A call in my Spirit to pray, that, and a word to the servants of the Lord.

Here it is, mid-July 2020, and if I were to try and analyze my emotions over the last few days, I would have to say, I am troubled by what I see coming.

Am I worried?

Not about my relationship with Abba, but I do have concerns about whether the violence we are experiencing will spill over into my home. You see, I have been dealing with rage issues for most of my adult life, and I do not believe that God is calling me to take a sword and cut these people in half. Thankfully I have a deeply inset relationship with Jesus Christ and a wee bit of maturity.

This morning, after hearing about more ugliness, such as New York now subpoenaing people who refuse to comply with the COVID tracers, I felt a tremendous call in my spirit to pray.

This is not just about me praying, but it is an attempt to get this dead entity we call Church to pray. Understand this, we, the church, dead as it is, are the very thing that is holding back this onslaught from going full frontal attack; now that will happen, but NOT on our watch. 

2 Thessalonians 2:6-8 NASB (6) And you know what restrains him now so that in his time he will be revealed. (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. (8) Then that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming;

Do you understand what this is saying to you? 

There is a man of lawlessness coming; we like to call him the Antichrist. He has many names scattered throughout the Bible. But lawless is an excellent description; and, he is being restrained or held back, but only until the Church is taken out of the way. 

Does that mean that we, the Church, will not have to suffer in any manner? 

Pansies, Jesus told us that tribulations would be a way of life for Christ-followers. He also said that we would be hated because of our relationship with Jesus Christ. Count yourself fortunate that you have been able to live in the United States for the better part of your life, because our brothers and sisters in the Lord, in other parts of the world, get dragged from their churches and shot or get firebombed, among other things. So, no, there is no guarantee of safety and security, especially now that fools are defunding the police.

Consider something, if lawlessness is a demonically driven attribute, is it possible that others could be infested with this demon of lawlessness? 

Look around you; what do you see? 

Lawlessness permeates the very being of those we have entrusted with our money, lives, health, and safety. New York Mayor Bill De Blasio is an excellent example of this lawlessness as shootings have gone up 205% since he defunded the NYPD. The New York City Mayor, while helping to paint the words – black lives matter, on the street, in front of Trump Tower, has canceled all large gatherings in New York City, except for the Marxist BLM group. This is the same organization that wants to dismantle our society.

I might as well throw in my own Governor, Gavin Newsome, into the mix, who, while closing the parks and beaches, is annoying enough, but he crossed the line and the constitution when he closed our churches. Under threat from the President of the United States, he, and other Governors, allowed churches to reopen but then many of these same Governors decided that we can only hum while wearing our masks. This mandate occurred at the same time as bars and Wine tasting rooms were being re-closed. I did not know our self serving Governor owned a wine tasting room. Wouldn't you know it, the county in which his winery sits did not go back on restriction. Many noticed that he snickered when he pointed out in an interview that his winery was still open. I do not know if it was Christians standing against the tyrant, but a substantial crowd went to his winery and protested. Guess what; he shut the doors on his winery.

The morning that I heard this call to pray, the Holy Spirit said to me, amongst other things, tell them that you are to call confusion down upon them.

I run a lot of things through my wife, as I am trying to keep my gifting of rage out of the mix. She responded with, I never thought of that. I decided (as though I have original thoughts) that I would start looking at passages to find the word confusion and see if there was a precedent for its usage against an enemy. I also wanted to know what the effect would be when this was prayed over those who are choosing to riot, loot, and take six city blocks captive.

So I did a search for the word, and here is what I found. 

Let them be confounded and put to shame that seek after my soul: let them be turned back and brought to confusion that devise my hurt. Psalms 35:4 KJV

Confusion is the Hebrew word châphêr, pronounced khaw-fare' – and means to be: ashamed, disappointed, confounded, brought to confusion.

Confounded is also a great word. It is the Hebrew word bûsh, and much like confusion means to be ashamed, disappointed or delayed.

King David held back very little and said what his heart felt. I suppose that is one of the reasons that God seemed to love this man so much.

So I want you to also note that David wanted this particular enemy also to be put to shame. Strangely, confounded and confused should have covered that, but look the word shame up, and you find this.

Shame is the Hebrew word kâlam and means to wound. It also conveys the idea of taunt or insult, along with meanings comparable to what we see with confusion and confounded.

David was asking God to wound them.

Let them be turned – is the word sûg = to flinch, go back, retreat, or apostatize, go back, turn away, and turn back.

Apostatize is a bit of a church word, but take the religious bent out of it, and it becomes a powerful weapon. APOS'TATIZE, v.i. To abandon one's profession, to forsake principles which one has professed, or the party to which one has been attached.

We see this enemy that David is facing, devising his hurt. 

Devise is H2803 châshab and means to plait or interpenetrate that is, (literally) to weave or (generally) to fabricate; figuratively to plot or contrive. To plait is to braid or weave, and we see these words conveyed in the phrase devise. 

Hurt is the Hebrew word ra. In its purest form, the word means bad, or evil: - The implications of this action against you can lead to your defamation or death. The overall hope of the enemy is that you are destroyed and left ineffective.

Doesn't this imply that this enemy is trying to work their way into your life to convert you or kill you, slowly and intricately?

Peter, on the Day of Pentecost, spoke these words over the crowd of 3000. 

Acts 2:16-18 KJV But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; (17) And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: (18) And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit, and they shall prophesy:

Why would they need to prophesy? 

