The Benjamin Bridge

This week's Torah portion is a powerful part of Joseph's story: the time he finally reveals himself to his 11 brothers, who have come from Canaan to Egypt to buy grain. The part of this story that personally touches me so deeply is Genesis 44:25-26, 34. Judah steps up to Joseph, who is now ruler over Egypt, second in command to Pharaoh, and gives an impassioned plea on behalf of the youngest brother, Benjamin. His plea stirs my heart because it is prophetic of the restoration of all Israel - all 12 tribes - and it should be the passionate prayer of all our hearts in this hour.

Going back in the story we recall the time when the brothers sold Joseph into slavery, and then tore his multi-colored coat into pieces so it would look as if a wild animal had killed him. The torn coat was prophetic of the separation of Israel into two kingdoms: Ephraim (grandson of Joseph, representing those dispersed into the nations), and Judah (representing the Jewish people who kept their faith and returned to the Land). When Joseph coerces the brothers into leaving little Benjamin behind when they go back to their father Jacob, Judah gives this plea: "So now if the boy (Benjamin) is not with us when I go back to your servant, my father, and if my father, whose life is closely bound up with the boy's life, sees that the boy isn't there, he will die. Your servants will bring the gray head of our father down to the grave in sorrow. How can I go back to my father if the boy is not with me? "

Can you see the glorious parallel for our time? There are several ways to see it that all mean the same thing. The Church cannot expect to replace Israel and enter the Kingdom of God if the Jewish people (the boy) are excluded! We cannot go back to the Father, to a restored Israel, without them! In other words, the restoration of all Israel cannot and will never happen until both Ephraim (Joseph) and Judah (Benjamin) are brought together - representing all 12 tribes. Jacob, the father of these 12 sons, represents Yahweh the Father in this story -- and the Father's heart for little Benjamin - even the tiny nation of Israel and all her scattered ones - is evident!

It becomes personal for me also because while I was in Jerusalem a woman unknown to me at the time prophesied over me and said, "You are of the tribe of Benjamin!" It lit such a fire in my spirit that I began to pray and ask the Ruach for clues that would validate this prophecy. I knew my maternal grandmother's name was Zeba, though I had never met her. She died shortly after giving birth to my mother. So when I learned that the word zeba (pronounced zeva in Hebrew) actually means wolf, my heart leapt! Upon the banner of the tribe of Benjamin is a wolf!

The above story from Genesis also shows Benjamin to actually be a bridge (or liason) between the "ten lost tribes" of Israel (Ephraim) and the Jewish people (Judah). Benjamin, the youngest, was loved by all his brothers, and in this story he actually served to bring them together. If I truly am descended from the line of Benjamin (and I have no proof!) then it does explain to me the great passion I carry within my spirit to be a bridge between the two in our own day. My passion is to call the Church back to her Hebrew roots, forsaking the doctrines of men and the idolatry of mixing the holy with the profane, that we might be truly grafted in to the olive tree of Israel, and help our brother Judah to be re-grafted in through acceptance of their Messiah. After all, the apostle Shaul (Paul) says, "what will their acceptance be but life from the dead?" (Romans 11:15)

How can we go back to the Father if the boy (Benjamin) is not with us? Our Father's life is closely bound up with the boy's life! (Genesis 44:30)

They Did Not Recognize Him

This past week's Torah portion left me deeply pondering one of the many parallels between Joseph (son of Jacob) and Yeshua our Messiah. In Genesis Chapter 42 Joseph has arisen to the lofty office of Governor over Egypt, second in command to the Pharaoh. During the time of great famine in that part of the world, 10 of this brothers travel to Egypt in the hopes of purchasing some grain. Genesis 42:7-8: "Joseph saw his brothers and recognized them, but he acted as a stranger to them and spoke roughly to them. Then he said to them, 'Where do you come from?' And they said, 'From the land of Canaan to buy food.' So Joseph recognized his brothers, but they did not recognize him." Why? Why did they not recognize him? Don't you imagine that after all those years in Egypt, and in his high office as Governor, Joseph must have been dressed in Egyptian garb, with black eye makeup, wig, and royal Egyptian robes? How could they have imagined that this was their own kin, a son of Jacob, a man who worshiped the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob? He was painted differently! Then after the brothers return to Canaan and then make a second trip back to Egypt, in Genesis 45:1 we are told that Joseph "made himself known to his brothers." How did he do this? I have to assume he removed his Egyptian costume and makeup and allowed them to see him as he really was: an Israelite.
All week this has spoken to my heart. How have the Jewish people not recognized their own Messiah for two thousand years? Could it be that it is because the Christian religion has painted him differently? They would not imagine their Messiah to have a westernized name like Jesus, instead of his true Hebrew name, Yeshua (meaning Salvation of God). They could never recognize a Jewish Messiah whose resurrection is celebrated by people eating ham! And how on earth would they recognize the Messiah born to a Jewish woman from the paintings on our walls of a man with pale skin, light hair and sometimes blue eyes? How could they see the Lamb of God whose blood delivered them if His people aren't even keeping the Passover Feast?

