A Puzzle of Parallel Prophesies

I am not a prophet. I am an interpreter. My consuming passion is to sit at the feet of my King to learn words of wisdom and mystery, to plunge into deepest, living waters, to cool my fevered desire with the cold, refreshing knowledge which is Him.

My pursuit of prophesy began ten years ago with my fervent prayer to be of service to my Lord, regardless of cost or consequence. A resulting flashpoint of personal tragedy let me know that flesh cannot long endure the unremitting influence of a fire in it's midst, yet these circumstances have left me with a mystery, a puzzle to ponder, the prewritten ancient prophesies that I still have in my hand, along with the memories in my head.

These prophesies were biblical texts, which nevertheless (LOVE that word) proved to be very specific to my situation. (These texts are Psalm 109, Isa 51:12-15, and Habakkuk 2:3-4.) Every word of them came true in my own life. I now have the authority to announce that the Word of God is NOT dead, still speaks to US, TODAY, and is a living document, regardless of translation. If these can be applied, today, what could we be missing if we think that prophesy is over, or is a one use only application? The Spirit given us is the Spirit of Christ, and the testimony of Jesus (and therefore OURS) is the spirit of prophesy (Rev 19:10).

As of now, all creation groans under the weight of sin and corruption, waiting for the revealing of the sons of God. We also wait for the blessed hope, which is the redemption of our very bodies (Rom 8:19-25). And how do we know this? Because He has already told us what will happen! All of history has been laid out for us in advance, for the understanding of those with a willing and teachable heart! In meekness and humility we are instructed in the mysteries.

The creation narrative (the beginning) is also a prophetic preview, an overview of the whole history of man, from a God who dwells outside of time. Each day of the telling equals a thousand years (Hosea 6:1, Psalm 90:4, 2 Peter 3:8). Two points of confirmation, as to this fact, are the fulfillment of the sun being unveiled on the fourth day, even though it was preexistent (Mal 4:2 Jesus came in the "fullness of time" at year 4000 point) and the still pending Sabbath, which is God's rest (for us) from evil, under the reign of our King (every eye shall see Him).

The creation story has the personal presence of the Redeemer, in verse 1:1 of Genesis, as the untranslated Aleph Tav (and in the paleohebraic form of YHWH, "behold nail, behold hand"). These first and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet have been transferred over from the very beginning of The Book, to the very END of The Book, as the Alpha and Omega, the Encompasser of history, in the book of Revelation (Rev 22:13). The living out of the first covenant, with physical Israel, has not ended, has merely been deferred in consummation until the "fullness of the gentiles" has come in. (In Romans 11:25, the fullness spoken of is not the number of people, but is God's timing. Luke 21:24)

In Revelation, the imagery of the scroll is a Jewish allegory, referring back to Jeremiah 32:6-15, where God instructs him to step out in faith, by the redemptive purchase, of actual land in Israel, sealing a scroll of the record of his ownership, which was the title deed. That title was to be for the return to the land, when Jeremiah or his progeny would come back from captivity in the world, to reclaim the land which was their perpetual inheritance. So, too, is the scroll in Revelations, where Christ utilizes a judicial setting to repossess what He has paid for, what is already His. ("The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of Christ and He has begun to reign." Rev 11:15) Only the saints of the Most High will possess the Kingdom! (Dan 7:18, 22) The church, however, is a "kingdom of Priests" and kingly administrators!

In the same way that Genesis chapter one is an overview of all the days of God's dealing with the Jews (Judah), so too is Revelation an overview of the entirety of the church's existence (Ephraim). Parts of Revelation are yet to be fulfilled! The first three chapters are letters to the seven churches, where Christ is in the midst of the seven lampstands, which are also the same churches. These letters are a prerecorded, spiritual history of the church, up to the time of the rapture! In verse 4:1, there is a complete transition, and the lampstands are now in front of the throne of God, along with the 24 elders, who are the priestly representatives of the nation of the redeemed. The ecclesia is not tied to a covenant of land or signs meant for a physical nation of the world, like the Israel of our times. The church's inheritance is spiritual promises, the authority to speak and love in HIS name.

