Preface: Dec 17, 2020
A significant segment of the following was written on or before April 7th. However, on the 14th of Dec morning 2020 (Middle East time), I had a major intense download from the Holy Spirit. It was like drinking from a fire hose, There is no way I can cover that in an article or even a video. It was a culmination of much over many years.
I have been struggling through the last few days trying to ferret out what I should share and to what depth. There were a few things that were made clear to me.
- I needed to go back to the second word He gave me about the CV which I sent out in a limited release in April 2020 – which can be found here https://www.surefoundint.org/2020/12/01/so-what-about-covid/] – and clean it up and finish it, publish and release it, which is what I am doing here.
- The Spirit of the Lord spoke to my spirit saying, the ‘sign of Jonah’, and Nineveh (Matt 12:38-45) and then told me that we are in that 40 day period that Jonah told Nineveh that they were doomed to destruction, from Dec 14th. I spent time processing this, I said ,“Why Dec 14th ” Lord?” I received my answer when on that same day, I saw two prominent, well known (one Christian, one political) leaders from that generation basically bow their knee to a lie,. AGAIN—
(The first lie was bowing their knee to the CV 19 scam, the virus is real, man-meddled with and released for a reason, to fundamentally change society, decrease population, and to bring in “The Great Reset, (which is the real scam) and to destroy the US economy to remove President Trump — a “Trump card to Trump, Trump.” When CV 19 first hit, virtually everyone in the body was claiming Psalm 91; within 3 weeks most were bowing their knee to the fear of it and many leaders and pastors closed their doors, in the name of submitting to ‘health’ authorities. Wearing mask, social distancing, no longer meeting together and practicing ‘fear’ and calling it wisdom became the new faith! Psalm 91 fell to the wayside at a time where we, His people, are called to be salt and light, a beacon of hope and healing! The vast majority of the world’s churches completely folded and willingly bowed their knee to the world’s system — “Nebuchadnezzar’s statue” (Daniel 3), more often than not, losing whatever salt or light that it had left – church of Ephesus Rev 2:1.)
[It seems to be that the Covid scam was the first seal of Rev 6:1-2:
Now I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals; and I heard one of the four living creatures saying with a voice like thunder, “Come and see.” 2 And I looked, and behold, a white horse. He who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer. NKJV
The ‘white horse’ represents virtue, truth and righteousness. We will see Jesus come back on a ‘white horse’ – (Rev 19:11). However, this one riding here in Rev 6:1 is not Jesus, this is a counterfeit virtue, a wolf dressed in lambs clothing. Dr’s and scientist wear white coats and we have been well taught to “trust your doctors, “trust the science”, trust the ‘pharma’cutical companies – (pharmacy comes from the Greek word ‘pharmakeia’ which is in the bible translated as ‘sorcery’ and witch craft). They are (were) considered the most virtuous of all professions. Well, we have found out what only few knew from the beginning, there was corruption from within from the very beginning in both of this “pandemic’ from both the medical and scientific communities as well as the governmental agencies around the globe including the WHO (World Health Organization)
Notice also the one riding this ‘white horse’ has a bow, which represents bows and arrows that it shoots, like the ‘vaccine’ which is actually experimental gene therapy and is now being proven to have caused massive debilitating -many life altering and shortening – side effects and according to some data analyzers, has led to millions of deaths.
Finally notice this rider on the white horse has a crown. The Covid virus is called a Corona virus, and it means CROWN! – HM Jan 2024]
The lie, this time, is to acknowledge Joe Biden as ‘winning’ the presidency, when it is very clear to anyone with ‘eyes and ears’ that this was a fraudulent and stolen election on a massive and multi dimensional scale. And they all know, or should know, this election was fraudulent from both internal and external sources. Massive and redundant evidence. Yet they will now once again, bow their knee to Baal, because that is exactly what Biden represents. And these are not insignificant leaders of the US church or Government. They are basically cowards (or compromised), who are like Neville Chamberlain, seeking ‘peace in their time’ at the expense of their children and grandchildren’s generation! They have been deceived by a ‘lying spirit’ (2 Chron 18:18-24), what I call the “Neville Chamberlain”, appeasement spirit. There is no “Peace in our time” while bowing to and seeking to negotiate with and appease the devil. Jesus specifically said he did not come to bring peace but a sword.
Matt 10:34-39
“Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. 35 For I have come to ‘set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law’; 36 and ‘a man’s enemies will be those of his own household.’ 37 He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. 38 And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. 39 He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it. NKJV
The Lord clearly told me that He would judge the US/western based church of Laodicea, Ephesus and the “whore of Babylon” and it is clear to me what the Lord has been doing through this election cycle and “PANdemic” – Pan is Baphomet. He is sifting out the sheep from the goats, the truth from the lies. The false or corrupt prophets from the true. At the end of 40 days from Dec 14th the Lord will make His judgements manifest. I suggest we do as the Ninevites did, totally humble and repent from the King to the animals. For He will rise up in judgement against this wicked and perverse generation.
Basically, the Lord is not interested in “Making America Great Again” (or even Israel Great Again), He is only interested in making His Son’s name great again! He is very much interested in judging and bringing harsh discipline (Pr 15:10) on the wayward, the wicked, the greedy rich and their kings, politicians and leaders —
(Including the wicked and Godless ‘scientist’ and ‘doctors’ (sorcerers) who are meddling with dangerous things, seeking to depopulate and euthanize [this has been stated directly] with their gene modification, nanotech/AI and electro-magnetic wave manipulation, in pursuit of power and control and ‘eternal youth’. While creating their ‘utopia’ “Brave New World” society, reintroducing [“as in the days of Noah“ and Lot— Luke 17:26-30, Matt 24-37] the demonic hybred/AI, gene manipulated ‘son’s of God’ the Nephylim , “giants”, with their controlled ‘human slaves’ , Gen 6:3.4!)
— and finally; judgement to the apostate, loveless, lukewarm and immoral house of God (1 Pet 4:17). And DJT is His Jehu, (2 Kings 9, 10) a sword– Kings 19:15-18) whether he does this from the office of the presidency or whether he was the catalyst for that judgement and ‘swamp cleaning’, is yet to be determined! Either way, He is a type of the sword of the Lord that is about to fall and He, the Lord, is crying out one final time to draw us out of Laodicea, Ephesus and Babylon and to come into the inner chamber while He does it. (Is 26:20 – 27:3). The Lord’s purpose is to bring down the wicked that are seeking to destroy the poor and stop the gospel from being preached to them and to stir up the remnant to find motivation to shake lose from their slumber and love of the world, to take the gospel to those same poor. Something the US/Western church to the most part has refused to do. So he is sending his angelic army to first convict and stir and then to cull the church!
The Spirit also led me back to an old teaching I did years ago called. “Where is John the Baptist?” As He said He would raise up true prophets who were like John who preached “Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven” is at hand and who like Him will take joy in only promoting the Lamb of God and who will not make a name for themselves or touch His glory or draw the flock or the resources of the flock to themselves or divide it into camps around themselves. (1 Cor 1)
One final point I felt led to share in this preface. In March of 1995, while having lunch with my former men’s group in a park in Maui, Hawaii (I was visiting from Japan), I had a full-on day vision. (There are witnesses to this) In a nutshell I was slowly lifted up the side of a massive tub or vat and when I reached the top, I looked over the edge and saw what I called a ‘purple ocean’ with little purple wave caps caused by the wind blowing over it. The Spirit asked me, “Son do you know what this is?” I said, “No sir” . He responded, “It is my new wine for the last days. And I have saved the best wine for last”. He then said, “The old wine is gone!” I then saw a massive and strong set of hands descending into view and in it was an old and empty sheep wine skin. Those hands begin to squeeze and wring out of that skin every last drop, on to the ground beside the vat, none was put in the new wine! This was done firmly and thoroughly but not violently. Once finished I watched these huge and massive hands lay the crumpled and wringed out wined skin, GENTLY on the ground beside the huge vat of new wine, He treated it with respect. The Spirit then went on to say, “Son, I am about to shake and change everything; how church and ministry and yes even missions is done. No longer will I anoint or raise up individual men and ministries to represent my Kingdom. That wine is now gone. My new wine is READY, however I must have NEW WINE SKINS to put it in.” The scripture about New wine in old wine skins came to mind. (You cannot put new wine in old wine skins both will be destroyed.) “Will you let me make you into a new wine skin?” Luke 5:34-39 (There is a real process in taking an old wine skin and making it new and it is not an easy or pleasant one for us ‘living wine skins’.)
The Spirit told me to add this vision here, He then went on to say, ‘Son I have given this generation of Shepherds, Prophets, Stewards and Teachers 25 years to allow me to make them a new wine skin, few have heeded the call. The final call is now, this is their last chance. Tell them, spare not the word!
Holbert Marie
April 7, 2020 (edited/updated Dec 18, 2020)
Seventeen days ago, I released a word that the Lord gave me about the corona “virus”, I had, or will, re attach it to this one (link posted above). You may want to read it first if you have not. In any case each of you should judge if it and this is the word of the Lord, but understand, whatever your judgement is, that will be on you, and it has no real impact on the validity or accuracy of it, that is for the Lord to decide and He alone will judge whether or not what I have to say here is of Him or not and to Him will I be giving an account for it!
Though I surely do not enjoy the role of Micaiah (2 Chron 18-19:3) or Ezekiel, (my namesake– ‘Watchman”) it is a role unfortunately that I am all too familiar with. It is a role that I thought I was finished playing. Simply put, I was hoping the Lord would let me off the hook and it is clear to me that HE HAS NOT! I had also said there was more to come. Here is that second part.
The Lord clearly showed me (and confirmed by many others) what His will or desire is, that in this ‘crisis’, He wants to ‘raise a standard against the enemies flood’ (Is 59:19) and turn it on the enemy’s head, (it is He who allowed the enemy to launch it) and this He will surely do it, but if we are not in the right position —(approaching Him as the Canaanite woman from Tyre and Sidon did— where Jezebel was from— Matt 15:21-28) — we will not really like what that actually looks like and many will be left behind and not recognize it and like the Pharisees of Jesus day and the children of Israel that the Lord led out of Egypt, they will end up dying in the wilderness, as Hebrews 3:7 – 4:11 warns us. We should not presume, like the 5 virgins who did not maintain oil in their lamps (Matt 25) that we will be part of this.
He desires to bring us to ‘repentance’ and to release a ‘revival’ (However, if there is No conviction of sin and humble repentance, there will be no real revival). Yet there will most definitely be a move of God but that does not mean that it will be for the US/western church to continue in any role of significance in this last move of God before He returns, especially if they continue in their ‘old wine skin’ Babylonian/Laodecian ways.
However, I fear that the vast majority of the shepherds, prophets, teachers and businessmen (stewards) have no real clue of what ‘repent’ means or what to repent of. There has been little call to repent and even less teaching on repentance! Nor do most know what a real ‘revival’ or true move of God, in this day and age, would look like. They have never experienced it. I think it would be wise to remember that the vast majority of Jews in Jesus’s day thought that Jesus would come to “Make Israel Great Again” and when Jesus did not do that, they were calling out for Barabbas a few short days later! So like the Jews of Jesus day, many western and American Christians equate a revival to a resurgence of national prestige, prosperity and power or increase in miracle or numbers for their particular ministries! Malachi sums it up well in his confrontive, corrective and ‘exhortive’ prophecy which is primarily directed at the shepherds, priest, leaders and God’s people. It is the last one before the coming of the Lord and so it shall be again!
Mal 3:1-5
“Behold, I send My messenger, And he will prepare the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, Will suddenly come to His temple, Even the Messenger of the covenant, In whom you delight. Behold, He is coming, “Says the Lord of hosts.”
2 “But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner’s fire And like launderers’ soap. 3 He will sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver; He will purify the sons of Levi, And purge them as gold and silver*, That they may offer to the Lord An offering in righteousness.
4 “Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem Will be pleasant to the Lord, As in the days of old, As in former years. 5 And I will come near you for judgment; I will be a swift witness Against SORCERERS, Against adulterers, Against perjurers, Against those who exploit wage earners and widows and orphans, And against those who turn away an alien — Because they DO NOT FEAR ME, “Says the Lord of hosts. NKJV
*One could say that He will purge them from THE LOVE OF GOLD AND SILVER AND THE LOVE OF THE WORLD AND PRIDE, THE PRIDE OF LIFE BOTH PERSONAL AND NATIONAL (ETHNIC/TRIBAL)!!
THE FEAR OF THE LORD FELL
In April 2001, I had the most ‘powerful’ encounter I have ever had with my Lord and my God, I call it the “The Baptism of the Fear of the Lord” encounter. I have never been the same! In a nutshell, I was enveloped in what I can only describe as a “rolling ball/bubble of power”, (thunder and lightning and rumblings)”. In the midst of this ‘bubble of raw immeasurable power’ several things were happening to me all at the same time:
1.) I was uncontrollably shaking in fear.