As we dig deeper into the Hebrew roots of our faith, the Messiah of Israel is making Himself known to his brothers. Little by little we are removing his "Christianized costume and makeup" and discovering who He really was: an Israelite! Perhaps one day when those in the Church are worshiping a Jewish Messiah by keeping HIS feasts and HIS commands - setting apart the seventh day Sabbath as He commanded, and forsaking the doctrines of men - all his brothers will finally recognize Him.

When Joseph's brothers finally recognized him, Joseph said to them, "God sent me before you to preserve a posterity for you in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance" (Genesis 45:7). In the same way the apostle Paul says of the Jewish people, "If their being cast away is the reconciling of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead?" Joseph's brothers mourned their cruel act of selling him into slavery, and Genesis 45:15 says, "Moreover Joseph kissed all his brothers and wept over them, and after that his brothers talked with him."

When we begin to worship the Messiah of the Scriptures - Yeshua haMashiach - and through us (the wild branch) He is revealed to His own (the natural branch) then Zechariah's prophecy will finally be fulfilled: "And I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look upon Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for His only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn." (Zechariah 12:10)

I Haven't Said My Line!

Our Hanukkah celebration at my Messianic fellowship, David's Tent, was such a joy and an inspiration! The children acted out the story of the Maccabees, and my heart was deeply stirred to want to reach the level of zeal they had for the God of Israel. When at last the Jewish people had reached a full victory over the evil Antiochus Epiphanes and his armies, and they cleansed and rededicated their Temple, they brought the menorah (lampstand) back in to light the lights. I watched as the young man playing Mattathias held up the fire and lit each of the branches of the menorah and something in my heart was profoundly touched. Do we have enough oil in our lamps to keep burning in this dark world? Are we so zealous for our God that we would die for Him?

One little boy playing an enemy soldier was struck down with a toy sword and gave us a very dramatic "agonizing" death scene. Then suddenly, unexpectedly he sat up, his eyes wide with concern, and he shouted out, "Wait! I can't die yet! I haven't said my line!" We roared with laughter. But that whole scene came back to me the next day on Shabbat when I was thinking about the people in their 80s and 90s for whom I teach a Bible study each week. How often they have said to me, "Why are we still here? Why doesn't God take us home? We don't have any reason to be here anymore." Now I want to say to them, "Maybe you haven't said your line yet!"

Have any of us finished all our lines in the script we call life? Not until we draw our last breath. Until that moment we still have opportunity to tell someone about the Messiah. We still have opportunity to show someone love or bring someone a little joy. Yeshua says, "You must work while it is still day; soon it will be night when no one can work."

Once the "sword" of death strikes us we won't be able to sit up and shout, "I can't be dead yet - I haven't said my line!" So we need to say it today while we have breath. We need to be light in this dark world today, while we still have places to shine it. We need to say our lines - filled with love and exhortation - from the pure Word of God - while there are still people with ears to hear.

Can Kohl's Save Christmas?

Driving to the airport yesterday I was listening to a commentator on an economic radio program give the dismal report on "Black Friday's" statistics. "Target was down 10%, while the average store reported sales 17-18% below last year's," he lamented. "However, Nordstrom was up 2% and Kohl's alone reached a 3% increase over last year. Can Kohl's save Christmas?"

I am making the obvious assumption that this commentator's definition of Christmas is the commercial season between Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays when retailers hope to get their yearly profit margins in the black. It seems to have become the definition of Christmas for our nation. And so he asks, "CAN KOHL'S SAVE CHRISTMAS?"

Let's go a step further. Even if we are a people who don't define Christmas as a commercial retail phenomenon, how do we define it? And does our definition agree with Scripture and the ways YHVH defines it? Ask any child to define Christmas. Most will tell you, "It's when Santa comes and brings presents!" Why do parents lie to their children and tell them there is a magical, mystical man who flies through the universe and who rewards the good and punishes the bad? Why did I lie to my children and why did my parents lie to me? Santa, reindeer, sparkly trees, yule logs...it all seems so fun, so innocent. For many of us they were cherished family traditions. But look up the history of these traditions. Search an encyclopedia to see what a yule log was; and please read Jeremiah 10:3-4. Yeshua reminds us, "You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men." (Mark 7:8) It is hard to let go of traditions that were so much a part of our childhoods. But it is the pagan traditions that led to the lies of our forefathers and still profane the celebrations that Christians keep today.