Prophesy – prophēteuō means to foretell events, to speak under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

Why would there be a need to do this, especially since we have the scriptures to tell us, with almost exacting precision, what will happen next? 

The answer is because MOST of you have no clue what is in that stack of Bibles you own.

To make myself clear, my wife got invited to go to a friend's Bible study. The friend rented a room out to a lady that is a proficient bible teacher and a bit of a prophet. The friend, who calls herself a Christian, lives like the devil, has no clue what the bible says, and had the audacity of telling the group how her father came back to her after his death, made her feel all peaceful, and moved some stuff around the room to prove he was there. The Bible teacher told her what I would have; you just told us that demons visited you. She argued for her point of view, even after the Bible teacher left the room.

Let's push this just a little bit further. Remember when Saul ordered all the mediums out of the kingdom and went searching for one himself later. At this point, Samuel, the only man that seemed to hear from God, was dead. Saul convinced the medium to call up Samuel. This was not the typical demonic adventure for the dear lady, as Samuel did come up, and she freaked out. Samuel, on the other hand, angry that he had been awakened, verbally lashed Saul and told him that his kingdom was now permanently stripped from him. [Read the story for yourself in 1 Samuel 28.]

So, the prophet Joel, many years before Jesus' death, declares “on my servants and on my handmaidens, I will pour out in those days of my Spirit, and they shall prophesy.” Well, guess what, you and I, those that follow after Jesus, are his servants and handmaidens. 

That morning that the Holy Spirit said to me, pray confusion over them, He was telling me to prophesy to His people a directive on how to pray. 

Why?

Because it is time to draw up the battle lines. We are not fighting a conventional battle, and we are not doing it with useless, conventional weapons we have had our weapons upgraded thanks to the Holy Spirit, to more powerful spiritual weapons, we call them the Sword of the Spirit. 

(Why would I say that we are not fooling with conventional, useless weapons? Maybe it's because I watched a man in Salt Lake City, get out of his car with a compound bow and a limited amount of arrows. This poor guy made angry motions toward what could be equated to the walking dead, they swarmed him, took his weapons, turned his car over, and burned it.)

2 Corinthians 10:3-6 MKJV  For though walking about in flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. (4) For the weapons of our warfare are not fleshly, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds, (5) pulling down imaginations and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought into the obedience of Christ; (6) and having the readiness to avenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.

Tell me you caught all that! 

• Yep, we walk about in the flesh, and there should not be a single person denying that fact.
• But we should all understand something about our circumstances; THIS WORLD IS NOT OUR HOME.
• But we cheat because we do not war according to the flesh.

That means these unsuspecting fools will not know what hit them, and there is little to nothing that they can do about it, because Jesus, our intercessor, pleads with the Father on our behalf.

Think of this as though you are about to knock down a hornet's nest. If you have ever done that, then you know that the hornets are going to come after you. NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS, WE WIN. 

Our weapons are not the kind you are used to; they are not fleshly weapons like knives and guns. They are, however, MIGHTY through God, for the purposes of pulling down strongholds.

Strongholds are the Greek word ochurōma and mean fortifications, a castle, a stronghold.

Since the Jewish council was the direct ruling authority over the Jews, they laid down the law to Peter and John; and in Acts 4:18, the disciples were threatened and commanded never again to speak or teach in the name of Jesus. Some would tell us that we are to obey the law of the land.

Look at what the disciples said. 

Acts 4:19-20 NASB But Peter and John answered and said to them, "Whether it is right in the sight of God to give heed to you rather than to God, you be the judge; (20) for we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard."

Once again, we have a precedent set in which we are to obey God rather than men. In my case, it's the Governor. 

Do you have the possibility of being put in jail? 

The short answer is yes.

When the disciples were released, they returned to their companions and told them what had happened. Their response – they worshiped God and prayed.

Acts 4:24 NASB And when they heard this, they lifted their voices to God with one accord and said, "O Lord, it is You who MADE THE HEAVEN AND THE EARTH AND THE SEA, AND ALL THAT IS IN THEM,

The disciples pointed out the situation.

Acts 4:25-28 NASB who by the Holy Spirit, through the mouth of our father David Your servant, said, 'WHY DID THE GENTILES RAGE, AND THE PEOPLES DEVISE FUTILE THINGS? (26) 'THE KINGS OF THE EARTH TOOK THEIR STAND, AND THE RULERS WERE GATHERED TOGETHER AGAINST THE LORD AND AGAINST HIS CHRIST.' (27) "For truly in this city there were gathered together against Your holy servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, (28) to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose predestined to occur.

And then said: 

Acts 4:29-31 NASB "And now, Lord, take note of their threats, and grant that Your bond-servants may speak Your word with all confidence, (30) while You extend Your hand to heal, and signs and wonders take place through the name of Your holy servant Jesus." (31) And when they had prayed, the place where they had gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with boldness.

One of our weapons is the Angels. 

AND LIKE A MANTLE YOU WILL ROLL THEM UP; LIKE A GARMENT THEY WILL ALSO BE CHANGED. BUT YOU ARE THE SAME, AND YOUR YEARS WILL NOT COME TO AN END." But to which of the angels has He ever said, "SIT AT MY RIGHT HAND, UNTIL I MAKE YOUR ENEMIES A FOOTSTOOL FOR YOUR FEET"? Are they not all ministering spirits, sent out to render service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation? (Hebrews 1:12-14 NASB)

So you have the right to dispatch angels against your enemies. Keep in mind, that God, through the action of an angel, killed the firstborn of Egypt in one night. 