The transition of God, back to a physical nation, is the return of God to fulfill His covenant promises to the bloodline of Judah, which yet await their turn for Messianic deliverance. He first gave the revelation, the signs, and salvation, to them. ("Salvation is of the Jews." John 4:22 "To the Jew first." Roms 1:16) It is the time where He will do the work that both judges the world ("Your covenant with death will be disannulled." Isa 28:18) and teaches the remnant to follow Him wherever He goes. (Rev 14:4) Revelation is the final "week" of years of the prophesy of Daniel 9:26-27 (just count up the days or months in the text). At the end of this seven years, Ephraim and Judah will be joined back into one "stick" (staff is a sign of authority of office) in God's hands! (Zech 11:14, Eze 37:17, Isa 19:25).

In the transition between the sixth and seventh "day", and in the separation between the two spiritual entities of which God's people are now comprised, it is natural that there would be much confusion about what will happen. It been a long time since the original prophesies were given! The enemy likes us to be misdirected, applauds us, when we let "dross" and misunderstanding cloud our apprehension of God! (But the fire of the Spirit can burn THAT away quickly!)

To help clear the fog, there are two comparative passages, that most would consider to be about the same exact, overall event (the Day of The Lord spoken of in Rev 4-22) in Matthew 24 and Luke 21. However, only Matthew's account, given in chapter 24, is a parallel of the book of Revelation.

The Olivet Discourse (Matt 24) was given on the Mount of Olives, when the disciples came to Jesus privately, and He gave information which would be specific to the Jewish people, to warn them of the time of Jacob's trouble, of what to expect ("Pray that your flight is not on the Sabbath " verse 20 "The least of these, my brethren" Matt 25:40). The gospel of Matthew is Jewish through and through, containing the legal lineage of Jesus, through Joseph.

In contrast, the 21st chapter of Luke happens at the temple, in front of a general assembly. He is, here, speaking to Jewish and Greek believers, warning them of the impending destruction coming on the city of Jerusalem, so that they could flee and save their lives from it's judgment. It was not Christians who were killed when it happened. They remembered what HE said and left when they saw the city encompassed by armies.

There are two more comparisons to make between the passages of Luke 21 and Matthew 24. The differences are the positioning, in time, of the groups of majors signs that He gives that precede the Day of The Lord, and in what questions were actually asked. This group of signs was the immediate answer after the specific questions each group asked, and includes general warfare, world famine, pestilences, and earthquakes in multiple places. In Matthew, the disciples asked about His Second Coming. In Luke the questioners wanted to know when the temple in front of them would be destroyed. After answering the questions first with the major, end time signs, notice that Jesus then says something very different between Matt. and Luke. In Matthew, He simple says "then" (verse 9) in linear progression, meaning there would be intense persecution for believers right afterwards. The signs get more and more intense, and the persecution, along with unmatched suffering, before the consummation of His Coming in glory, physically, to rescue His covenant people. In Luke, however, He says the opposite. He says "before all these things" (verse 12), would come persecution. He speaks of the destruction of Jerusalem, and says that it will be under the dominion of the gentiles, until their time is fulfilled. .THERE IS NO ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION IN LUKE.

The differing narratives of the two passages, show us that the two are given to warn two different and disparate peoples, separated by two thousand years of history. In light of His faithfulness to His Word, how then shall we live? We should throw caution to the winds, discarded, and step out in faith, to be consumed by the fire of the Spirit! We must testify of prophesy! And to any who disagree, I say, we shall see what we shall see!

A Mere Servant's Reward

My joy rises up like the morning!
It fills me up like the noon-day sun!
'Cause I've traded my fear for HIS glory!
When the time of my testing is done!
I'm grateful for the strength He's given me!
He's added hope to my endurance!
All not of HIM is burned away.
An assurance from Himself, that He grants!
In the heart of the fiery inferno
a perfect clarity of vision was found!
In HIM, and HIM alone, there's peace!
Where exalted praise to HIM, is the only sound.
When HIS joy is your only covering,
Forget grief and bitter offense.
When we see Him, who is our Reward,
feeling overcome (by the Blessedness of Who He Is) will commence!
He surprises us with His reflection,
our beauty emerges from the flame.
Flood of mercy lifting us to Him.
This is the wonder (truly feeling it) of why He came!
After the labor, praying, and tears,
Comes gratifying rest from a job well done!
Not from any competency of our own!
but from THE assurance, that THE Master's approval, has been won!