2.) There was a revelation that this ‘bubble’ had absolute authority over both my physical life as well as my spiritual/after life. (Matt 10:28, Luke 12:5) Along with this revelation came an understanding that I cannot live more than 5 minutes without air and that the ruler of this ‘bubble’, the HOLY SPIRIT, could choose to remove the air out of the bubble I was in and I would quickly die of asphyxiation though there was life giving air all around me! I saw in my mind the air going down into my lungs and that somehow, through some unknown mystery, there is a transfer of ‘the Spirit of life’ from the air into my blood! The life is in the blood through the air ‘the breath of God‘!
3.) Scripture was being downloaded into my mind, it overwhelmed me, I could not even begin to process it! I begged the Lord to please stop, the ‘flood’ stopped and focused on Ephesians 4:11-19 and He opened my mind and I received revelation from it. I was absolutely overwhelmed at the sum of it all and very much afraid, but it was a Holy fear, there was a deep peace, even if He choose to slay me, in the midst of it; though I was afraid to even move or speak or look up; I finally, with trembling, simply and softly said, in my east Texas native accent. “Yes Sir!?”
I then heard the Lord, clearly in my mind, I heard him respond back to me in my native east Texas accent, with feeling and authority; “I am of the opinion that I am the head of my church!”
There was a pause and I became exceedingly afraid! I was the senior ‘elder/pastor’ of a small, but not insignificant, International fellowship in Japan, but I was in the process of turning over leadership to the elders and return, as directed by Him, (confirmed prophetically by a reputable, and in some circles, well known prophet) with wife and children, to the US. However, the fear of death or punishment passed quickly, and I became aware that this was a monologue, not a dialogue, it was not about me! It was about the Lord Jesus, the head of His church, having something on His heart that, for some unknown reason, He wanted to share with me. After a short pause to process this thought, the Lord went on to say with power, emphasis and purpose:
“Many men have built kingdoms in My name I never asked them to build, Many others have used My name to build kingdoms for themselves! AS I LIVE, I will give them a season to repent and they will bend their knee in my name, or I WILL BREAK THEIR KNEE IN MY NAME!”
The force and emotion of this word caused me to fall from a sitting position to the floor in a fetal position and I begin to weep deeply! I do not know how long I was like this. At the end of this, I looked up, in tears and trembling said, “Lord, what am I supposed to do with this?”
I heard Him say in my Spirit, “Son (it was the Father, he spoke gently, calmly but clearly) I want you to tell this warning to every single pastor, prophet, and anyone who claims to be a teacher or leader in MY Flock that you know or will meet when you return to the US!
I responded meekly. “Lord, why me? Who am I, I am a nobody, they will not listen to me!”
His response was quick and gentle. “It’s really simple son, because you’ll do it even though you don’t want to, your name means Watchmen and the warnings I gave Ezekiel are the same for you!”
I was undone and was obedient to that word to the best of my ability with much fear and trembling. I thought that the time for that ‘order’ had passed, I have just recently been told that it is not passed, not yet. Not until I do this! So, here we go!
WE ARE ALL CALLED TO REPENT, BUT WHAT IS REPENT?
Well, first let us define repent, because Heb 5:12– 6:6 is very much in play here, for the US/Western church in general has abandoned the doctrine of repentance, without which no one can be saved. (Luke 13:1-3). So, it is like really important! The word is a combo English word made up of the ‘re’ and ‘pent’. Re is repetitive and it also invokes a repetitive action, ‘re’ turn, means to turn around and go back to where you came from, ‘re’ consider means to stop, think about it again, it is a call to change one’s opinion on a matter and then to change ones thinking, attitude or behavior. The word pent comes from penance, the root of this is an admission of guilt or wrongdoing to do ‘penance’ is to both to acknowledge your guilt or wrong and to take take action to make it right, so it is more than just a feeling or thought, there is action involved. John the Baptist, the prophet of repentance, told the Pharisees to go and bear ‘the fruit of repentance’. So, it basically is a call to re consider your selfish attitude and actions, feel the guilt and condemnation of it. Admit it, own it. And then turn away from it and start doing the right thing or make restitution. (However, we cannot do that on our own, but sometimes one has to try, because they think they are ‘good’. (rich young ruler) Hopefully, they come to the realization that they are not good, because unless one does, you will not repent and you will, in the end, perish!) The Greek word for ‘repent’ in the New Testament is “metaneo” and it means to feel compunction, guilt (conviction of sin) to reconsider, and then to turn away from wrong actions or, stating it simply, sin. To put it all together, in summary, it means to stop, look at what you are doing, where you are going, what you believe, reconsider it, take note of your sin and rebellion to God’s ways, change your mind and direction, turning away from it. That is the essence of repentance.
However, it it is not enough to feel some guilt, be ‘sorry’ and then seek to turn away from our sin (selfish rebellious behavior), or to attempt to start doing ‘right’ on our own, because we cannot do that. No amount of ‘good deeds – ‘penance; without the ‘re’ – done to atone for wrong or sin will work. I have never succeeded in changing myself! Furthermore, we can not ‘undo’ a wrong done more often than not. The US church knows this, and has hammered it home, but they have greatly discounted the need for a person to DO SOMETHING and that is repent, to turn towards and COME to Him (Christ) and allow the Holy Spirit to do the deep work of conviction, and cause them to see and recognize, and yes feel guilt and deep sorrow and SHAME over their sin and rebellion! This is Godly sorrow (2 Cor 7:8-10), it leads a person to real repentance for it is of the Spirit of God that is causing this. Not to condemn us but to draw us to Jesus so we can be saved! So, when we rush through this point of feeling sorry or shame for our sin – (so as to lighten or rush through the pain or burden of conviction) – which is the heart of repentance, or don’t even allow it at all, because we do not want people to feel or manifest the pain and shame of sin and we don’t want them to feel embarrassed, condemned or rejected; WE ARE ACTUALLY GETTING IN THE WAY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT DRAWING A PERSON TO THERE KNEES, SO THEY CRY OUT TO THE LORD, THE SAVIOR THEY (and we all) SO DESPERATELY NEED. We have forgotten this truth:
John 16:7-11
Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. 8 And when He has come, He will CONVICT the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: 9 of sin, because they do not believe in Me; 10 of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; 11 of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged. NKJV
Many never knew it because this has not been taught and the ‘fear of the Lord‘ has not been mentored for DECADES! We were all ‘the Lost’ at some point and WERE CONDEMNED AND REJECTED AND UNLESS WE REPENT WILL SUFFER THE CONSEQUENCES OF IT, for the Lord is not a respecter of persons and Paul makes this redundantly clear in Romans 1 and 2.
How many times has this scripture been quoted to the lost in some sort of altar call?:
John 3:16-17
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.….
This is one of the most quoted and memorized scripture! It is a wonderful scripture, and a powerful hope and truth. But who knows what Jesus said right after this and it is the second part of the same passage, how often is it taught to the lost?
John 3:18-21
…”He who believes in Him – (this ‘believes’ is not passive or token in nature. One can believe in lots of things that really have no real depth of value to ones life!) – is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned ALREADY, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. 21 But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.” NKJV
The sinner, the lost, (of which we all were) — those who do not at the time, believe, KNOW-ginosko– Jesus, ARE ALREADY CONDEMNED. They need to know it and yes, even feeling the fear of that condemnation, and they need to feel the guilt and shame of it! How many times has this been rushed through in ‘altar calls’ and then the magic “repeat after me” prayer of acceptance of Jesus is quickly uttered and repeated and now they are WHAM saved! (And evangelist and ministers can claim hundreds coming to Jesus or through their ministry which you can financially support!) OH MY! Many have just received a ‘gospel inoculation’. They now are resistant to the real gospel because they have received a false one! They have their ‘get out of hell free card’ (or so they think) and to add insult to injury they are now told they are ‘saved forever‘, no matter what! This is a ‘repententless’ gospel and a very dangerous doctrine. There is no real depth of conviction or ‘considering your way’. No real asking of the question, “Adam where are you!?” These are the ones who will fall away as 2 Thes 2:3-12 says and they will and have become, our greatest enemy of the faith! These are the second seed of the parable of the sower. (Matt 13) They receive the word with joy, but when persecution or troubles come, they quickly fall away. They were never told to ‘count the cost‘ (Luke 14:28), They, were sold and bought a lie, they made a deal with God, ‘You get my sin and I get eternal life and I really do not have to do anything and I can live the way I want and you still have to give me eternal life’, WHAT A DEAL. Too bad it is not truth, they never had the gospel that Jesus preached told to them.
THE REAL GOSPEL JESUS PREACHED
Luke 14:25-35
Now great multitudes went with Him. And He turned and said to them, 26 “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. 27 And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. 28 For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it — 29 lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, 30 saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’ 31 Or what king, going to make war against another king, does not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? 32 Or else, while the other is still a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks conditions of peace. 33 So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.
34 “Salt is good; but if the salt has lost its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? 35 It is neither fit for the land nor for the dunghill, but men throw it out. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!” NKJV
Jesus was not too concerned about making one feel sorrowful, bad or offending someone! In fact, He is called the “stumbling stone, the rock of offense” (1 Pet 2:6-8). He knew that if they were not convicted of their sin and see the need for a savior, they would never come to Him. If we are not ‘offended’ and convicted, we never come to repentance and if we do not repent we cannot really be saved! The truth is the depth of our repentance is going to equal the depth of our love and devotion to the Lord, because the reality is that those who know they are forgiven of much will love much and those who think they are OK, and don’t need much forgiveness will love little. Luke 7:44-50 They just think they got a ‘sweetheart deal!’ Jesus does everything, gets tortured and dies for their sin and they don’t have to do anything except receive it and they get to go on and live their lives the way they wish and Jesus is always ‘there for you‘ to forgive them and give them heaven. (Here is the real question that needs to be asked, ‘are you there’ for Him and for others!?) This is just simply not true! Salvation is a free gift but it is not cheap. It actually is a trade, You get His life, and HE GETS YOURS. We definitely get the better side of that deal, but it is not just a one sided as many false teachers teach!
The truth is we are all sinners in need of MUCH FORGIVENESS and continually, it is not a onetime deal! Neither is repentance, Jesus told most the churches in Revelation 2 and 3 that they needed to repent, specifically Ephesus (the evangelical movement of today) and Laodicea, (the charismatic/Spirit filled/’prophetic’ church of today) and Sardis (dead church ‘with a name’) and Thyatira (for allowing ‘Jezebel’ to seduce and teach sexual immorality in the church) . The sin nature is in us, from the fall, and will be through our time in this body of flesh. As long as we are in this body, we will have a carnal sin nature to contend with and therefore repentance (humbly coming before Him and considering our ways) should be a regular thing we do. Paul spoke truly when he said of himself (later in his life) that ‘I AM the CHIEF, FOREMOST OF SINNERS’ (1 Tim 1:15), not was, but presently IS/AM! We must daily seek to turn to Jesus, die to self and take up our cross and guard against becoming ‘flavorless salt’ that is worse than useless (Matt 5:13), it is just in the way, with no light shining (the Lord warned Ephesus that if they did not repent He would take their light away! If they had not repented in the first place they would of had no light, candle stand, to take away!) We must continually seek to turn away from our sin nature and we cannot do that without His ever present grace that we must receive from HIM, not just for salvation, but for life and godliness, every day (like manna), it is His gift. Paul makes this clear in Romans, Galatians and Ephesians, REDUNDANTLY!
So, repentance is just the first step to conviction and Godly sorrow, which leads to salvation. We cannot repent without the Helper, the Holy Spirit, who is the one who convicts us of our sin and rebellion. (John 16:7-11). This conviction leads us to take a real honest look at the truth, it causes us to see, with honest eyes, our wicked nature and the consequences we will receive because of it. It drives us to the Lord. We will never do this if we do not ever acknowledge or see how wicked and sinful we really are, and that we have sinned and Romans 2:4 calls this leading us to repentance; the kindness or goodness of the Father. It is discipline, something an entire generation of US/Western believes pretty much grew up without! (Heb 12:7-11) My generation was a spoiled, narcissistic generation and we raised a generation of kids that is even more so that had no discipline that believes it is all about them! Basically, a FATHERLESS generation. And what does Malachi 4:5-6 say:
5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet Before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. 6 And he will turn The hearts of the fathers to the children, And the hearts of the children to their fathers, Lest I come and strike the earth with a curse.”
It is this call to repentance, which were the first words that both John the Baptist and Jesus began their ministries calling for. (Matt 3:2, Matt 4:17)
SO WHAT DOES THIS GENERATION NEED TO REPENT OF?