Then the LORD opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way with his drawn sword in his hand, and he bowed all the way to the ground. The angel of the LORD said to him, "Why have you struck your donkey these three times? Behold, I have come out as an adversary because your way was contrary to me. "But the donkey saw me and turned aside from me these three times. If she had not turned aside from me, I would surely have killed you just now, and let her live." (Numbers 22:31-33 NASB)

In 2 Samuel 24, we see an angel stretch out his hand, and 70,000 people died. 

Then David said to Gad, "I am in great distress. Let us now fall into the hand of the LORD for His mercies are great, but do not let me fall into the hand of man." So the LORD sent a pestilence upon Israel from the morning until the appointed time, and seventy thousand men of the people from Dan to Beersheba died. When the angel stretched out his hand toward Jerusalem to destroy it, the LORD relented from the calamity and said to the angel who destroyed the people, "It is enough! Now relax your hand!" And the angel of the LORD was by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. (2 Samuel 24:14-16 NASB)

For David's sake, 185,000 were killed by an angel.

'Therefore thus says the LORD concerning the king of Assyria, "He will not come to this city or shoot an arrow there; and he will not come before it with a shield or throw up a siege ramp against it. "By the way that he came, by the same he will return, and he shall not come to this city,"' declares the LORD. 'For I will defend this city to save it for My own sake and for My servant David's sake.'" Then it happened that night that the angel of the LORD went out and struck 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians; and when men rose early in the morning, behold, all of them were dead. (2 Kings 19:32-35 NASB)

Are you beginning to understand that we have a variety of weapons at our disposal; use them all. 

Prayer, which is you talking to Abba, is priority one.

Acts 12:5 So Peter was kept in the prison, but prayer for him was being made fervently by the church to God. 

Romans 12:12 rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer, 

Ephesians 6:18 With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints, 

Philippians 4:6 NASB Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

Colossians 4:2 Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving; 

1 Peter 3:12 NASB "For the eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous, and His ears attend to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil."

It is fascinating how Peter could write these words all those years ago with the same enthusiasm as I feel now. The difference is, the end of the church on the earth is here. 

1 Peter 4:7 NASB The end of all things is near; therefore, be of sound judgment and sober spirit for the purpose of prayer.

Now, more than ever, it is time to stand in the face of the enemy. 

What you pray is not necessarily important; and, I am not trying to tell you how to pray.

If you feel the need to say poetry to God, then you go ahead and do that.

To me, prayer is more of a battle cry, something in which I restore my strength and faith. The idea behind all this is to fuel your fire.

We are not here to bow before an enemy.

In the days of the Philistines, if they took you captive, your male organs were removed, and they lopped off one ear.

This is a battle for our lives and the lives of others.

With that being said, say what you mean and mean what you say. Lives are on the line.

Consider these words: 

Father, the rulers of this world, and the people have gathered together against your people and Christ Jesus. Take note of their threats, and grant that Your bond-servants may speak Your word with all confidence. 

(More than anything else, at this time, we need strong words based in the Word of God. Contrary to what my mother believed, God is not asking us to just stand there and let the enemy slap our faces, or order us to bow. God never asked any of His people to do that, and I will never ask you to do that. I will tell you that if you choose to fight on their terms, you will die on their terms. Peter tried that trick, and Jesus told him to put his sword away. Those who live by physical weapons will die by physical weapons.)

Father, I ask that you bring confusion upon them and thwart every plan that they endeavor to do. 

Cause their plans to fail. 

Let them be confounded and put to shame that seek after our souls: let them be turned back and brought to confusion that devise our hurt. 

Let our adversaries be clothed with shame, as with a mantle, and wound them.

Father, I ask that the ministering angels not only encamp about your people but go after those that would try to harm us.

Knock their teeth out. 

Bring upon them the plagues of Egypt, and Cause locusts to disrupt their actions by getting in their eyes and mouths. 

Put open sores and boils upon the flesh of those that mean us harm.

Cover them with a veil so that they cannot see and cause them to stumble as though they were in darkness. 

Open the windows of heaven and pour out torrents of rain upon them. Send hail and lightning. 

Cause the earth to open and swallow them. This action is not new to you, and you can do it again.

I pray these things in Jesus' name because you said I could, knowing that Jesus stands on my behalf before you Abba. You are the great God, and I know that you hear me when I call on you, Lord, because I belong to you, and I am calling on you now to save us. Do what you do best and save your people, the church. 

In Jesus precious name.

All the people of the land will bury them. Ezekiel 39:11-16

I was hoping to get through Ezekiel 39 with this post, but that is not going to happen. Having finished, for the moment with what I apparently needed to say, I discovered I only made it through verse 16.

I find it difficult to merely throw something on paper and then just walk away; the reasons for this come out of a face to face understanding that it is a rarity to find someone who actually has a grasp on what this Bible, we hold so dear, actually says. And, when you do find someone who has knowledge in the Word, you typically walk away from them thinking they should be a prosecuting attorney, not a Bible teacher (I am saying this because I have had that experience, on multiple occasions.) I cannot simply let you walk away from a Bible study I am involved with, without understanding how and why a piece of information works or not.