Mercy is Only for Sinners

Of recent fascination, to me, is the word "bigot." The intent of the word is to marginalize, in society, the bearer of a seemingly unwarranted hatred. Bigots are BAD people. Labeling someone is supposed to mobilize and polarize negative emotions against the one so described. Inherent in this process, is the assumption of the speaker, of a singular entitlement to judgement.

Discrimination always requires the application of somebody's moral standard. Judging someone because you think you are superior, is no different than judging someone because they are judging (and still because you think you are superior). Both sides apply a mortal, non-transcendent set of rules of behavior, as to what they feel is right. This has the same result as there being no standard at all. Every one has equal authority, and everyone will do what they really want, anyway. We are all guilty by "the other guy's" measure. It's always someone else who is the guilty party. Seen this way, we can all see that there is no difference between us.

God's law is applied from outside the loop of this paradigm. He has confined humanity within the boundaries of the slavery and condemnation of His perfect law. We are all guilty before Him. Some might even learn from it, that to destroy your neighbor is to destroy yourself. Only absolute love will be allowed to prevail. That love only comes from Him.

Only those brought low can be lifted up again. Only the helpless victims will be offered compassion. Those in need have access to His mercy, just for the asking. He responds with gracious tenderness to the humble of heart. Only those with no cause for pride have room enough in their hearts for it to be filled with Him. It is the confinement under the burden of sin which has taught us to see our need of Him and our powerlessness. Weakness teaches us to be the supplicant of the Greatest Servant of all, God Himself, so that we too, become servants. Through the very weakness which is His gift to us, comes our deliverance, and our promotion to His glory.

The Flames of Hell

I must confess that until fairly recently, I had not given much thought to the concept of hell. I mean, avoiding it is so simple. Then someone introduced a new concept to me, the idea that GOD is to blame, and is answerable for the torment which is hell. Despite the fact that our fault is our own, and that God has interposed HIMSELF between those who trust Him and this ultimate condemnation, I have endeavored to entertain the question.

Yes, He did create hell. It's original purpose was as a quarantined disposal area for a wannabe god, the initiator of lies and murder. Hell is the permanent answer to those who would be gods, would be without God, for a deadly, all destructive illness. Every time there is sin (whatever is at cross purposes with the ultimate goodness which is God) hell is enlarged, and claims more territory.

This territory is not in spatial dimensions. It's the blinded minds of those who are enslaved. It is the darkness of the silence of conscience, in dead men still walking, THE time when the truth is finally revealed to those who have refused to see. It's suffering is the pressure of fully awakened responsibility, without hope of the satisfaction of obedience. It is the fear and terror of acutely felt, unrelieved pain, without hope of deliverance. There will be no more shelter or relief from what the lawless have done! Hell is failure without end. It is the final and irreversibly total unveiling of  HIS anger and disappointment, where the blindness of our pride and pretensions no longer shield us from who He is. Hell's utter devastation and destruction are the infinite weight of full exposure to the mourning of God, the realization of how boundless is the merit of what He has spoken! The flames of hell are His pain and grief.

Make no mistake: We live in a buffer zone, where we are protected from exposure to this suffering called hell. We are the weakness of a screaming newborn baby, being handled gently by the father.  Herein is our opportunity to learn of the only escape possible. Here in this venue, He has provided both reparation for our crimes, and freedom to learn of HIS love, the drive to a unity of giving.

God's detractors assume that everyone can be rehabilitated (choice-less is NOT love). Hell is caricatured as a medieval torture chamber, where diety tortures those helpless against Him. Who could believe in such a monstrosity? (Actually, it's much worse than that. It's what we build with our own hearts.) Those who don't even know Him presume to judge Him. They make God into a projection of the powerful hate inside themselves.

There is SO little time left. His patience is almost at an end and His children need deliverance. Please place yourself in His Hands, at His command, so He can deliver YOU, too!

Hebrews 12:29 

for our God is a consuming fire.

Revelation 14:10

He also will drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is mixed in full strength in the cup of His anger; and he will be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb.

Isaiah 33:14-15

Sinners in Zion are terrified; Trembling has seized the godless. “Who among us can live with the consuming fire? Who among us can live with continual burning?” He who walks righteously and speaks with sincerity, He who rejects unjust gain And shakes his hands so that they hold no bribe; He who stops his ears from hearing about bloodshed And shuts his eyes from looking upon evil;

Deuteronomy 32:22

For a fire is kindled in My anger,
And burns to the lowest part of Sheol,
And consumes the earth with its yield,
And sets on fire the foundations of the mountains.