The vast majority of the ‘leaders’ both :”Priest’ Zech 3 and ‘Kings’ Zech 4 (Who Haggai prophesied to as well!) in the body need to repent and, come out of Laodicea, Ephesus (and the other 3 churches that are rebuked or corrected) and Babylon ‘’the love of the world and money”. Yet most don’t know what that means and they are seeking to replace a ‘broken and contrite heart’ (Psalm 51) with ‘sacrifices’, acts or rituals like communion or doing Passover or with physical fasting (Is 58 gives us what is the ‘acceptable fast’), or other coordinated programs, or “10 Steps or Keys to ….” formula books or traditions, or even ‘praise and worship’ (Matt 15:8,9)! So here is a list of things that we (The 5 fold offices of Eph 4 and “Joseph’s, Zerubbabel’s, ‘Kings’ stewards who make and handle money) should go through and see if there are things that need to be ‘repented’ of and corrected! As the Lord says to the church of Laodicea (Rev 3:15) — the one that appears ‘rich and lacks nothing’ but are actually poor, naked, blind and wretched, where the Lord is actually on the outside knocking on the door of HIS CHURCH, asking to be invited in to have a meal with us — “Be zealous and repent”!
- Using the name of the Lord and the gifts that He has given to build a name for yourselves (like a tower of Babel Gen 11:4) or profit (Balaam)! Love of the world and the praise of men. TAKING HIS GLORY!
Any time one creates, promotes or markets the name of a church or ministry or your own name you are acting like Nimrod or Balaam and are actually competing with the Lord Jesus Christ for the affections, attentions and resources of HIS FLOCK that HE ALONE is the head of! And you’re actually, maybe unwittingly, aiding and abetting the enemy in dividing the flock into ‘camps’. (The first thing Paul chastised and sought to correct the Corinthians for in 1 Cor 1-3). Furthermore, if you also take a honorific/positional ‘title’ for yourself, like pastor, prophet, apostle, etc (Matt 23:6-11) as part of your title, ‘calling card’ or ‘name’ and seek for people to address you as such, you are elevating yourself over others and creating ‘class distinctions’ and can be creating ‘exclusive clubs’ in the body and in danger of becoming a Pharisee and receiving the same seven woe judgements as they did! Jesus himself clearly instructs and warns His 12 apostles to not do this! (Matt 20:20 – 28, Mark 10:35-45 and John 13:12-17, Matt 23:11.12) He alone is the ‘Good Shepherd’. All others are thieves and robbers and hirelings (John 10) and are very much in danger of being a part of this company: Matt 7:21-23
“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ (master, master) shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?‘ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never KNEW (ginosko) you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!‘
These are wolves in sheep’s clothing who use the flock for their own gain, name and fame! (John 10, Phil 1:15.16) They are as Jude (the half brother of Jesus) said about them:
Jude 4-7
For certain men (and also women — Rev 3:20-23) have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ.
5 But I want to remind you, though you once knew this, that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe. 6 And the angels who did not keep their proper domain, but left their own abode, He has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day; 7 as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities around them in a similar manner to these, having given themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh, are set forth as an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.
And here is the deal, they may actually speak the true prophetic word of the Lord, like Balaam did, but this ultimately creates confusion in the flock! Balaam was NOT a false prophet, He became a CORRUPT prophet and they are worse than false prophets! The Lord gives his greatest and most fiery rebukes and warnings to the shepherds of Israel, Ezk. 34 and the Pharisees, Sadducees, and lawyers and scribes (educated teachers and leaders) of His day absolutely going off on them in Matt 23! Do we really think it will be any different for those of us who do these things today? Or are we a new special ‘last days’ people, that have some sort of new special privileges and His words don’t apply to us? There is a reason James told us that there should not be many teachers, for we will incur the stricter judgement! (James 3:1)
- Preaching a false ‘feel good, no cost, ‘repententless’ gospel and refusing to ‘rebuke’, correct, or discipline our children or flocks (abdicating our God ordained positions as men to be Fathers, Pastors and Elders)
We have covered this once, But it bears repeating again, IT IS THAT IMPORTANT. This is actually an ‘anti-gospel’, a gospel inoculation, that requires no repentance. No contrition of sin! No counting of cost, (Luke 14:28) no dying to self (Gal 2:20). No taking up of the cross to follow Him (Matt 16:24, Mark 8:34, Mark 10:21, Luke 9:23) and no “enduring to the end to be saved” (Matt 10:22, Matt 24:13, Mark 13:13)’, No “working out your salvation with fear and trembling!” (Phil 2:12) No ‘selling of all and giving to the poor‘–Mark 10:21-22! — (As quoted above, the ‘Gospel of Jesus’ Luke 14:25-35, is the total opposite of this, He is speaking to the MULTITUDES that would seek to ‘follow Him’, that is EVERYBODY!) — A painless gospel that requires no suffering, there is a teaching that any and all suffering is from the devil! Yet God the Father appointed His own Son to suffer. Even learning obedience through it (Heb 5:7-11) — Paul specifically said that he wanted to partake of the ‘fellowship of suffering’ (Phil 3:10-12). — A watered down ‘gospel’ (that is an anti-gospell) that allows one to be both saved —- (and that forever no matter what you do going forward while– John 5:28,29, Heb 6:4-8, 2 Pet 2:19-20 and many others says otherwise) —- and to gain all the comforts and pleasures of the world as well! Because of the rampant preaching of this false gospel, we will have the great falling away or offense that both Jesus and Paul clearly prophesied would happen (2 Thes 2:3, Matt 24:9-13) when tribulation (Matt 13:21, Luke 7:13) and persecution increase, AND IT WILL INCREASE and sooner then we think! Vast numbers of sheep can no longer discern the difference between the conviction (rebuke/correction) of the Holy Spirit (John 16:8) and the condemnation that comes from the devil (Rom 8:1).
Basically, anything that makes us feel bad or sorrowful or confronts us is quickly labeled as condemnation or ‘negative/hurtful’ and now true prophecy is called ‘hate speech’ or ‘condemning’ and thus from Satan and is quickly swept away, putting it “under the blood of Jesus” and cast it, and the messenger who brought it, aside. We no longer are called to examine or consider such a word, or even allow ourselves or the Lord to correct us as a good Father does His Son (Heb 12:5-11). We are not taught to deal with our sin and then bear the fruit of repentance that comes from the GODLY SORROW of conviction! (2 Cor 7:10) We have little to no ability to give or receive a rebuke or correction through scripture or from the Lord or fathers and elders or those we have sinned against or have sinned against us. This was Cain’s issue, he could not receive correction or a rebuke, and we know what that led too (Gen 4)! Scripture and Jesus, clearly told us that we should ‘rebuke’ our neighbor if they ‘offend’ or sin against you or the truth. TO NOT DO SO IS TO HATE THEM!
Lev 19:17-18
‘You shall not hate your brother in your heart. You shall surely rebuke your neighbor, and not bear sin because of him. 18 You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord. NKJV
and Jesus said:
Luke 17:3-4
Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, REBUKE him; and if he repents, forgive him. 4 And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, ‘I repent,’ you shall forgive him.” NKJV
and also:
Matt 18:15 “Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother...” NKJV
[There are two important points to be made on this:1.) We should properly define what ‘sins against you’, means and what it does not mean.
This does not mean necessarily ‘hurt your feelings’, or ‘not agree with you’ or ‘give you what you want’. If that was the case then any time a parent (including God the Father) ‘rebukes, corrects or disciplines a child or says ‘no’, then that would be ‘sinning against’ them! Jesus offended people’s feelings all the time! He also said ‘no’. When feelings are based on ‘selfish desire/ambition’ (James 3:14) and ‘lies’ and not truth, these feelings NEED TO BE OFFENDED, confronted, rebuked and repented of. They are coming from the flesh. Feelings are real and we need to be aware of them (and when possible sensitive to them), but we cannot allow ourselves to be manipulated or controlled by them or allow it to keep us from speaking truth or correction. This is deadly! We need to subject our feelings to the truth, the Logos, the word, for this will set us free. We need to conform to the truth and not seek to conform truth to our feelings! Some times when one does not hear a soft word, strong and hard words are necessary. If your child is about to grab hold of a live, exposed electrical wire, a soft word is not appropriate! The level of the tone or volume of the ‘rebuke’ or correction is dependent on the severity of the situation. This is why God sends prophets by the way, the people have become dull of hearing and have not heard the repeated soft calls to return and repent. So now God sends the hammer, the trumpet, the last call before judgement and strong discipline begins! True prophets don’t bring soft words. They bring truth whether you like or feel good about it is of no consequence. They don’t necessarily enjoy the call either, it is often a lonely and difficult call and a dangerous, often life threatening one, as well.
We see Jesus do this in Matt 23, after repeated attempts to reach out in love to teach and instruct, correct and rebuke; He went fully ballistic on them, even calling them strong, but truthful, names! This was in love (everything Jesus did was motivated by Love, that is who God is), because the danger of the situation was desperate and desperate situations call for strong desperate responses! Peter’s opening sermon in Acts 2 is ‘offensive’, he directly blamed them for turning Jesus over to the Romans and the cross! This is what led them to be ‘cut to the heart’, which led to their salvation and being filled with the Holy Spirit! Far too many of the Lord’s ‘shepherds’ (may not be His shepherds at all, Ezk 34) and leaders go through their ministry with one goal, “offend no one”. They will find themselves in the same situation with the same rebuke and possibly consequences as Eli ! (1 Sam 2:22-36)
I do not think I need to define what ‘sins’ against you’ means, we all know when we have been ‘wronged’ or when we have been lied about or stolen from, or misrepresented or misquoted. Even then Jesus says when this does happen, we are to go to them and speak up, in love, and if necessary rebuke them and point it out, for their benefit and the benefit of the relationship. This is a commandment from the Lord, not a suggestion. How we do that is another issue, — (the Lord’s rebukes and corrections of the churches of Revelation is a good example. He points out the positive (no flattery) and good things that are true, if there are any, and then delves into rebukes and corrections.) — but to NOT do it is disobedience and any ‘real’ uncontested offense or sin will eventually separate relationships. You will draw away from them or there will be a blockage in the relationship, and many times the brother or sister who is ‘offended’ has no clue of what they have done. I have been guilty of that far more then I would wish to admit, and have been convicted of this as well. There is a phrase that I have heard that has helped me to deal with this issue, “You can’t drive a ten ton truck of truth over a 2 ton bridge of love and expect the bridge to remain intact afterwards.”
I will say that I am not a proponent of ‘rebuking’ everyone who has offended you in some way. These are ‘spec finders’ – Matt 7:3, Luke 6:41. What we have to weigh out is the impact and weight of the sin and offense has on them or us and our relationship before engaging. Many times there are just misunderstandings because of a lack of real communication and then presumptions and judgements are made. This is also deadly. Still there are times when the situation is critical of life or ‘soul’ threatening enough to just put the peddle to the meddle and let it go and hope that the ‘ten ton truck of truth’ is received and hope that maybe later the bridge will not only be restored but strengthened. However, it is best to remember that the whole purpose of a ‘rebuke’ or correction is to keep them from harming themselves or straying away into deception, or maintaining a healthy and godly relationship with them. It is not to rule over or vent anger or use a position of authority to manipulate them for your own benefit or bash them into submission. Jesus never did that, nor did he allows others to do that to Him. Love is always the key, what is the driving motivation for the rebuke or correction!?
There are times when a person’s nature or personality is one that we find ‘offensive’ to us, or reminds of one who was abusive, however, this is not them truly offending or sinning against us. That is not their issue, it’s ours! Jesus offended a lot people just for being who He is – God in the flesh! It is not His problem! There has been much neglecting of this clear commandment simply because we are seeking to create unity and harmony – (like Jehoshaphat attempted with Ahab — 2 Chon 18, 19.) However this a false unity and peace, that nearly got him killed – (there is no unity or fellowship with Baal or his rep, like Ahab or Hitler! — Here is talking to you Neville Chamberlain.) – and will lead many astray! Peace and harmony is only truly found on the foundation of truth which is the Lord Jesus Christ, the ‘stumbling block’, ‘the way, the Truth and the life‘- and hearing and obeying His words and commandments (John 8:31, 14:10, 15:10) and you will abide in His love and will be ‘one’ with one another!
2.) We need to understand what ‘rebuke’ means and how we should do it, it is a clear commandment and delegated responsibility from the Lord to fathers, shepherds and elders.
REBUKE: NT:2008 GREEK> epitimao (ep-ee-tee-mah’-o); from NT:1909 (epi- over or upon) and NT:5091 (timao – to prize, give value or revere) ; to tax upon, i.e. censure or admonish; by implication, forbid: KJV – (straitly) charge, rebuke. (Strong’s New Exhaustive Concordance)
The word ‘rebuke’ or ‘charged’ (‘epitimao’) is used, ‘coincidentally’, thirty times in the New Testament (Judas betrayed the Lord for 30 pieces of silver) and here are few of the reference scriptures for it’s use.