All passages are from the NASB unless specified otherwise.

The last time I looked at Ezekiel 39, I ended on verse 10 where we find Israel gathering up weapons, which they use for firewood for the next seven years. This is hugely significant for two reasons.

• While Gog is not declared to be Islamic we do know that he is considered to be an aspect of the Scythians. However, they are all descendants of Noah, out of Japheth, and Reuben's family tribe which was left out of the inheritance. The family of Reuben dispersed to the North and South, and there were known familial relations between the Scythians and Egyptians. When trying to determine who we might be dealing with, such as an Islamic influence the most telling of all the clues come from the integration of Persians/Assyrians into the Scythians, but then, why not, for they were all kin in the long run. Gog/the Scythians have one determined purpose, and that is to wipe Israel and the descendants of Jacob off the map.
• The second immense thing to note is the period, seven-years. Why is this important? Because there is an association with the seven-year period known as the time of God's wrath. Now, you have to ask yourself when does this take place? Since we have no exact timing, we can intelligently speculate.

“Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction,” 2 Thessalonians 2:3 NASB)

The “it” is the catching away of the church. The description shows us that almost immediately the “man of lawlessness” is revealed. Since he comes with a peace treaty that he signs with many (Israel is not specifically mentioned when these agreements are mentioned, and so it is inappropriate to think this treaty is for Israel's benefit.), we know that the armies of Gog lost. We know this because Israel is gathering the enemies weapons, and, as we will see, taking six months to bury the dead. This war was an overwhelming defeat, but not because of any direct intervention by Israel; this is God's war.

In the Revelation chapter 4 verse 1, the sentence begins with, “After these things.” The question I hear most, although unintelligently, is what things. The practical and intelligent answer is the close of the church age, this Gog/Magog war, the advent of the “man of lawlessness”, and the onset of the seven-years of God's wrath.

Applying some practical and logical thought to the scenario would put the Gog/Magog war shortly before the man of lawlessness steps to the forefront and puts forth a peace treaty (peace treaties are rarely necessary with times of relative peace such as Israel has now.) This ugliness can all happen within days, before or after. A few days does not seem to matter in God's timing, but one thing is sure, all stops will be pulled out, and God's wrath will begin with the removal of the church.

All the people of the land will bury them.

Ezekiel 39:11 "On that day I will give Gog a burial ground there in Israel, the valley of those who pass by east of the sea, and it will block off those who would pass by. So they will bury Gog there with all his horde, and they will call it the Valley of Hamon-Gog.”

Illustration 1: The land of Canaan. Megiddo sits about center.

• “ 

• “on that day.”

There are several events associated with the phrase, “on that day.” Many carry a definite link to the wrath of God, and, there are associations with His coming for the church. But, the most dramatic is the day Jesus comes back as the messiah for which Israel has been looking. What is the logical link here? The answer that makes the most sense is when God begins to pour out His wrath upon the earth.

•  “ I will give Gog a burial ground there in Israel, the valley of those who pass by east of the sea, and it will block off those who would pass by.”

Based upon information on a trade routes map, one of those routes ran from Damascus around Megiddo and South down the coast.

East of the sea is unclear, but because the valley will obstruct travelers, a likely candidate is the area of southern Galilee that leads toward the Dead Sea (called the Valley of Jezreel in Joshua 17:16). [Nelson's New Illustrated Bible Commentary]

• “So they will bury Gog there with all his horde, and they will call it the Valley of Hamon-Gog.”

I have 30 translations on my computer, and all of them say Gog will be buried there. However, a commentator says, this is no more Gog than it is Antiochus, but his commanders and generals. While that may be, Gog seems to be silenced. 

To say this is no more Gog than it is Antiochus falls on deaf ears unless you are familiar with the information given to Daniel in chapter 11 of that book. In chapter 10 of Daniel, we are introduced to an angel; we assume to be Gabriel. Gabriel gives Daniel such a precise history of future events that many believe it was written after the fact. One of those characters, Antiochus Epiphanes, becomes the forerunner of the Antichrist and presumably Gog, in this case. The point being, Antiochus is long since dead by the time these events come, so there is some sarcasm involved in the comment.

Fascinating how at the end of the thousand-year reign, Gog is once again called upon to lead an uncountable number in a battle against the Holy City Jerusalem. Question: Entering into the millennial reign how long will people live? The answer is, until they die – barring the criminal actions of others. Old age, it seems, will be along the lines of 900 years once again. This should make your head hurt, as there will be those living on the earth that will never die. This Gog/Magog war happens at the beginning of the seven-year time of wrath, and, in that war, Gog is killed. Obviously, he is not one of those who lives through the 1000 year reign, and yet, once again, Gog and all those with him will be killed by flames.

• “"For seven months the house of Israel will be burying them in order to cleanse the land. "Even all the people of the land will bury them; and it will be to their renown on the day that I glorify Myself," declares the Lord GOD. "They will set apart men who will constantly pass through the land, burying those who were passing through, even those left on the surface of the ground, in order to cleanse it. At the end of seven months, they will make a search. "As those who pass through the land pass through and anyone sees a man's bone, then he will set up a marker by it until the buriers have buried it in the valley of Hamon-Gog. "And even the name of the city will be Hamonah. So they will cleanse the land."' Ezekiel 39:12-16 NASB)

Listening to Chuck Missler, the founder of Koinonia House, teaching on this subject, he describes these dead as most likely irradiated from nuclear attack. That assessment seems odd when this is God's war and according to scripture, He has a proven track record with non-nuclear methods. One of those methods is brimstone – burning, encapsulated, sulfur. Now, if God chose to use men and their nuclear armaments for His purposes – something He has done before, would the outcome be the same? Certainly, but most everything on the battlefield would be irradiated, reducing the probabilities that people would pick up weapons to burn.

