ahab, The LORD forbid it me, that I should give the inheritance of my fathers unto thee.
Jezebel then arranges for Naboth to be falsely accused of the capital crime of blasphemy against the Lord and the King. Naboth and his sons are killed and Ahab takes over the vineyard. Then the Lord sends Elijah to meet Ahab and prophesy the judgment on him that Jehu refers to above.
Now when you see or hear the word ‘vineyard’ in the bible, your spiritual ears should listen up because the vineyard is a type of God’s people. [Isaiah 5]
Since we see that Jehu’s wild ride is a picture of the Second Coming of Christ, it should be no surprise that there is an end time allegory to be found in these passages.
Let’s identify some of the elements of this allegory.
The vineyard: this is a type of God’s people, the planting of the Lord. It can designate Israel, the Church or both. [Israel is also a type of the Church]
The plat [plot or lot] of ground: This is the world.
Naboth and his sons: Naboth means fruit, this also means God’s people, especially those who ‘become the sons of God’; the end time saints.
The crime of blasphemy against God and the King: this speaks of persecution on religious and secular grounds.
Ahab: Secular Powers
Jezebel: Spiritual Powers
Ahab’s intention: [He wants the land for his own use, not to produce Godly fruit.]
The kingdom of the beast wants to eradicate any knowledge of the True God.
Ahab’s palace: kingdom of the beast or Satan’s kingdom.
Summary: Ahab, with Jezebel’s help, has Naboth & Sons killed so they can take over his vineyard. Likewise, end time secular and religious forces take over the world, destroy the church and kill God’s people. [martyrdom of the saints]
This is saying the same thing as Daniel says in Chapter 7:
I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them; Da 7:21
And the same idea is put another way in Revelation 13
And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. Re 13:7
And this is the primary stated reason for the Second Coming of the Lord, to avenge the blood of his saints.
He hath laid my vine waste, and barked my fig tree: he hath made it clean bare, and cast it away; the branches thereof are made white. Joe 1:7
Other passages that speak of revenging of blood.
And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother’s blood crieth unto me from the ground. Ge 4:10
That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar. Mt 23:35
From the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zacharias, which perished between the altar and the temple: verily I say unto you, It shall be required of this generation. Lu 11:51
For, behold, the LORD cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain. Isa 26:21
Revelation Martyrs
Let’s look at the Revelation Martyrs, who also cry for vengeance.
And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held:
And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?
And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellow servants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled. Re 6:9-11
Here it is indicated that there are many more martyrs yet to come before their blood would be avenged. In chapter 15 we see the rest of them.
And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God. Re 15:2
These here are the martyrs referred to in Chapter 12
And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. Re 12:11
Here these martyrs have gotten the victory because they were willing to die for the Lord. How does this get them victory over the adversary?
Hebrews tells us that the devil has the power of death, and through fear of death he is able to keep men in bondage.
Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;
And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. Heb 2:14-15
So this tells us that by overcoming the fear of death, you overcome Satan. And the proof or demonstration that you have overcome the fear of death is simple. Die without fear. In Romans we read these instructions:
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. Ro 12:1-2
Here it speaks of proving the will of God. At the end of Romans 12 we find this expression of God’s will.
Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. Ro 12:19
So extending our train of thought, we see that the revelation martyrs get the victory over the enemy by dying willingly, without fear; and thus ‘giving place to wrath’. And this wrath is the avenging of our blood that takes place at the Second Coming and is depicted in the story of Jehu’s wild ride.
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