Matt 8:26 – Jesus rebuked the winds and the storm. Matt 12:16 — He strictly ‘charged’ His apostles to not yet reveal who He is at that time. Mark 1:25 – Jesus rebukes an unclean spirit commanding it to be quiet and come out. Mark 8:32 and 8:33. Peter rebukes Jesus for saying He would go to the cross. Earning a strong rebuke in response. — (Peter was trying to exercise authority over the Lord – this was right after Jesus commended Peter calling him a rock, which went right to Peter’s head and ego — and the Lord rebuked Peter and then commanded Satan to get behind him, basically stating that Peter’s attempt to usurp power and exercise authority was demonically inspired! A week after this Jesus took Peter, James and John to the top of the mountain (probably Mount Hermon) — were once again Peter is rebuked, this time by Holy Spirit and the Father! It was not the last time, LOL! ) — Mark 10:13 –The disciples ‘rebuked’ those who sought to bring the children to Jesus who was ‘much displeased’ with this, earning them a strong correction and reprimand from the Lord telling them to, “Suffer (put up with, allow with grace and patience the inconvenience) the little children to come unto me and forbid them not: for us such is the Kingdom of Heaven.” Mark 10:48– the multitudes ‘charged’ blind Bartimaeus to shut up, and he refused to submit to their rebuke, gaining his desire, his sight and a place in scripture! Luke 4:39 – Jesus rebuked a fever. Luke 9:55, Jesus rebuked James and John – (calling them the ‘son’s of thunder and chaos‘ – which is Zeus and Baal – Jesus is an equally opportunity ‘rebuker’) – for seeking to call down fire from heaven to consume the Samaritans. Luke 19:39 –the pharisees demanded that Jesus rebuke His followers who were praising Him, on the day He came riding into Jerusalem, Jesus refused to do so. 1 Tim 1:5 — Paul instructs the young man Timothy to not rebuke an elder, but to entreat him as a father. 2 Tim 4:2-4 – Later Paul again instructs Timothy as a pastor and leader to: “Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, REBUKE, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. 3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; 4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.” KJV
“Rebuking and correction” is the unpleasant, but a most necessary, part of the job description for fathers, pastors and leaders. One that has been greatly diminished or, on the opposite side of the spectrum, abused in the majority of today’s western/US style church. And finally Jude 9 – where Jesus’s half brother, tell us that we ourselves should not presumptuously seek to rebuke “dignitaries, (demonic principalities) with our own authority. Using Michael as an example as one who called upon the Lord to rebuke the devil when contending with him.
In all thirty instances the word ‘rebuke’ or ‘charged’ is a strong, direct word. Jesus uses it to command wind, weather, demons, physical ailments, and correct, admonish or discipline his disciples (Heb 12:7-11). Men also use it and more often then not misuse it, seeking to take authority that is not theirs to take, and bully their way to get what they want or ‘win’ an argument or pull the ‘authority’ card, and thus we remove it all together from our list of duties to execute both as fathers, pastors and leaders and like Eli -(1 Sam 3:11-14, but especially 13 – ” . . . For I have told him that I will judge his house forever for the iniquity which he knows, because his sons made themselves vile, and he did not restrain (rebuke) them.”) – we will be held accountable for not ‘restraining/rebuking’ our children and those under our watch when we see them going astray from the truth and scripture. And we will give an account to the true Shepherd and Father.
- For ‘robbing God’ of both His glory and His resources
The tithes and the offerings, the first fruits were NEVER designated for buildings, administration or programs, etc. Not one penny of tithe and offering funds went into any of this, in both the Old and New Testaments. The first fruits were for people. Let’s look at what Malachi 3, the one that seemingly every minister, pastor, et. al uses to manipulate the flock to give money to them; and what the Lord really has to say about this.
Mal 3:8-10
“Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, ‘In what way have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings. 9 You are cursed with a curse, For you have robbed Me, Even this whole nation.10 Bring all the tithes (first fruits) into the STOREHOUSE, THAT THERE MAYBE FOOD IN MY HOUSE. And try Me now in this, “Says the Lord of hosts, “If I will not open for you the windows of heaven And pour out for you such blessing (production of food and what is needed) That there will not be room enough to receive it.
Here is the question, WHAT IS THE STOREHOUSE. Well, here is what Deut 14:28-29 has to say:
At the end of every third year you shall bring out the tithe of your produce of that year and store it up (storehouse) within your gates. 29 And the Levite, because he has no portion nor inheritance with you, and the stranger and the fatherless and the widow who are WITHIN YOUR GATES, may come and eat and be satisfied, that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hand which you do.
No where in scripture was the tithe ever used, in both the old and new testament, for any building or maintenance of for purchasing of programs or furniture, etc. The tithe was 100% for people, always, and we see that done in Acts
Acts 4:32-35
Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul; neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common. 33 And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all. 34 Nor was there anyone among them who lacked; for all who were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the proceeds of the things that were sold, 35 and laid them at the apostles’ feet; (who in Acts 6 turned over the administration of funds to the seven, who took responsibility for the distribution out of the STOREHOUSE) and they DISTRIBUTED to each as anyone had need. NKJV
The priest/pastors/elders/Fathers/Reverends (Pharisees/Saduccees/Scribes/Elders) of Jesus’s day had become so corrupt, they took larges salaries for themselves, living fat on the tithes and offerings of the flock that they looked down on in disgust. Jesus called them a ‘den of thieves’. They were taking the widows mite and building physical buildings that the Lord condemned to destruction (Matt 24:1-3). Jesus clearly declared his displeasure on them in Matt 23 as mentioned before, pronouncing seven woes on them.
The western church is totally guilty of this, Few ‘churches’ — den of thieves — has any storehouse for it’s people, And now that crisis, drought, has come the flock languishes. And even now, many ministries, churches and ‘prophets’ are requesting more tithes and donations and many are and have been SELLING PARAPHERNALIA AND BOOKS AND MARKETING THEIR WARES in the temple. Some prophets who produce a yearly prophetic booklet who used to make it available for free, now charge for the insights that supposedly the Lord gave them! They are peddling the word of God (if it is the word of God)!
The US and their church offspring, has spent billions and billion, if not trillions on facilities, high tech audio visual systems, and millions more on lavish stage and studio set ups, even smoke machines, (vain fire)! Many have huge and lavish houses, 100s of suits and shoes, luxury cars, personal body guards (security), even personal airplanes so they can ‘minister’ to the poor as if the poor need them and their ‘anointing’ more than they need Jesus or food or true laborers who would come to live among them! And then they can create a marketing video about their anointing and how thousands were saved and healed, drawing more resources and fame for themselves (How many true shepherds have been imprisoned or killed in China and other persecuted countries because of this exposure from celebrity western ministers on media and social media!!) There is so much corruption, love of money, love of fame and name, in the Babylonian western church, GOD MUST AND WILL JUDGE IT.
The question is not if, but when. It will be soon very soon and if one has eyes to see and ears to hear, you can see it entering even now. In the midst of this, the Lord will raise an Is 60, Philadelphia (Rev 3:7-14) humble, with the ‘fear of the Lord‘, that trembles at His name — the broken and poor remnant church that is filled with praise, ‘a little power’ and has the ‘key of David‘ — who never sought promotion by his own hand and had a ‘broken and contrite heart’ – (the true ‘key of David‘ – Ps 51:16,17). They will only seek to exalt the name of Jesus and not themselves or their ‘ministries’, they will not sell what the Lord has imparted to them, instead, they freely will give what the Lord has given them away expecting nothing in return (Luke 14:12-14). The Lord will be their supply according to His riches and grace (Phil 4:14-20)! Money and the lust of flesh and the pride of life or the desire to be praised and followed by men, will have no power over them, in fact this ‘remnant’ will find those things odious — (Jude 23)
- For being presumptuous, demanding and cocky in the temple of the Lord and calling it FAITH
Scripture tells us to come boldly before the throne and HUMBLY make our petition and request with thanksgiving, Nowhere does it say to come boldly before His throne arrogantly and presumptuously making demands and declarations, seeking to manipulate Him to do His will our way and call it faith! When John, who knew Jesus well on earth saw him before His throne, he fell down like He was dead. The fear of the Lord is both the beginning of wisdom (Prov 1:7) and the ending (Eccl 12:13) – Solomon’s – the one who fell away – first and last statement of wisdom! He is a Holy consuming fire (Heb 12:28, 29). Bottom line, don’t get cocky or too familiar with the King of the Universe, and don’t get cocky around the evil ‘dignitaries’ either. Unless the Lord specifically leads you to engage (in which case, you call on the name of the Lord and tell it to leave with HIS AUTHORITY, not your own) and apart from the Lord having a hedge of protection and angels around you, he could crush you like a bug, just ask Job! It’s just not a good idea to run around touting yourself as a ‘devil busting child of God!’ (Jude 8-11)
CUTTING DEALS WITH GOD AND DECLARING IT BOLDLY IS NOT FAITH!
The ‘name it, proclaim it and frame it’ ‘prosperity’ doctrine that has crept it’s way into so many US/Western church’s, is an abomination of pride before the Lord. So is the ‘seed faith/ sowing and reaping’ doctrine that spawned it. This is the way of the world and it is the way of the “King of Tyre”,
Ezek 28:12-19
12 “Son of man, take up a lamentation for the king of Tyre, and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord God:
“You were the seal of perfection, Full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. 13 You were in Eden, the garden of God; Every precious stone was your covering: The sardius, topaz, and diamond, Beryl, onyx, and jasper, Sapphire, turquoise, and emerald with gold. The workmanship of your timbrels and pipes Was prepared for you on the day you were created.
14 “You were the anointed cherub who covers; I established you; You were on the holy mountain of God; You walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones. 15 You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, Till iniquity was found in you.
16 “By the abundance of your trading You became filled with violence within, And you sinned; Therefore I cast you as a profane thing Out of the mountain of God; And I destroyed you, O covering cherub, From the midst of the fiery stones.
17 “Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; You corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor; I cast you to the ground, I laid you before kings, That they might gaze at you.
18 “You defiled your sanctuaries By the multitude of your iniquities, By the iniquity of your trading; Therefore I brought fire from your midst; It devoured you, And I turned you to ashes upon the earth In the sight of all who saw you. 19 All who knew you among the peoples are astonished at you; You have become a horror, And shall be no more forever.”‘” NKJV
Tyre/Sidon is where Jezebel came from, it was a trading, merchant city, it is in present day Lebanon. This whole doctrine of giving with a primary motive to get a ‘financial return on investment’, is like trying to cut a deal with God, it is odious. WE ARE CALLED FIRST TO BE SLAVES. Jesus came as a slave (total subservience) to the Father (Phil 2:7), stating clearly that He only did and said what the Father showed and told him to do and speak! (John 8:28, 15:15, 10:32, 10:37) and also as a ‘slave/servant’, minister to us — He washed the disciples feet, the lowest job of a slave! It is the same ‘title’ that Paul used the most in his opening greetings. (In Luke 6:46-49 the word ‘Lord’ means MASTER, OWNER) Let’s see how the Lord responded when the disciples specifically asked Him to ‘increase their FAITH’ (Which is the entire foundational principle of the ‘reaping and sowing in faith’, expecting a return on investment. doctrine.)
Luke 17:5-10
And the apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith.” 6 So the Lord said, “If you have faith as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry (a type of fig) tree, ‘Be pulled up by the roots and be planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you. 7 And which of you, having a servant (slave, waiter, minister — “diakonos”) plowing or tending sheep, will say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come at once and sit down to eat?’ — (Huh?!? What does this have to do with his disciples request to ‘increase our faith’?) — 8 But will he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare something for my supper, and gird yourself and serve (wait on, minister to “diakoneo”) me till I have eaten and drunk, and afterward you will eat and drink’? 9 Does he thank that servant (steward/skilled slave/diakonos) because he did the things that were commanded him? I think not. 10 So likewise you, when you have done all those things which you are commanded, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants. We have done what was our DUTY to do.'”
Do you see what the Lord is saying about increasing faith? He is telling them to increase their service , to be humble like slaves and servants and do what the master says. (There is absolutely no “reaping and sowing” here, just humble service!) Think about it, ask the Holy Spirit to speak to you about this. It seems like a strange answer to the question, yes? Well here is the truth. Jesus said, “Where I am My servant will be also”
John 12:26
If anyone serves (diakoneo) Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant (diankonos) will be also. If anyone serves (diankoneo) Me, him My Father will honor. NKJV
If you are with the Master and listening to Him, then it is not hard to have faith, for you are hearing what He says! Here is the truth — faithful slaves or servants don’t go and try to cut deals with their Masters or Kings! You would never think about coming before the King or Ruler of the country you are living in and trying to cut a deal or make demands! However, they can surely make request with humble supplication and respect (Abraham’s steward, Gen 24)! And a master can surely reward an especially hard working and faithful servant with a bonus, like Mordecai, — (and that bonus maybe more service and in this case, personally serving the master, the Lord!) — if He so desires to do so, but the slave cannot demand or declare it. – (Prov 17:2 – A wise servant will rule over a son who causes shame, And will share an inheritance among the brothers.)
This reaping and sowing of money or ‘acts of service’ for the purpose of getting a specific return of investments or for a specific monetary return (blessing) is business, this is trading; or an attempt to flatter! it treats the King and the Son of God in a manner like an outsider, not family. You do not want God Most High Father treating you like an outsider! This whole concept is like trying to get the King to do your business, when you should be going about His. This is what Satan did/does, he is the ultimate ‘trader’, THE wheeler dealer (Ez 28:11-19)!