Let's assume they are irradiated. What then are the procedures? Our government has them posted and here they are.

Field Morgue Procedures

• • Conduct radiation survey of each body coming into field morgue using a radiation survey meter and probe (see above) sweeping 1 inch away from the body surface
    • Decedents with measurable levels of contamination
      • Less than 100 millirems/hour: may be processed in a field morgue
        • Remove and safely store radioactive shrapnel ASAP
        • Conduct forensic examination and victim identification
        • Decontaminate decedent prior to release of body
      • Greater than 100 millirems/hour: move to a refrigeration unit
        • Storage of bodies reading >100 mrem/hr will help ensure safety of morgue staff
        • Refrigerator should be at least 30 feet away from work area
        • Radiation Safety Officer or health physicist will help determine how long to store the body based on rate of decay of fission products
    • Release decedents with internal contamination to funeral home
      • Label body with dose rate, distance of probe, date & time

I only added this to demonstrate that some cautions must be taken. Based on what we now know and that the Israelis have to mark the area where a dead body lies, and the fact that the area must be cleansed opens the door to possible nuclear contamination.

Aren't we forgetting something; these are Jewish considerations and it requires some Jewish understanding on our part.

A website concerned with Jewish traditions tells us,

Jewish custom insists on prompt burial as a matter of respect for the dead, a consideration of particular relevance in hot climates. According to one Kabbalistic source, burial refreshes the soul of the deceased, and only after burial will it be admitted to God's presence (Midrash ha-Ne'lam to Ruth; cf. Zohar, Ex. 151a).

Since there may be minimal concern about most of these dead ending up in God's presence, promptness may not be the primary motivation. Civility, however, may be the overriding factor.

The following aspect is one that was presented to us as we encountered the death of Christ in scripture.

The precedents set by the prompt burials of Sarah (Gen. 23) and of Rachel (Gen. 35:19) are reinforced by the Torah's express command that even the body of a man who had been hanged shall not remain upon the tree all night, but "thou shalt surely bury him the same day" (Deut. 21:23).

The next paragraph asserts that there is a high priest in place, and that is not the case at present; however one will be seated when the Temple gets rebuilt; and, the presence of a temple may play a role in this process.

The Talmud (BK 81a) states that speedy burial of a corpse found unattended (met mitzvah) was one of the ten enactments ordained by Joshua at the conquest of Canaan and is incumbent even on the high priest who was otherwise forbidden to become unclean through contact with the dead (Nazir 7:1). Josephus records that it is forbidden to let a corpse lie unburied (Apion, 2:211), and consideration for the dead is one of the central features of Tobit (2:8).

While all this gives us possible explanations as to why Israel buries the dead for seven months. Neither possibility can be excluded, however, one theory takes precedence when you add this aspect of scripture into the mix.

  “and it will be to their renown on the day that I glorify Myself," declares the Lord GOD.”

Why is this important? Because we seem to forget that God didn't simply put everything on hold as Israel goes about burying dead enemies. This entire scenario has taken place either, mere days before the catching away of the church and the leader who personifies the Antichrist stepping forward proffers a peace treaty; or, it is moments or days after the rapture.

2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, 4) who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God.

This line of demarcation - the rapture, reveals the man of lawlessness, and ushers in God's wrath, an aspect of which is against Israel for their rejection.

Subject to God's wrath, you might think there is no hope for Israel.

Here is where you have to set aside your religious hats and consider the God of mercy.

I tell people that the Great White Throne, the seat of final judgment, only shows up in two places in scripture: Revelation 20 and Matthew 25. Those that think they understand what they call the sheep and goat judgment we find in Matthew 25 will argue vehemently against this possibility. Both examples carry the same results with two exceptions:

• Revelation 20 tells us that He calls forth the dead; while Matthew 25 says that the nations are called to Him.
• Matthew showed us a separation of people, calling them sheep (followers) and the others are designated as goats (non-followers.) In the Revelation, we are merely told about those whose names are not written in the books (the book of life is included.) Matthew's account did not exclude the books but focuses on those found in the book of life.
• In both instances there is a final destination for those found lacking, but Matthew gives us one extra piece of information: Those now allowed into the kingdom, lacking all the whoop-la that religion demands have, according to the judge's explanation, merely performed some act of kindness, such as giving someone a drink of water. Jesus tells them that they were giving that drink to Him.

Is it possible that the nation of Israel in burying the enemies dead, qualifies as an act of kindness; finds some redemption; and, thereby gains entrance into the kingdom? It would seem that God has already qualified it as such.

Strongholds: Those things that entrap us, constantly make us uneasy and keep popping up.

This may seem a little off base, but given the opportunity to teach soon, I asked a friend if he had any ideas. He thought for a second and said, what about Strongholds, those are the things that I need to hear about. I know I do, I battle with aspects of this everyday. These are the notes that I will use to lead the group, however, I have made a skeletonized version that I will pass out to the men, and will post them immediately after this. Do with them as you see fit.