(How to) Be a Watchman for The Lord!

Too many people put hope and trust into too many things, people, and organizations. Only one thing saves: The applied blood of Jesus Christ! How are they to know this, those who have no care but for their own life's business? They are not to be left to go about in blissful ignorance of the harsh fate that awaits.

Make no mistake, The judgement is coming, greatly heralded and preannounced by the specified signs. All of this is spoken of in the Word.

A watcher must first have his own eyes opened, must be able to discern the Voice of his King. He must study for himself, not leave this important knowledge to others. Only deep contemplation, bathed in fervent prayer and an obedient heart, will enable him to detect the warning alarms occuring all around him. Conversely, it is the one who does not care, who will simply brush it all off. Better to light a fire of motivation which comes from knowing what is going to happen.

Here are some of the signs due to be fulfilled. I have seen these through the lense of His Word:

There are blood moons just on the horizon, in 2014 and 2015, as spoken of in Revelations 6 and Matthew 24. Mystery Babylon, the great whore, is the religion of Islam. The regions monopolized by this religion are being brought to power by the second beast, the false prophet, who I name as Obama.  This religion will contol, for a time, the terrible beast of the kingdom of "antichrist." The bismallah will be his mark. The prince that shall come shall come from the ancient nation of Assyria, from just east of Greece. After the rapture, "on the same day" as Jesus said, the horse of war will be released. Damascus will disappear, Egypt will be in civil war, and a Russian-Iran alliance will attack Israel.

The Way Through

My life consists of nothing but miracles. That is what it means to believe, when we clear our hearts of all obstructions to His workings, let go of our pride of acheivement, to make way for His glory. That is the proper ending and the goal, the moral of the story.

You still have yet to hear the story itself. In a nutshell, here is my path to the miracle.

During the night, I woke up with an attack of my peculiar health issue, a very scary episode. I was terrified. I was praying. It doesn't seem right to me to associate faith and panic, so I was propelled by the dichotomy into a search for the spiritual meaning there, as The Lord knew I would be. I have found, from past experience, that there will be fire and flood before deliverance.

In a performance and production based world, failure is made personal. Someone must be blamed. From this view, pain is but just punishment for missing the requirements. If we are hurting, then logically, we must deserve it. The trauma of the experiences are strongholds of satanic forces. Never believe the voices, even our own, which say we are the only ones responsible for our suffering, that we must take control, we must make it go away ourselves.

God's children must reject these labels, must speak what is true and not fear. There will be pain, but be confident that it is not God doing the hurting. He only allows pain to bring us to something better, to shape us. By it, we inherit a deeper strength.

When there is no escape from the fear, it is the opportunity to be stronger. When death seems to be staring me in the face, I must not let myself be distracted or let myself accept the lie being forced on me. It's not about me at all, not about what I should have, could have, done better. There is no condemnation to my suffering. It is idolatry to think myself so powerful, to focus on methods and disciplines, instead of going to, and resting in, the Source Himself.

Isn't the Absolute Lord the one who paid our pardon? Freed from my burden of shame and blame, I can but rejoice to find that He is at work in me! The greatest miracle of all, is the one He does in me!

I Still Believe!

Night approaches, seeking a lockdown of fear, a prison none can leave.

Yet He will be my light in the darkness. I will find Him there with me, I believe.

His children soon learn, that it's the light of His presence, by which the darkness is relieved.

He teaches us to yearn for Him, as He longs for us, I believe.

When the fear, and the pain, and the grief closes in, my stubborn heart cannot conceive,

how this will have multiplied my joy when I see, the King in whom I believe.

The advesary works to provoke my offense and thereby to deceive,

that God has revoked my pardon, it was not as all effective, as I believe.

My flesh pays the price of this battle, the final victory I do not yet perceive,

Yet He assures me the war is already won, and HE is the one I believe!

It is not by my own effort, that His precious grace I have achieved!

This is the God of mercy, who gives freely for the asking, I believe!

Those who do not avail themselves, will be shut away forever,to grieve,

from the Face of compassion, who had admonished them but to believe!

Rock solid peace in the midst of trouble, by faith you will receive,

When you witness His mighty deliverance, daring despite circumstance, to believe!

My complete and absolute trust in Him, you see, has nothing of the naive.

I've learned overwhelming joy is my inheritance, from Him in whom I still believe!