The Truth about Sowing and Reaping!
Furthermore, the real sowing and reaping concept is about sowing ‘seeds’, thoughts, actions, and attitudes that are done in love and humble service and obedience to the master, which produces a harvest of ‘good fruit of repentance’ – (Actions done with an ulterior, selfish motive which produce thistles and thorns are fit to be burned – Matt 12:33) – depending on the type of seeds one sows. I can not find one scripture that refers to money as ‘seed’. I do see scripture that tells us to give money, and even to give all of it away, especially if the ‘love of it’ is significant. Ultimately, seeds have an entirely different nature than money! Seeds have life in them and they reproduce themselves, it is their nature. Where as money belongs to Caesar, or whomsoever’s image is on it!
Ultimately, seeds, (in the Agrarian culture) were sown to produce food to live and survive, both as an individual and a community. If you did not sow seed, you could not expect to have a harvest (except on the sabbath year where the Lord said that He would cause the harvest without the labors of man) and therefore not eat . The same cannot be said with money! The attaching of money as the equivalent of seed is like putting a monetary value on a human being! Why? Because we are God’s seeds as Jesus was the seed that fell to the ground and died and rose again to reproduce many fold. We are not our own! God tells us to give away money and in the case of the ‘rich young ruler’ whose riches (money) was his real God; He told him to give ALL OF IT AWAY. So that he might obtain the Pearl (Matt 13:45, 46) and Jesus let him walk away, even having compassion on him, and NOT saying: “Hey that’s ok you can plant a seed faith offering of 10% today into fruitful ground of my ministry and you will reap a harvest in the Kingdom!” The very thought of this should be enough to prove this doctrine as not only false but of the devil!
Slaves, Servants and Sons do not lobby their father or master for provision
Slaves, or son’s do not worry about their master or Father providing for what they need! Jesus says this directly in Matt 6:31-34. Ultimately the Kingdom of God and riches in heaven is our reward. And IF, once we are purged of the love of money and the things of the world, HE MAY ALLOW A FEW OF US TO BE STEWARDS OF WEALTH like Abraham’s steward in Gen 24, as a bonus and even that is a position of great fear. For the love of money is the root of all sorts of evil (1 Tim 6:10) and many are ensnared by this love of money, the power of it and of the things of this world that it can obtain. Besides this, the rich will be judged hardily, VERY HARDILY, for what they do with the King’s resources, and Matt 25 is very clear about that. In fact we will all give account for the gifts, talents and resources the Lord has given into our stewardship, but a special judgement will be upon the rich, and James 5 is also very clear about that. Don’t forget Jesus said it is very difficult for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God. How much more judgement will be on those who gathered great riches, a name and fame from His flock, and selling the Holy things of God for their own personal profit, power and fame?!
There will be great mourning before the judgement seat!
There is going to be great weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth over this on the judgement day. For those who taught and promoted this doctrine have caused many to stumble into the love of money. And there are thousands if not millions of people who actually sought to follow this teaching and not only did they not get a ‘return on their investment’, sowing, they were left destitute, while those who promoted it lived lavishly! For every ‘testimony’ of favor there are 100s of a failure! And the devastated were told that you either 1.) Didn’t have enough faith, 2.) Didn’t give enough and therefore need to keep SOWING, and especially into ‘the fertile ground of our ministry!’ 3.) or had some sin in your life that opened up the devil to rob it! Let’s address this particular point: The Lord allowed the devil to steal from Job everything! And this is what God himself had to say about Job:
Job 1:8
Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a BLAMELESS and upright man, one who FEARS God and shuns evil?”
and again after Satan killed his kids and took or destroyed all he had:
Job 2:3
Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil? And still he holds fast to his integrity, although you incited Me against him, to destroy him WITHOUT CAUSE.”
There are some who teach that Job ‘sinned’ and caused this calamity to come upon himself because of ‘fearing for his kids and making sacrifice of intercession for them‘ and therefore not having ‘faith’. This is simply not the truth or biblical at all. God directly says that Job was blameless and upright, feared him and shunned evil. He then went on to say that Satan provoked or incited the Lord to ‘destroy’ Job, WITHOUT A CAUSE. I surely hope that the Lord does not kill my children and leaving me destitute and broken both financially and physically because I was concerned for my children and interceded for them!!! That would be a punishment that far out weighed any sin of fear, yes?!
Who managed the Lord’s and apostles money?
Isn’t it interesting that Jesus gave Judas, who He knew was a thief (John 6:64-70) charge of the money? I wonder why?) — Might it be that the Lord didn’t want you to fall away because of the love of money and deceitfulness of riches, so He decided it was not in your best interest to give you a financial return on the funds you invested into ‘the Kingdom’ like it was some sort of investment bank account! Jesus and scripture tells us to give, and in fact in the New Testament (as mentioned before, but it is worth mentioning again) tells the rich young ruler, “having loved him“, to SELL ALL, GIVE TO THE POOR AND TAKE UP THEIR CROSS (DIE TO SELF AND SELFISH AMBITION AND THE DESIRE FOR PERSONAL GAIN) AND BECOME ‘POOR’ AND FOLLOW HIM (Mark 10:21). And what did Jesus promise this man in return, for the one who does that. ETERNAL LIFE AND RICHES IN HEAVEN AND BEST OF ALL THEY GET TO FOLLOW AND BE WITH HIM! They become His slave/steward. So real faith will make you a slave to Jesus and as we saw before, wherever Jesus is, that is where His SERVANTS/SLAVES will be!
- LET’S TAKE A MINUTE AND TALK ABOUT FAITH
By the way, as an important side note, the entire teaching on faith, especially in this camp, is totally skewed. They teach that the faith is YOUR FAITH, That you can muster it up, generate or reach out and ‘by violence’—miss using Matt 11:12 John the Baptist did not seek to take ‘faith’, especially for this worlds goods’– and grab it by force! The problem is this ‘grabbing’ is for yourself! This is totally wrong, actually demonic deception, coming from the “King of Tyre”— and has been a great travesty and stumbling block to the flock. It basically says that if you don’t get healed it’s your fault because you didn’t have enough faith. If you are distraught, it’s because you didn’t have enough faith in the Lord to protect you. If you are like Job it is because you did something wrong somewhere, or did not have faith; that ‘being concerned for your kids’ or some one else’s salvation is ungodly fear! (Paul dealt with this sort of ‘fear’ all the time!) If you don’t get a visible financial return on your sowing, its your fault for lack of faith or some sin in your life. THIS IS A LIE FROM HELL. It creates condemnation for the poor, and division as well and now there is the rich, who have money and stuff, who have faith and the ‘blessings of the sowing and reaping’ and then the ‘poor’ who don’t and are second class, or even third class or ‘not citizens’ in the Kingdom of God and the church. When the truth is the exact opposite of what Jesus taught in the story of the rich young ruler (Mark 10-23-27)!
Where does real faith come from?
Faith, REAL FAITH, COMES FROM GOD. REAL FAITH IS IN GOD, not in faith. Jesus says this redundantly, even saying to Peter after his confession of Jesus as the Christ. That HIS REVELATION OF FAITH DID NOT COME TO HIM ON HIS OWN, but His FATHER REVEALED THAT TO HIM. (Matt 16:15).
Paul specifically tells us where all faith comes from. Rom 10:16-17
But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our report?” 17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word (RHEMA) of God. NKJV
This “RHEMA” word is simply the Holy Spirit speaking to you and giving you revelation or FAITH about a specific thing. It is different then the Logos word, which is Christ and the scripture, the totality of the law and prophets!
How does true faith work and where does it come from?
Over many years I have had people come to me and seek prayer for healing or a blessing of some kind. I will always pray for them, because we are told to do so. He did not say, ‘go pray for the sick only if you have faith that they can be healed‘. Every so often there have been times when I felt the Holy Spirit specifically tell me “I am going to heal this person“ and when I HEAR THAT< I HAVE FAITH THAT THEY ARE GOING TO BE HEALED> Not because I tried to muster it up and walk around claiming it, or working hard to believe or declare it, or shout it or whatever it, I had faith because I HEARD GOD TELL ME WHAT HE WAS GOING TO DO! (And it is really hard to hear someone if you are not listening or paying attention to them!) I can take no credit for it in anyway shape or form. You just cannot muster it or will it up or work it up! And you surely should not be condemned for not having faith for some specific request, simply because you do not have faith if the Lord hasn’t told you. You can ask, and Jesus actually tells us to ask (Matt 7:7, Luke 11:9, John 16:24), and to ask specifically in ‘accordance with His will’ (Matt 6:7-13). Sometimes He wants us to persevere and wrestle it through (Luke 18) to gain what we ask for. However, He is not telling us to ask for things that are self centered and of the flesh, that will lead us away from His Kingdom! No good father gives a child every little thing their selfish little flesh desires!
You will not be judged or punished for the sin of unbelief if the Lord has never told you anything about it in the first place!
The sin of unbelief “faithlessness” has nothing to do with a specific act or event unless the Lord has specifically told you to do it or that He will do it. He specifically told the Israelis to go take the Land (Numbers 13,14) yet after spying it, they trusted in the enemies (giants/Nephylim) ability to destroy them more than the Lord’s ability to fight for them! And let’s not forget, THEY HAD SEEN THEIR GOD CRUSH EGYPT. Unbelief is about doubting the nature, character and ability of God, or that He will not keep His word or promises. It calls him a liar! It has nothing to do with not believing for something that God has not given you the ‘Rhema’ word to believe! For me the real battle for ‘faith’ is discerning His voice and seeking to make sure that what I am ‘having faith’ for is: 1.) His will. 2.) His voice. There is also a third and extremely important factor involved. TIMING. God made promises that many did not see come to pass in their life time. Hebrews 11 tells us that these died in ‘faith’ having not received the promise on this side of life! That has nothing to do with a lack of faith. Still, it is clear that real faith comes form ‘Hearing the Lord‘ and that can be through the scripture — logos, or by the Spirit or revelation, dream or prophetic word — rhema. This faith that comes from this is the ‘substance of those things not yet seen‘. (Heb 11:1-7). It is not something that is used to ‘manipulate’ God to get what I want. However, if I know that I have heard him and then act in obedience to that word, the Lord will surely honor it, the when and how maybe unknown, but He will honor it, whether it be here or in heaven! Simeon heard that he would not die until he saw the redeemer (Luke 2:25-35). He believed and did receive that promise, though he waited a long time for it. This is persistent persevering faith and we have need of this, but it needs to be based on the ‘rhema word’ of God, not our own imaginations, or grabbing a scripture out to the bible and seeking to misapply it to make it say what I want it to say! We need to be careful about what we invest our faith and hope into is truly of God and that should be founded on a solid and consistent biblical foundation or two or more witnesses, when it is important. The enemy is a cunning master of deceit and he is well able to imitate an angel of light and tell you what your selfish flesh wants to hear.
Ultimately the concept and working out of faith is simple. If I call up a friend and request to meet with him and he agrees to meet at a specific place and time, I have faith that when I get there that my friend will be there. WHY? Because 1.) we talked and 2.) he TOLD me (and I clearly understood) that HE WOULD BE THERE AT THIS PLACE AND TIME. I have faith because he gave me his word and I heard and believed him and as the friend has been faithful to keep his word in the past, I would have faith that he would be there when I go and at the agreed upon time. Both conditions, both where and when must be communicated and understood and confirmed by both!
True faith is not manipulation!
Now what if I called the friend and left a voice message on his phone requesting, (or even demanding) that we meet at such a place and time and then I show up and he is not there? Do I have a right to be angry at him for not being there. or should I feel rejected because he is not there!? Absolutely not. HE DID NOT SAY HE WAS GOING TO BE THERE> I acted presumptuously and maybe even manipulatively as well. I assumed/presumed he received the voice message and further assumed/presumed that the time and place of meeting I suggested was agreeable to him. Faith is not something we use as a stick to go bang on God’s head to get what we want for our agendas to ‘please him’ or to gain our selfish desires. The reality is the opposite is true, we should be seeking Him and listening for His word’s and instructions and then do whatever it is He tells us to do and this is OUR PRIVILEGE!
God is our Father, He is the boss not us!
I am a father, raised four kids, like any decent ‘sinful’ father, I want to do and give good things to my children. However, if a child comes up to me and basically demands that I take him and his friends to his favorite eating jaunt and then declares it to his friends or siblings that I was taking them all out to eat at such a time! Well that wouldn’t work so well and if they threw a fit when I said ‘no’, it wouldn’t help them out of the situation or get them what they want either. In fact it would do the opposite, it would not be good for my child to get what they want through bullying or manipulation. And that is a problem, we (of the ‘boomer’ generation) were a spoiled generation of kids who demanded, threw a fit, told their friends seeking to manipulate parents to get what they want and parents often gave in! Now we have an even more spoiled generation of kids from the rich that thinks that will work with God, the heavenly Father. Remember ELI (1 Samuel 3:11-14) and the Lord’s judgement on him for not correcting and disciplining his wayward wicked sons! Prov 13:24 — He who spares his rod hates his son, But he who loves him disciplines him promptly.