By the way; I am very much aware that there is always more that defines this aspect of strongholds. Think of this as a primer that motivates you to dig deeper.

2 Corinthians 10:3-4 MKJV For though walking about in the flesh, we do not war according to flesh. (4) For the weapons of our warfare are not fleshly, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds,

• Though we walk about in the flesh,

There is no escaping that condition, and yet the concept is that we can set aside the "flesh." There are only two situations in which that happens:

• • • Death – that state in which you are then separated from the body.
    • Or, the rapture (a moment in time in which we will be changed – an act in which God causes this permanently damaged body to be altered.)
• We do not war according to flesh.
  Harsh words, swords, and guns are not going to help. This war we are in is a spiritual battle and Satan is the enemy.

The battle you are facing is a spiritual one and it is primarily in the mind.

• Pulling down – Is the Greek word kathaíresis and means demolition or the destruction of a fortress.
  The enemy (Satan) promotes the building of fortresses in our mind. This process happens slowly through the deceptiveness of words.
  For example: In Paul's letter to the Ephesians, he tells us we are:
  • • Blessed; holy; blameless; in Him; living in love; adopted; chosen; redeemed, and bought back.
  However, these are not the words we hear; mostly we hear the opposite, such as:
  • • You will never be holy; you are to blame for everything; unlovable; unwanted, and that you will have to struggle all your life to attain some state in which God would want you.
• Strongholds – The Greek word ochúrōma; to hold fast. A stronghold, fortification, fortress.
  The Greek allows for something much less invasive; a holdfast.
  Compare to 3M sticky hooks.

Why use the analogy of a temporary wall hanger?

These issues are often temporary annoyances. The simplest of solutions is to pray.

A verse we did not cover defines these strongholds and where they come from.

2 Corinthians 10:5 KJV Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

Again we will dissect this a few words at a time.

• Casting down
  Casting down is the Greek word kathaireō and means to lower (or with violence) demolish. The Word Study Dictionary adds, “to take for oneself. To take down or away.
• Imaginations
  The WSD says this Greek word logismós means a reckoning, calculation, consideration, reflection.
  To logismós a thing means that you are giving more than just a passing thought to a matter. The implications are that you are ruminating on the issue at hand. Since not all things are a worrisome bother, then the other application would apply to the voices that tell you that you will never live up to the things God says about you.
  Other translations use the words: reasoning; arguments; intellectual arrogance; theories, and speculations. All of these fit the concept.
• And every
  Every is the Greek word pas and includes all the forms of declension; apparently a primary word; all, any, every, the whole: - all (manner of, means).
  Declension according to Webster's dictionary means literally, a leaning back or down; hence, a falling or declining towards a worse state; a trend toward a lesser degree of excellence or perfection.
• High thing
  High thing is the word hupsōma, an elevated place or thing, that is, (abstractly) altitude, or (by implication) a barrier.
  Who is it that does the elevation? We do, as we put that thought on a pedestal.
• That exalts itself
  Is the word epairō meaning to raise up.
  Since the context has to do with casting down imaginations and every high thing, then the idea, worry, or promotion you have spinning in your head is trying desperately to exalt itself by raising up; but against what?In reality, the voices, whether they are in your head or fed to from some well meaning “friend,” are intended to exalt themselves above God's word, nature, and character.
• Against the knowledge of God
  So, just as I said, the voices are attempting to exalt themselves above God. There is truly, only one person that does that, Satan and his minions.
• And bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;
  As I said, you are the one who has to take care of this. It is, by-the-way, your psyche that is being toyed with. Doing nothing only adds to the fortification that is being built in your mind. While it is necessary that you bring these thoughts that are contrary to God into captivity, you must subject your thoughts to the obedience of Christ.
  Obedience is the Greek word hupakoḗ; to obey, listen to something, hearken.
  This is you with purpose resetting your mind to consider with an overriding confidence, the true nature of Christ Jesus.

I get it; there are understandably some people who are so far gone, whether from alcohol, drug abuse, or trauma, that they do not live in a functional state of mental health and may not be able to make these decisions for themselves. With those people in mind, I am reminded of what the Apostle Peter told us Jesus did; and, in so doing, demonstrated not only the character and nature of the Father but our mission as well.

Acts 10:38 MKJV ...and He went about doing good, and healing all those who were oppressed by the Devil, for God was with Him.

So, once again, you are not dealing with the flesh, but demonic forces, in all but rare cases.

Let's just assume that this is not you and you continue to function with relative normalcy while fighting against these small, annoying mental skirmishes, many of which we lose.

If these strongholds are merely a hold fast and not a fortress in my mind, why I am I continually bothered/tortured by this same problem?

1. You, with Christ living in you, are a target.
   I know you did not want to hear that, but it is information that you needed to know.
   Ephesians 2:10 MKJV For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus ...
   There are plenty of people who will say that this does not define us as being in God's image, so allow me to give you another piece of proof.
   Genesis 1:26-27 MKJV And God said, Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness. And let them have dominion ... over all the earth, ... And God created man in His image;...
   Some might say, I don't believe in this God of yours.
   Their challenge does not matter; the mere fact that we were created in the image of God caused Satan to set his destructive sights upon them.
   A simple hold fast may restrain you for your entire life.
2. Satan, we are told, constantly accuses us of sins. We see this in Revelation of all places.
   Revelation 12:10 MKJV ... For the accuser of our brothers is cast down, who accused them before our God day and night.
3. Our broken flesh is centered around selfishness; the motivation to satisfy the flesh.
   We quickly and easily call this a sin conscience.

We religious folk, love to fling the word sin around, especially once we've decided that you need more restraint in your life. The word “sin” is simply an old English term, taking from Archery, in which the competitor missed the bulls-eye in the center of the target.

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The Lord began to awaken me with - tell them that I need them to stand down

Sunday morning, February 22, 2015, The Spirit of the Lord began to awaken me with some rather vivid dreams. In these dreams he said, there are mighty and upright men that are willing and able to remove the corruption that controls these United States. Implore them that they are to stand down, for this situation is of my design and for my purpose. Over the course of an hour, the same dream kept coming back to me. I finally figured out that the Holy Spirit was trying to tell me something so I got up and started typing.

May I be honest; I have some serious concerns about our government monitoring everything we do on the Internet. I believe that if I get to descriptive about what I saw men’s lives would be in danger, and I would have someone knocking on my door with evil intent. I wish to avoid that for as long as I can. If you are not aware of it, our government has deemed those who have strong religious convictions, voicing their opinion about wrongs in the land, to be a greater threat to this nation than Islamic terrorists.

I am calling out to the

watchmen upon the walls;

those who will not rest

until there is peace.

Isaiah 62:6

I consider myself a watchman upon the wall. I truly believe that God called me do that, and therefore holds me responsible for giving out what I hear and see. When you consider the origins of the watchman, there was really no Holy Spirit involved in the process; it was a job that provided for the safety of the city. In math you learned the term extrapolation, do that with a statement like this, contrasted against God’s word and you will find that we are that city. I learned a long time ago to not slap a qualifier to the things I hear in my spirit, and then speak out of my mouth. The reason is that you cannot take the man, the things that influence him, and his brokenness out of the prophetic word. It stands to reason then, that anything said can be motivated by current and past issues. If you followed me on Facebook, then you could easily understand where I am coming from.

The dream reappeared over the course of several hours. In it, I saw determined, angry, and righteous men, covered in camouflage, and heavily armed. In the dream, I understood their purpose, and God made it clear to me that they would successful. The dreams kept repeating and I tried to shake them off and go back to sleep, thinking they were motivated by the things I give too much attention.

I have one other concern. How I am supposed to stop determined men, men who call themselves Christians, from carrying out violent acts? This is all I know how to do. If this speaks to you, then pass it on.

The Spirit of the Lord said, tell them that I need them to stand down. For now I am asking you to, "Put your weapons away. (for) Anyone who lives by fighting will die by fighting. (Matthew 26:52 CEV). I do not need you taken out of the fight prematurely. The day is coming soon when I will come and extract my church and take them home, but until that day comes your weapons are spiritual and of more use than any earthly weapon.

For although we live in the world, we do not wage war in a worldly way, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. They have God's power for pulling down of fortifications, destroying counsels, and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God. (2 Corinthians 10:3, 4, 5a CJB; ESV)

He continued, “there are dark days coming and you would be foolish to long for them, for the battle is already upon you. When those days come it will be time for the mighty to rise and lock shields. It will be the time to put on the face of war and determination, and yet it will still be a time of prayer and power; this is what I was telling you when I had my prophet Joel declare what the end will look like.”

“Blow a ram's horn in Zion, and sound an alarm in My holy mountain; let all the inhabitants of the land tremble. For the day of Jehovah comes, for it is near at hand; a day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness, as the morning spread on the mountains; a great people and a strong people; there has not been ever the like, nor shall there ever be again, even to the years of many generations.” (Joel 2:1-2 MKJV)

As believers you are being asked to take the role of a Para Jumper, a person whose primary purpose is to give aid, recover victims, and still be a serious threat to the enemy. Ready and willing to move in PRAYER at a moments notice.

“What I am asking you to do, with the same determination and purpose, is Pray.”

“At a moments notice Pray.”

Pray as if your life depended upon it.

Pray as if your family was in jeopardy.

Pray, trusting that God will come through.

“I am speaking to the mighty men, men who hear the cry and call in your spirit; men who will respond to me, just as they did to Moses.”

Therefore take to yourselves the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. (Ephesians 6:13 MKJV)

If you are familiar with this event in scripture, then you know that Joshua, who had been at the bottom of the mountain waiting for Moses, reported that he thought there was a battle going on. If you understand Joshua, then you know he was ready to charge into the melee. Moses, on the other hand heard the sounds of a big party, and in many ways, it was. Pushed by the people, Aaron had made them a calf out of gold, at least that is the childish way it is described. Stephen, in the seventh chapter of the book of Acts, told the Sanhedrin court that was about to have him killed, that what Aaron made was the god Moloch. Moreover, Aaron had made a temple for the gods he made. No one on that panel of learned Jewish scholars challenged Stephen about his statement, because he was correct and they knew it. A little research indicates that what Israel did that day was so detestable, that they would not speak of it. Moloch was a half calf, half man creation that had outstretched arms. It would then be heated and they would lie their babies on the heated arms to roast as a sacrifice to a god they had adopted. The following verse is in response to the horrors they committed in sacrificing upon this piece of garbage.