This whole aspect of fathering, the training up of our children to fear the Lord, disciplining them to walk in His ways, is a pretty big deal! As mentioned before Eli got totally smoked in judgement because of his failure in this one thing, training and correcting his sons and stopping them from doing evil as ‘priest’!
So how should we persist and persevere in prayer in faith?
In Luke 18, Jesus tells a story about a widow persistently asking a judge that feared neither God or man for justice! The question is how would she do that? I don’t believe Jesus is asking us to pester our Father for selfish things or to try to manipulate him through our ‘claiming’ and ‘declarations’ of faith! Once we know that what we are asking is His will, He wants us to ask HUMBLY, not demanding, and keep asking Him for things that really matter, that we know are His will or that we know He has specifically told us about, like someone’s salvation or for justice and mercy to be brought into a situation that needs justice and mercy. We are told to beseech Him that “His will to be done on the earth”. Not that our will be done!
Even then in the story of the woman ‘wearing out’ the unjust judge in Luke 18, I am sure that this woman would not be all up in the face of this judge DEMANDING and DECLARING justice. She would we be constantly at his feet respectfully and humbly asking for justice, like Hanna did when praying for a child that became Samuel. I think she would ‘grovel’ him to action, to give her what she requested. Let us remember that she is requesting justice, the righting of a wrong. Let us also remember that it was Mary who moved the Lord to tears and to action as she ran and fell at His feet with great pain, emotion and humility!
John 11:32-36
32 Then, when Mary came where Jesus was, and saw Him, she fell down at His feet, saying to Him, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.” 33 Therefore, when Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her weeping, He groaned in the spirit and was troubled. 34 And He said, “Where have you laid him?”
They said to Him, “Lord, come and see.” 35 Jesus wept. 36 Then the Jews said, “See how He loved him!” NKJV
We all know how this story ended, with Lazarus being raised from the dead!
Sometimes the Father wants to know how badly we really want something, I know I did that as a parent. I had one child ask me for something every day, to which I said no, because I felt that it was the fad of the moment and if I got it for him, it would soon be in the closet or on the garage sale menu. Basically it was kind of like a challenge from this son to see if he could pester me in to getting him what he wanted. So I basically waited to see some real commitment to it, and some persistence before I would look to get it for him, IF I FELT IT WAS IN HIS BEST INTEREST! It’s ok for parents and God to say NO or to test their true desires.
Be careful, sometimes you may get what you demand and it not work out so well for you!
We also should remember there are times God will give us what we claim and demand persistently but that does not mean that it is for our good. Sometimes God will give you what you want if you are persistent. The prodigal son was persistent and eventually got his request — Luke 15:13. Go ask the ‘Prodigal son’, how gaining his stubbornly repeated request worked out for him! HE LOST HIS PHYSICAL INHERITANCE BY THE WAY! The Father tells the faithful son, this; “SON, YOU ARE ALWAYS WITH ME AND, ALL THAT I HAVE IS YOURS” (Luke 15:31) Why did the Father give into it? Well maybe that is because it was the only way that this son would have a chance to “come to his senses’’ and gain a value for things that really matter. Go ask the children of Israel who wailed and complained about manna and demanded meat! They got what they demanded, that didn’t turn out so well for them either!
Prov 15:10
Harsh discipline is for him who forsakes the way, And he who hates correction will die.
Ultimately, we need to be careful what we ask for and the attitude and our demeanor when we approach our heavenly Father to ask. God gives grace to the humble and OPPOSES the proud. There is absolutely nothing ‘cute’ or ‘precocious’ about a child bossing and commanding that his/her mother (or any other adult) give him/her what they want! It was the tax collector, the sinner, who was heard in His prayer, not the ‘righteous pharisee, the son of Abraham‘ (Luke 18:13,14)! And, this leads us to one of the most important, if not the most important point the western church needs to repent of.
- Lacking the fear of the Lord and not walking humbly before Him. The sin of pride and arrogance
He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God? (Mic 6:8)
There has been much repeating of the 2 Chronicles 7:14 passage by virtually every prophet, pastor and minister during this season. Here is the problem, this should have been an emphasis long ago, for the western church has been in Laodicea, Ephesus or Babylon for years, a whole generation actually. Well here is the key to this once forgotten and now oft repeated ‘worn out’ verse,– (We can quote it, we are not so good at doing it! Of course when you think declaring scripture out loud with vehemence, IN FAITH, is a key to victory whether or not you do it or not; it is not surprising that we do not see the fruit of repentance that we so desperately need!)
2 Chron 7:13-14
3 When I shut up heaven and there is no rain, or command the locusts to devour the land, or send pestilence among My people, 14 IF My people who are called by My name will humble themselves …. NKJV
This is the key to repentance, it is the key that unlocks the rest, the pray, seek my face and turn from your wicked ways. This goes back to our original issue, we never required humble repentance to enter the Kingdom of God. Ultimately, we are going to have to do all four. There will be no short cuts. So what exactly is this “humbling of oneself”? Well, Jesus told us that this generation looks for a sign and the only sign they will get is the sign of Jonah.
Luke 11:29-32
And while the crowds were thickly gathered together, He began to say, “This is an evil generation. It seeks a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah the prophet. 30 For as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so also the Son of Man will be to this generation. 31 The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here. 32 The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here. NKJV
- What is the sign of Jonah?
There are two aspects. 1. Jonah was God’s man a legit prophet (2 Kings 14:25) who really didn’t want to be a prophet to the enemies of Israel that would eventually destroy his nation! God told him to GO TO NINEVEH, a very wicked kingdom (the Assyrians), and preach “Your destruction is at hand”. HE REFUSED, because he knew that God would be merciful if they repented. So, God put him in a type of hell for three days, he actually dies then REPENTS from hades and went and did what he was commanded to do though he was was never really happy about it, (So ya want to be a prophet!?) Yet it appears he wrote the book, so it seems like he did finally get the point!
God has called many, many, many from this present generation to go to the “highways and hedges” (the bush, places where the comforts of the world do not exist) (Luke 14:23, 24) and take the gospel to the nations and like Jonah, they have refused for various EXCUSES, they went the other way (Keith Green, the top Christian singer in the late 70’s and early 80’s wrote a song about this) and they built their ‘paneled houses’: Hag 1:3-11
Then the word of the Lord came by Haggai the prophet, saying, 4 “Is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, and this temple to lie in ruins?” 5 Now therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts: “Consider your ways!
6 “You have sown much, and bring in little; You eat, but do not have enough; You drink, but you are not filled with drink; You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm; And he who earns wages, Earns wages to put into a bag with holes.”
7 Thus says the Lord of hosts: “Consider your ways! 8 Go up to the mountains and bring wood and build the temple, that I may take pleasure in it and be glorified,” says the Lord. 9 “You looked for much, but indeed it came to little; and when you brought it home, I blew it away. Why?” says the Lord of hosts. “Because of My house that is in ruins, while every one of you runs to his own house. 10 Therefore the heavens above you withhold the dew, and the earth withholds its fruit. 11 For I called for a drought on the land and the mountains, on the grain and the new wine and the oil, on whatever the ground brings forth, on men and livestock, and on all the labor of your hands.” NKJV
So, God has sent a storm and then PREPARED A FISH! (He is also raising up a Saul of Tarsus! The church was partying hard in Jerusalem and had forgotten the mandate the Lord gave them in Acts 1. He filled them with the Holy Spirit to be HIS WITNESSES, in Judea, Samaria and THE UTTERMOST PART OF THE EARTH! So…..’Here, have a Saul.’) Maybe he is doing that now in our generation and in our nation. Maybe, ya think?! Maybe we should humble ourselves before Him as Jehoshaphat and the children of Israel did when they were about to be overwhelmed by Moab, Ammon and Mount Seir (Esau) all kinsmen — did in 2 Chron 20,
“It’s over, you guys are toast!“
The second (2) sign of Jonah was what he prophesied, “YOU WILL BE OVERTHROWN, IN FORTY DAYS“, basically saying ‘you are bar-b-que’. Nowhere does Jonah even give them the option to repent! And yet let’s see how the Ninevites reacted to the ‘prophet of doom‘! 1.) They did not kill, torture, hurt or imprison Jonah for declaring the word of the Lord which the Lord had sent him to give which was destruction — (which was definitely a possibility, Jonah would not have been the first prophet to have suffered such a fate, it was an occupational hazard! ) — 2.) They listened to him and believed him. — (unlike Israel or later Judah) 3.) They, on their own, without any offer of relief, from the King all the way to the animals repented, and fasted with sack cloth. AND GOD HEARD THEM AND CHANGED HIS MIND! God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked! (Eze 33:11)
We see God ‘change His mind’ to stay, destruction, death or punishment due to humble repentance or fervent intercession by someone who stands in the gap! Our prayers, made in true humility can move the heart of God! We see this with Moses as God is so angry with the children of Israel that He tells Moses to stand aside so He can wipe them out and Moses intercedes with his own life on their behalf and God hears and relents (Numbers 14:11-20) . We see that Ahab gets a stay of execution and judgement after murdering Naboth and stealing his vineyard (1 King 21:27, 28). So when Nineveh also begins to humble themselves ‘from the greatest to the least‘, God hears and also relents, which immediately makes Jonah, as mentioned before, a ‘false prophet’ (to his chagrin), as what he prophesied (according to God’s word) DID NOT HAPPEN.
Still the point here for us is the the Lord has told me that He will be watching how we, His people, respond to this crisis and at the end of this period of time. Jan 23rd. He “will cast His vote, and His is the one that counts“. This can go three ways. A.) We could see His mercy poured out before the 23rd and this election theft could be flipped before the 40 days (least likely scenario) if He sees that we have truly repented and turned to Him with humility and with all our hearts and repent of our wickedness. B.) We could see God Himself rise up and do something some time after Jan 23rd when all the possible natural scenarios of man have failed! (A more likely scenario) or C.) The worst case scenario for the nation and for us, His people, GOD DOES NOTHING and He allows the evil one to rule openly for a season and we will have to prepare for great trouble, discipline and persecution that will surely cull and purify the church, purge it of Laodicea, Ephesus and the love of the world, Babylon, and expose the true and false prophets and could lead us into the Rev 13, ‘great tribulation’, which will happen at sometime, despite the ‘pre trib raptures’ false hope and faulty interpretation of end times scripture! (I would love to be wrong, unfortunately I am not!)
However, I personally believe that this is not that time to be turned over to the beast that rises from the sea, and that God will raise up an Isaiah 60/Philadelphia (Rev 3:7-13) remnant people that have gone through the fire and persevered that will finish taking the gospel to the nations. I do pray, hope and believe there will be one final move of the mercy of God that will bring forth a final harvest. There are far too many people who have never had a chance to hear the real gospel of Jesus Christ or seen His great love, mercy or power! However, I can not say, ‘thus saith the Lord’ on that because I have not heard a strong rhema word, stating that AT THIS TIME. Even then if/ when the Lord manifest His power and name and shows mercy, I believe that this manifestation of grace and mercy will occur through and during ‘gross darkness‘ as Is 60 and ‘as in the days of Noah‘ as Jesus said! Things will never be ‘as they were’ no matter how this plays out, so we need to repent of loving our idol ‘the American dream‘, and thus should prepare our hearts for that, fully fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and finish and purging ourselves of the love of the world and all that goes with it!
Still, in my spirit I have no confidence in getting any justice or relief from either the courts of men or the armies of men! Our entire leadership structure across the board and yes even of the whole world is corrupt, compromised or self centered and thus fearful. The US and yes ‘the nations’ (Psalm 2) is well over due judgment and discipline, especially the church that refuses to mention or discuss important things, and I believe that will happen. The question is will we have a reprieve and what will that look like. The son’s of Satan has shown their hand and both Daniel 7 and Rev 13 speaks of the ‘beast (Leviathan, the seven headed beast from the sea— Is 26:20 -27:3) waging war against the saints and wearing them down and overcoming them. (Sorry boys, this is not 70 AD or Nero) Bowing the knee to this false PANdemic (bowing to the god Pan) and being deceived by and promoting these ‘vaccines’ (which are not vaccines at all — but are created by antichrist and corrupt ‘scientist’ for nefarious purposes) does not give me hope that we are going to have a quick release of the Lord’s mercy, In fact I see more of Him turning us over ‘generally’ to the strong delusion of 2 Thes 2:9-12. Add the fact that President Trump has been a major promoter of these experimental and probably AI/ body altering ‘vaccines’, and watching many in the church not only be willing to take it but promote, even knowing that there are other freely available, inexpensive, effective and safe treatments, just adds to the concern and the ALARM!
So back to Jonah and his interaction with God and Nineveh. It maybe good to remember that Nineveh (Assyria) was the US of it’s day!
- Jonah only declared exactly what God told Him to declare
…nothing more and nothing less! I want to stop here and make an important point!
- Voracious and bold arrogance does not move the heart of God in the direction we need Him to go. It tempts Him to do the opposite!
This idea that we can run around and make ‘prophetic’ declarations of proclamation in ‘faith’ (again true faith comes from hearing and hearing from the revelation of the Holy Spirit speaking to us) because we are ‘feeling it’ and make presumptions on the mercy, grace and goodness of the Lord is not wise! We cannot force the issue with the Lord through our prophetic declarations of ‘faith’ and repetitious proclamations — this is deception and arrogance. This is not Godly faith because it does not come from God. This whole idea happens to not only be nonsense, it is dangerous and arrogant and presumptuous and can be very destructive not only to the ‘prophet’ but to those who believe and follow this prophet’s word. There are many false prophets who sincerely believe their words, and declarations can force their will to be done in a matter. And there are times they may seem to be successful, but it is not because they are prophesying in HUMILITY and brokenness, according to the word of the Lord that creates REAL FAITH, but it is through their own emotional soul power which is really Satan behind it, whether they know it or not.
We have many now that are actually plagiarizing someone else’s revelation and calling it their own! This will get them great judgement and will not help the nation know the truth or come to repentance, like Nineveh did. Many of these get caught up in the emotions of the moment. This sort of prophecy has caused great problems in the body. I have seen many real prophets stray off into false prophecy feeling they have the AUTHORITY to declare things as they see fit, because of their ‘special standing or calling’ with God, thus miss interpreting their own feelings and thoughts as the Lords.
- Real and Godly prophets miss apply faith and go off the rails. Causing great calamity!
I have seen a legit prophet go off into DECLARING BY FAITH that over 150 single ladies will find their husband in the next coming year. He went on to declare that HE had the anointing to ‘declare it‘ over those who came forward to receive and believe it and give thanks and praise because it had been sealed in heaven, because He has this standing with the Lord. Hundreds came forward and with tears of praise and began to rejoice in what will happen as an act of faith to “receive the word of the Lord”. Here is the problem, I don’t know of one of them, and I personally knew many, that found a husband in that next year! And this prophet, rightfully so, lost all credibility in this city (and maybe all credibility anywhere). And guess what, it was not the ladies lack of faith or character that had anything to do with the failure of this prophetic word, It was entirely on the prophet truly believing that they had this special authority and power to speak this out and that it would be so.
- There was no malice! He really believed He had the authority because of His special standing with God and he was ‘feeling the anointing’.
He was not attempting to hurt these ladies, he was actually seeking to bless them, The truth is, HE WAS GRAVELY MISTAKEN and the damage that this caused in many was great The ‘prophesying’ of many ‘positive’ words that were made in faith has done much more damage to the flock than the hard and ‘negative’ words uttered. Unfortunately, this is by no means an isolated incidence. I have seen many, declarative prophecies of children, marriage, wealth and prosperity, etc! The failure rate on these words is off the chart and has caused great confusion in the flock and caused the unbelievers to ‘blaspheme and reject the Lord’ (Rom 2:24). It has gotten so off that any corrective or warning of impending judgement or call to repentance has been cast off as a false prophet of doom and gloom and thrown into a pit, like Micaiah (2 Chron 18)..
- The Prophetic does not exist to make you feel good or to exalt you.
Many have divorced the entire prospect of the prophetic because of this ‘false positive’ words that build up huge hope that never comes to pass type of stuff! I wish I had a dollar for every ‘personal word’ given to someone that did not come to pass! And unfortunately this type of ‘feel good’ prophecy motivated by a false doctrine of faith and prosperity, and God wants to bless you with abundance (even if you lack the character and foundations to handle it) which gives a ‘prophet’ a false sense of authority that is really a kind of self promoting arrogance, has become not the exception BUT THE NORM! This does not even consider the hundreds of people who came hoping that they might get ‘a word’ from a prophet because that validates them as some one special. Then when the massive majority do not receive ‘a word’ they go away feeling rejected or ‘not special’. While those who received a word may feel exalted. it can morph into the arrogance of ‘being special’.
- No accountability for false, positive prophets.
These feel good candy prophets (eating their words, while sweet, will rot you teeth and you won’t be able to eat meat or real food) have created great followings for themselves. Yet when their word fails there is no mention, no repentance and no accountability for it, EXCEPT FROM THE LORD to whom they will give an account! It is a fearful thing to cause one of his little ones to stumble. And speaking a false word of blessing will do exactly that. It’s like promising a kid a present and then not giving it to them!
Luke 17:1-3
Then He said to the disciples, “It is impossible that no offenses should come, but woe to him through whom they do come! 2 It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones.
- The need for humble prophets that speak the word of the Lord even if it is a warning or corrective word is desperately needed!
This is at a time when we so much need the TRUE prophetic and humble prophets that TREMBLE at HIS NAME and only speak and declare what He, the Lord tells them to speak. We desperately need a return of John the Baptist type of prophets, who do not attempt to manipulate God with their ‘good intentions’, (that will bring them praise, honor, a following, a spot on TV and maybe money as well) in the emotions of the moment based on a false doctrine of our ability to force the issue by faith declaration with power (the prophets of Baal were very voracious and sincere in their declarations and cries!) There is a very strong rebuke for prophets that prophecy peace, prosperity and goodness when judgement is about to fall on unconfessed and unrepented sin. And we are surely in this camp today!
Jer 6:12-15
…And their houses shall be turned over to others, Fields and wives together; For I will stretch out My hand Against the inhabitants of the land,” says the Lord.13 “Because from the least of them even to the greatest of them, Everyone is given to covetousness; And from the prophet even to the priest, Everyone deals falsely. 14 They have also healed the hurt of My people slightly, Saying, ‘Peace, peace!’ When there is no peace. 15 Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? No! They were not at all ashamed; Nor did they know how to blush. Therefore they shall fall among those who fall; At the time I punish them, They shall be cast down,” says the Lord.
- It is not a good idea to tempt the Lord by trying to manipulate Him to do something you want Him to do by exercising ‘your faith’ in His ability to do something ‘good’ when He hasn’t told you to do it!
One should not ‘tempt God’ by trying to manipulate Him, especially prophet’s, priest and teachers! This is what Satan tried to get Jesus to do when he took him up to the high place on the temple and quoted real scripture about God protecting Him if He threw Himself down to prove that God would protect Him! How did Jesus reply? (Matt 4:5-7) If our Lord, Jesus Christ only speaks and does what the Father tells Him to do, why would we or anyone think that we can force the issue by our own faith and declarations? No where do we see the Lord bless attempted manipulation, even when there is a legitimate prophetic word given to a person. Jeroboam received a legitimate prophetic word but sought to maintain it on his own and led all of Israel into great sin by introducing the worship of the golden calves. Things did not end up so well for Jeroboam or Israel that never had one king declared righteous. Jehu is the only one that has some degree of acknowledgement for his destruction of Jezebel and Baal worship from Israel, but at the end he did not return Israel to the worship of their true God!
- Listening to the positive false prophets while rejecting the one true prophet who speaks a true word of warning or judgement, may get one killed!
Jehoshaphat nearly was killed because he acted presumptuously not heeding the real word of the Lord that came from Micaiah (2 Chron 18). True prophets can only declare or proclaim what the Lord has clearly told them to declare. NOTHING MORE AND NOTHING LESS. We have a lot of ‘famous’ prophets today that just want to declare the good stuff, victory and revival, but they do not want to call the nation or God’s people to deep repentance like what the Ninevites did. As mentioned before I call them candy prophets and I think the Lord does as well!
- HOW DO TRUE PROPHETS RESPOND TO THE CLEARLY REVEALED WILL OF GOD? Let’s learn from Daniel.
Daniel is one of the most righteous, gifted, if not the most ‘gifted’ and accurate prophets in scripture. Daniel seemed to have led every single king he served, except one, to acknowledge and accept the God of Israel! If we look at Daniel 9 we clearly see that while reading Jeremiah (which Daniel recognizes as God’s word, scripture!) He discerns that Jerusalem was to be desolate for 70 years.
Dan 9:2 …in the first year of his reign I, Daniel, understood by the books the number of the years specified by the word of the Lord through Jeremiah the prophet, that He would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem.
So, he tabulates the time and deduces. “Hey, we are coming to the end of that seventy years” So, what is interesting to note here is, what does Daniel do? HOW DOES HE RESPOND!? Does he have a ‘Hallelujah praise party‘? Does he start going around to his people and Shadrach and company and say to them Look, GOD PROMISED TO DO THIS, LET US DECLARE IT WITH FAITH AND PRAISE!?
NO! He does not, he does the exact opposite!
Dan 9:2-7
3 Then I set my face toward the Lord God to make request (not demand or by declaration) by prayer and supplication (to implore passionately with feeling, humble fervency, supplication means ‘to beg’ —James 5:16) , with fasting (denying self, the flesh — 1 Cor 9:27), sackcloth (repentance, Godly sorrow– Rom 2:4)) and ashes (mourning– Matt 5:4). 4 And I prayed to the Lord my God, and made confession (sins of the nation, the people and himself), and said, “O Lord, great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant and mercy with those who love Him, and with those who keep His commandments, 5 we (he identifies with the sin and rebellion and claims it as his own) have sinned and committed iniquity, we have done wickedly and rebelled, even by departing from Your precepts and Your judgments. 6 Neither have we heeded Your servants the prophets, who spoke in Your name to our kings and our princes, to our fathers and all the people of the land. 7 O Lord, righteousness belongs to You, but to us shame of face…
So why does Daniel do this? Isn’t God faithful to keep His promise? Well, he is actually DOING 2 Chron 7:12-16
Then the Lord appeared to Solomon by night, and said to him: “I have heard your prayer, (one should read 2 Chron 5 and 6, maybe that is why the Lord appeared to him and heard his prayer!) and have chosen this place for Myself as a house of sacrifice. 13 WHEN I (the LORD) SHUT UP THE HEAVENS and there is no rain, or command the locusts to devour the land, or SEND PESTILENCE among MY PEOPLE, 14 IF my people who are called by My name will (FIRST) HUMBLE THEMSELVES, and pray and seek My face (not His gifts, favor or blessings or what’s in the FATHER’S hands), and turn from their wicked ways (repent), THEN I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. 15 Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to prayer made in this place (heart position, not physical place). 16 For now I have chosen and sanctified this house, that My name may be there forever; and My eyes and My heart will be there perpetually.
And Daniel also knew that the LORD GOD went on to say this as well…..
2 Chron 7:19-20
19 “But IF YOU TURN AWAY AND FORSAKE My statutes and My commandments which I have set before you, and go and serve other gods, and worship them, 20 then I WILL UPROOT them from My land which I have given them; and THIS HOUSE which I have sanctified for My name I will cast out of My sight, and will make it a proverb and a byword among all peoples.
And this is exactly what Daniel saw happen, he lived it from beginning to end. He lived through the destruction of this house that Solomon had built. So, we know that:
1.) The ‘House of Sacrifice’ that the Lord says that His name, eyes and heart will be there forever and perpetually, IS NOT THE PHYSICAL BUILDINGS, for that was removed not just once but twice! Yet the house the Lord is talking about, as we all should know, is US HIS PEOPLE (1 Cor 3:17,18)! THOSE WHO ARE CALLED BY HIS NAME and that name is Jesus Christ the only begotten Son of God! The only name that a man can be saved! (Acts 4:12)
2.) Daniel knew that Solomon and GOD’S CHOSEN PEOPLE, his fathers, had turned away and worshipped other God’s forsaking His statutes and thus the second option, the Lord told him would happen, — total desolation and removal and becoming a byword, that Solomon, and the people choose, happened to them! THIS WAS NOT THE LORD’S WILL OR DESIRE FOR HIM OR THEM!
So Daniel continued:
Dan 9:8-19
“O Lord, to us belongs shame of face, to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, because we have sinned against You. 9 To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, though we have rebelled against Him. 10 We have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God, to walk in His laws, which He set before us by His servants the prophets. 11 Yes, all Israel has transgressed Your law, and has departed so as not to obey Your voice; therefore the curse and the oath written in the Law of Moses the servant of God have been poured out on us, because we have sinned against Him. 12 And He has confirmed His words, which He spoke against us and against our judges who judged us, by bringing upon us a great disaster; for under the whole heaven such has never been done as what has been done to Jerusalem.
13 “As it is written in the Law of Moses, all this disaster has come upon us; yet we have not made our prayer before the Lord our God, that we might turn from our iniquities and understand Your truth. 14 Therefore the Lord has kept the disaster in mind, and brought it upon us; for the Lord our God is righteous in all the works which He does, though we have not obeyed His voice. 15 And now, O Lord our God, who brought Your people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and made Yourself a name, as it is this day — we have sinned, we have done wickedly!
16 “O Lord, according to all Your righteousness, I pray, let Your anger and Your fury be turned away from Your city Jerusalem, Your holy mountain; because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and Your people are a reproach to all those around us. 17 Now therefore, our God, hear the prayer of Your servant, and his supplications, and for the Lord’s sake cause Your face to shine on Your sanctuary, which is desolate. 18 O my God, incline Your ear and hear; open Your eyes and see our desolations, and the city which is called by Your name; for we do not present our supplications before You because of our righteous deeds, but because of Your great mercies. 19 O Lord, hear! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, listen and act! Do not delay for Your own sake, my God, for Your city and Your people are called by Your name.” NKJV
So, isn’t it interesting to see that Daniel did not take the ‘promise of God’ given to restore Jerusalem and the Jews, for granted as if it was a ‘done deal’! WHY NOT!??