"And when Moses saw that the people were unruly and unrestrained (for Aaron had let them get out of control, so that they were a derision and object of shame among their enemies), Then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, Whoever is on the Lord's side, let him come to me. And all the Levites [the priestly tribe] gathered together to him." (Exodus 32:25-26 AMP)

Yes, “The day is evil, but it is going to get worse.” However, there is hope, and it comes on two fronts.

Those of us who have Christ living in us, are in Him, and therefore living in the promise of His salvation from that seven-year period of intensifying sorrow and death, coming upon the earth. Many call it the great Tribulation; it is not called that at all, but is called a time of wrath and judgment. Clearly, during that time there will an a time of great tribulation, bad enough to where all men in opposition to the ungodly world leader, we call the Anti Christ, would be killed.

That sounds pretty dismal and inescapable, and for some that will be the case. And yet, there are some who will come to Lord during this time and rise up in a power like unto the prophets like Elijah, who called down fire, or like unto Samuel who called the lightning down upon the Philistines, and by his word caused the ground to open and swallow many. We see the directive and evidence of this happening in Joel’s prophecy to end time believers.

You need to understand something; you do not want to take that chance, not when we have God’s grace extended to us now. Thanks to His Son’s sacrifice on the cross, we are covered by the blood of Jesus, and our sin (an unfortunate, permanent aspect of who we are) is paid for. We are not being judged for sin, having the advantage under grace to receive Jesus Christ into our lives. At that point, we are immediately accepted into the kingdom. People who come to God during the last seven years, have missed that opportunity, and now must prove their allegiance to God (that is the best way I can explain it).

“Later, I will give my Spirit to everyone. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your old men will have dreams, and your young men will see visions. In those days I will even give my Spirit to my servants, both men and women. I will work wonders in the sky above and on the earth below. There will be blood, fire, and clouds of smoke. The sun will turn dark, and the moon will be as red as blood before that great and terrible day when I appear. Then the LORD will save everyone who faithfully worships him. He has promised there will be survivors on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, and among them will be his chosen ones.” (Joel 2:28-32 CEV)

I grieve over the fact that while the people who go through the wrath are those that were not raptured, and must endure horrors comparable to what ISIS is dishing out in the Middle East. There is a sense of excitement, because I always wanted to walk through this earth, with strength, as I perceived the prophets did. That is the complete opposite of how I have perceived myself.

I think I am the exception and that no one else struggles internally. Truth is, these prophets were really no different from you or I, but there is one thing that set them apart, they chose to believe in a God that can and will come through.

Yes, we are in the last days. The signs of His coming are all around us, this is one of the reasons I write. This is my shofar and I am blowing it. Sadly, as believers, we have to be on our guard, because deception will come, and unfortunately, it will come from people you thought you could trust. Pastor Rob Bell has been busy lately selling out the church to Oprah Winfrey. An aspect of what he is saying is that the church must cave on its ideas about what sin is, or we will lose our relevance. I have news for you, our relevance is already lost; we gave that up when we pushed the power and anointing of the Holy Spirit out of the church.

Look at what Paul wrote to the church at Thessalonica.

“Do not let anyone deceive you in any way. For the Day will not come until the final Rebellion takes place and the Wicked One appears, who is destined to hell. He will oppose every so-called god or object of worship and will put himself above them all. He will even go in and sit down in God's Temple and claim to be God. Don't you remember? I told you all this while I was with you. Yet there is something that keeps this from happening now, and you know what it is. At the proper time, then, the Wicked One will appear.” (2 Thessalonians 2:3-6 GNB)

I am telling you that the time of His return is upon us. I am not ignorant of how long people have said this; I am just choosing to ignore those that merely whine all the time. We have a mandate to live in anxious anticipation, and in so doing I preach a gospel of repentance. Do you know what repentance means, simply this, turn around and go in the opposite direction? Since we have the freedom to choose what gods we want to follow, we tend to follow the ones that make the fewest demands upon us. This allows us the freedom to act as selfishly as we choose, doing our own thing. That’s heavy. Christ clarified with a few simple words to a bunch of Jewish detractors, love the Lord your God, and love your neighbor as yourself. Is that really so hard?

If you are a believer, this passage in 2 Thessalonians 2:3-6, tells that the Antichrist will oppose everything godlike and all worship of anything but himself. I strongly suspect this will be Allah, it sort of fits the common theme among Muslims these days. On the other hand, did you notice that there is something holding this “world” leader back, keeping him from the free reign he desires? Here again I think I know the answer to that also. It is those of us who pray against the enemy’s advances.

A short story and then I am done. At a time when I was going through a divorce from a cheating wife, I rented a room from a friend down the street. Was I living successfully for the Lord at the time? I would not say so, but I was trying desperately to hang on. One night I stopped in the living room, where he was watching the news. They talked about a hurricane that was going to slam into the Texas coastline in a matter of minutes. With an unusual boldness, and the knowledge that he had an Episcopalian background, I said, scripture tells us that God made the sands as a limit to the waves, and in the power of the name of Jesus, I command this hurricane to turn back out to sea. A few seconds passed and then the newscaster said, they are telling me that the hurricane just turned and is headed back out to sea. My friend, with his mouth hanging open just turned and looked at me. I would love to be able to tell you that he fell on his knees, repented and turned his life over to God right then, but that did not happen. He seemed to look at me in awe after that, but nothing really changed, except in me. God became bigger in me that day, kind of like the Grinch.

The LORD is his name, and he is a warrior! (Exodus 15:3 CEV)

We are those warriors!