Daniel had a Logos word, he did not have a RHEMA word!
Daniel was a seasoned prophet, he know he could not just pull something out of the word/scripture, the logos, and specifically apply it to that specific situation without prayer and fasting and seeking the Lord to apply it specifically. The timing of the fulfillment of prophetic words is never to be taken for granted. The most difficult aspect of properly discerning prophecy is the timing of fulfillment. Jehoshaphat’s word, to worship and praise the Lord and trust Him for the victory was different, THEY RECEIVED THE RHEMA WORD and it was very directly to them and for that time and that situation specifically, They now needed to believe and act and trust and in that case PRAISE, because that is what the word they received from the Lord that came to them AFTER doing, once again 2 Chronicles 7:14 cooperatively as a people.
- If Daniel did it this way…
…Shouldn’t we be doing the same? Or do we think we are the Lord’s “New Covenant people” and therefore have a special privileged position and such things don’t apply to us any more!? (This is a false and dangerous doctrine)
Why should we be careful and fearful about our declarations and proclamations?
The reason that Daniel or us should not take such things for granted is simple. In the very beginning God GAVE MAN AUTHORITY AND DOMINION OVER THE EARTH! (Gen 1:26-28, Psalm 8, Psalm 115:16). He will not violate that, nor go back on His words! He, Himself keeps His own words! Ps 15:1 and 4: Lord, who may abide in Your tabernacle? Who may dwell in Your holy hill? …4 But he honors those who fear the Lord; He who swears to his own hurt and does not change.
Jesus first told the twelve and then the seventy to preach the Kingdom of God, heal the sick and cast out demons, and preach repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand! This, authority was given in HIS NAME over all the charges of the evil one. Yet Jesus tells us not to rejoice or get arrogant about such things but to rejoice that our names are written in His book (Luke 10:1-10 and 17-20). Jude, as we lightly touched on earlier, tells us to not be cocky and arrogant when addressing demonic principalities as well! As does Peter (2 Pet 2:9,10)
Jude 8-11
Likewise also these dreamers (false prophets) defile the flesh, reject authority, and speak evil of dignitaries. 9 Yet Michael the archangel, in contending with the devil, when he disputed about the body of Moses, dared not bring against him a reviling accusation, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!” 10 But these speak evil of whatever they do not know; and whatever they know naturally, like brute beasts, in these things they corrupt themselves. 11 Woe to them! For they have gone in the way of Cain, have run greedily in the error of Balaam for profit, and perished in the rebellion of Korah. NKJV
2 Peter 2:9-11
…then the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment, 10 and especially those who walk according to the flesh in the lust of uncleanness and despise authority. They are presumptuous, self-willed. They are not afraid to speak evil of dignitaries, 11 whereas angels, who are greater in power and might, do not bring a reviling accusation against them before the Lord. NKJV
- The biggest and most powerful little word in Scripture, “IF”
The truth is we were created from the very beginning, to have a part to play, a choice to make. That word “IF”, is the biggest and most powerful ‘little’ word in Scripture. It represents choice, free will, it is our part!
This idea that the Lord God sits in heaven and manipulates and predetermines and controls every decision made (Inshallah— Islam) and therefore everything that happens is conformed to His desire is a lie of the enemy and odious to the Lord. It blame shifts our choices on to Him or others! (Gen 3:11, 12) God is not schizophrenic nor is He a respecter of persons (Gal 3:28)! Jesus and Paul make this clear. All of us will give an account for our own deeds and choices! The ‘fear of the Lord’ is a Jesus spoken, New Testament doctrine! (Matt 10:28, Luke 12:5, Phil 2:12, Heb 6 & 10:30,31 and many others)
There is a HUGE difference between foreknowledge of what decision a person or group of people will make and pre-determining or manipulating what decision they will make! God did not FORCE or even ‘WILL’ Pharaoh to harden his heart. Seven times it clearly says that ‘Pharaoh hardened his heart’ before it says ‘God hardened his heart’. God FOREKNEW that Pharaoh was going to be stubborn and not repent. He knew Pharaoh would harden his heart, and was, THEREFORE, able to use that foreknowledge to demonstrate His glory, power and authority. NO WHERE does God ever say that He wanted Pharaoh to harden His heart, the opposite is true! Ezek 18:30-32
“Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways,” says the Lord God. “Repent, and turn from all your transgressions, so that iniquity will not be your ruin. 31 Cast away from you all the transgressions which you have committed, and get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. For why should you die, O house of Israel? 32 For I have no pleasure in the death of one who dies,” says the Lord God. “Therefore turn and live!”
We see that scripture tells us that Foreknowledge comes before ‘predestined’.
Rom 8:28-29
And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose (not our own). 29 For whom He foreknew, He also (then) predestined (determined, this is grace of which no man can boast Ephs 2:8,9) to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.)
From the very beginning God gave us (men and women) a choice to obey or disobey. He makes it clear what choice He wants us to make. He clearly wanted Adam and Eve to choose Life, to KNOW HIM (ginosko), to have a close and intimate relationship with the Lord God over Knowledge (gnosis, science, information) about God. He also foreknew what choice they would make and was clearly not happy about it! (Gen 6:3-8) He clearly wanted the children of Israel to go in and take the ‘promised’ land (Num 13,14), and they, because of the fear of the enemy, (you will give your focus and attention to whom you fear) the giants, offspring of the Nephylim, — (And this even after witnessing the Lord God doing many marvelous works in delivering them from Egypt and parting the Red Sea and drowning the Egyptian army, and the pillar of fire that kept their army from them!) — they choose to disobey the WILL and DESIRE of the Lord, which was to go in and possess the PROMISE (**) (Heb 3:12- 4:13 -This is a New Covenant principle as well!), and therefore suffered the consequences of not only not inheriting the promise, but stirring up His wrath. If Moses had not interceded God would of wiped them out then and there! That whole generation, except Joshua and Caleb, who believed God and were ‘of a different spirit’, dies in the wilderness and does not obtain the promise, which the Lord clearly wanted them to have! Yet, the Lord God, KNEW what choice they would make, that does not mean that is the choice He wanted (or willed) them to make.
So, what about us? We are now faced with the greatest crisis in our time, it is truly Biblical way beyond the scope that most of the saints can even imagine! This ‘virus’ is clearly demonically inspired, and man-made or meddled with. We know that GOD WANTS TO RAISE UP A STANDARD AGAINST IT and DO. Isa 59:16
So shall they fear The name of the Lord from the west, And (fear) His glory from the rising of the sun (the East); When the enemy comes in like a flood, The Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him.
The Lord’s ‘standard’ is us His people using the ‘Keys to the Kingdom of Heaven’ the Lord gave us in Matt 16:19, where we HUMBLY (Like Daniel) call on His name to release an army of angels to defeat or bind the schemes of the enemy (2 Cor 10:3-6). The Lord punishes evil WHEN WE COME INTO OBEDIENCE, WHEN WE FEAR HIM and DO 2 Chronicles 7:14 as Daniel and Jehoshaphat (2 Chon 19,20) did. However, Jesus Himself says in Luke 18:6-8
… 6 Then the Lord said, “Hear what the unjust judge said. 7 And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? 8 I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?”
The choice to come before Him in brokenness, in humble fear and cry out as the Lord taught us in Matt 6:5-14, is entirely up to us. However, we must ask Him like David did in Psalm 51, “Create in me oh God a clean heart and renew a right, (steadfast, enduring) spirit with in me.” As the prophet Joel has said.
Joel 2:12-14
12 “Now, therefore,” says the Lord, “Turn to Me with all your heart, With fasting, with weeping, and with mourning.” 13 So rend your heart, and not your garments; Return to the Lord your God, For He is gracious and merciful, Slow to anger, and of great kindness; And He relents from doing harm. 14 Who knows if He will turn and relent, And leave a blessing behind Him — A grain offering and a drink offering For the Lord your God?
Jesus said, Blessed are those who hunger after righteousness (and justice), Blessed are those who mourn, Blessed are those who are Poor (this does not mean indigent, it means needy) in Spirit.
Are you ready for the great persecution that will come on those who bear His name!?
Matt 24:7-14
For nation (culture, ethnos, tribe, gentiles) will rise against nation, and kingdom (principality) against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of sorrows. 9 “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations (cultures, ethnos, tribes) for My name’s sake. 10 And then many will BE OFFENDED, will betray one another, and will hate one another. 11 Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. 12 And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. 13 But he who ENDURES TO THE END shall be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.
Or will you be part of the ‘falling away’ that both Jesus spoke of above and Paul spoke of in 2 Thess 2:1-12
Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, 2 not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come. 3 Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the FALLING AWAY comes first, and the man (Anthrophos – not necessarily a singular or even fully human man) of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, 4 who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.
5 Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? 6 And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time. 7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way (COULD THIS BE THE CHURCH!?). 8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming. 9 The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, 10 and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive (their choice) the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11 And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, 12 that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
Let us seek the Lord while He maybe found, Let us be zealous and repent and come out of Laodicea (Rev 3:14;23), Ephesus (Rev 2:1-7) and Babylon (Rev 18:4) and seek to enter into Philadelphia the church of brotherly love!
Rev 3:7-13
7 “And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write,
‘These things says He who is holy, He who is true, “He who has the key of David, He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens”: 8 “I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it; for you have a little strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name. 9 Indeed I will make those of the synagogue of Satan, who say they are Jews and are not, but lie — indeed I will make them come and worship before your feet, and to know that I have loved you. (Is 60?) 10 Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth. 11 Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown. (a crown represents glory and authority, IN HIM) 12 He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God. And I will write on him My new name. 13 “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”
(**) Concerning God’s anger with the children of Israel, I can’t help but note that though the Lord clearly wanted the children of Israel to go possess the land he had reserved for them; WHEN THEY REFUSED TO OBEY they got sternly rebuked and were told that they should not now attempt to go take it, even after they ‘repented’ and thought that they could now “obey” the Lord and go take the land. Moses told them not to attempt it as the Lord would not be with them. They, of course, being a wicked, rebellious and ‘stiff necked generation’ who thought they were God’s special and favored ones, refused to listen to Moses, the mouth of God, and went out on their own THINKING THAT THEY COULD MANIPULATE GOD BY THEIR NEW FOUND ‘FAITH’ TO MOVE FOR THEM.
That attempt at exercising their ‘faith’ did not turn out so well!
Num 14:26-45
And the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, 27 “How long shall I bear with this evil congregation who complain against Me? I have heard the complaints which the children of Israel make against Me. 28 Say to them, ‘As I live,’ says the Lord, ‘just as you have spoken in My hearing, so I will do to you: 29 The carcasses of you who have complained against Me shall fall in this wilderness, all of you who were numbered, according to your entire number, from twenty years old and above. 30 Except for Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun, you shall by no means enter the land which I swore I would make you dwell in. 31 But your little ones, whom you said would be victims, I will bring in, and they shall know the land which you have despised. 32 But as for you, your carcasses shall fall in this wilderness. 33 And your sons shall be shepherds in the wilderness forty years, and bear the brunt of your infidelity, until your carcasses are consumed in the wilderness. 34 According to the number of the days in which you spied out the land, forty days, for each day you shall bear your guilt one year, namely forty years, and you shall know My rejection. 35 I the Lord have spoken this. I will surely do so to all this evil congregation who are gathered together against Me. In this wilderness they shall be consumed, and there they shall die.'”
36 Now the men whom Moses sent to spy out the land, who returned and made all the congregation complain against him by bringing a bad report of the land, 37 those very men who brought the evil report about the land, died by the plague before the Lord. 38 But Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh remained alive, of the men who went to spy out the land.
39 Then Moses told these words to all the children of Israel, and the people mourned greatly. 40 And they rose early in the morning and went up to the top of the mountain, saying, “Here we are, and we will go up to the place which the Lord has promised, for we have sinned!”
41 And Moses said, “Now why do you transgress the command of the Lord? For this will not succeed. 42 Do not go up, lest you be defeated by your enemies, for the Lord is not among you. 43 For the Amalekites and the Canaanites are there before you, and you shall fall by the sword; because you have turned away from the Lord, the Lord will not be with you.” 44 But they presumed to go up to the mountaintop. Nevertheless, neither the ark of the covenant of the Lord nor Moses departed from the camp. 45 Then the Amalekites and the Canaanites who dwelt in that mountain came down and attacked them, and drove them back as far as Hormah. NKJV
Presumption (attempt to manipulate or force your way, even by using ‘faith’) is as the sin of witchcraft.
1 Sam 15:22-23
“Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, As in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams. 23 For rebellion (presumption) is as the sin of witchcraft, And stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He also has rejected you from being king.” NKJV