December 25 was the birthday of Sol, the sun god - and so it was conveniently selected as the day to celebrate the Messiah's birth. The holy was mixed with the profane - and YHVH hates that! (See Ezekiel 44:23). What Scripture commands that we celebrate the day of His birth? What writer of the Gospels gives us the date and the way in which we are to keep this "feast"? Search it out! It is not there. If Yeshua had thought it important, He would have told us so. But He seems about as interested in a birthday party with presents and nativity pageants and decorated trees as He would be in the results of Kohls profit margin! That is because He continually tried to focus the people on His Kingdom. He is a King and a High Priest in the order of Melchizedek, who has no geneaology, no father or mother, no beginning and no end (Hebrews 7:3) "He is the image of the invisble God, the firstborn over all creation, for by Him all things were created" (Colossians 1:15). In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God; He was with God in the beginning (John 1:1). He is the Lamb that was slain from the foundation of the world (Revelation 13:8). He is the same yesterday, today and forever! (Hebrews 13:8). He is called Emmanuel - which means "God with us." He was conceived in the womb of a Jewish woman during the feast of Hanukkah as His Light (like the oil of the light of the menorah) came into the world. He was born as a child at the Feast of Tabernacles (which means God dwells with us) and is returning again at the Feast of Tabernacles when He will establish His Kingdom reign forever. HalleluYah! How marvelously the feasts of the LORD fulfill all the prophecies about Him! "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. (Hebrews 12:1).

Can Kohl's save Christmas? Does Yeshua want it saved? Ask Him yourself. This year instead of us saying, "Oh well, He knows my heart" - let us earnestly seek to know His heart.

Overcomers

Ever since writing about the beast system - and then teaching it at our Erev Shabbat fellowship - I've been pondering what it will mean for us to overcome in that time. There are many places in Scripture where Master Yeshua tells us what is promised to those who overcome in this life. Here are a few of them:

"He who overcomes will...be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the Book of Life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels." (Rev. 3:5)

"He who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will he leave it. I will write on him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on him my new name." (Rev. 3:12)

"To him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it." (Rev. 2:17)

1.Overcomers will be dressed in white. This, of course, refers to the "fine linen" we are given to wear when we meet our Bridegroom; and the linen is defined for us in Rev. 19:18 as "righteousness" We are clothed in Yeshua. "I delight greatly in YHVH; my soul rejoices in my God. For He has clothed me with garments of salvation (Yeshua) and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns herself with her jewels."

2. Overcomers will have their names written in the Book of Life. (If anyone's name was not found written in the Book of Life, he was thrown into the lake of fire - Rev. 20:15). And not only will overcomers' names be recorded in the Book of Life, but the name of God (YHVH) and the name of His City (Yerushalayim) will be written on them as well! They are marked as His own, and they have a new residence - the City Abraham was looking for, whose maker and builder is God!

3. Overcomers are given some of the "hidden manna." In John 6:49-50 we are told, "Your forefathers ate the manna in the desert, yet they died. But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which a man may eat and not die. " This hidden manna is Yeshua! He will keep us in our wilderness trials because of our trust in Him; and though we die, yet shall we live. And He will give us a white stone. In ancient times a white stone was used during trials to pronounce a person "not guilty." To receive a white stone is to be absolved of all guilt and set free! But what of the "new name?" I believe it must correspond also to Isaiah 56:5-6 where YHVH says, "...to those who keep my Sabbaths, who choose what pleases me and hold fast to my Covenant, to them I will give within my temple and its walls a memorial and a name better than sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name that will not be cut off."

These are precious promises! These are images of our belonging to the family of YHVH, loved and protected by Him, washed clean by His blood and clothed in His righteousness, holding fast to His Covenant and keeping His Sabbaths in the way that pleases HIM, and even receiving new names that signify our inheritance in His Kingdom!

How ever shall we do it? When persecution and violence overtake the land and things become so much harder than we can now imagine, how will we overcome? I like Oswald Chambers' take on it best. In fact, I've tried to live by his explanation for some years now. He writes, “God does not give us overcoming life. He gives us life as we overcome. "

Who is the beast?

Though everyone is asking that question these days, I tend to think we are asking the wrong question. I think it would be more aptly put this way: What is the beast?

In Daniel Chapter 2 King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon has a dream about an immense statue, whose body is made of various metals. Clearly these various metal parts represent ancient powerful kingdoms such as Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, Rome, and the Ottoman/Islamic Empire. Then in Daniel 7 the prophet himself has a dream of four beasts coming out of the sea that look like a lion, a bear, and a leopard, the fourth an undefined beast with large iron teeth that crushes and devours. This vision is completely consistent with Revelation 13:1-2 where John the Revelator had a vision identical to Daniel's: "And I saw a beast coming out of the sea. He had ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on his horns, and on each head a blasphemous name. The beast I saw resembled a leopard, but had feet like those of a bear and a mouth like that of a lion. The dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great authority."

First we must understand that in Scripture the word sea is very often used as Hebraic understanding of "nations or Gentile groups of peoples." I have come to understand and believe that the beast spoken of in the prophecies of Revelation is actually a system that is a combination of all the wicked ancient empires out of the Gentile nations/peoples of the past. In other words, this beast system (commonly known today as the New World Order) is fueled by the same evil that powered the Babylonian Empire, the Greco/Roman empires, the Medo-Persian empires, the false religion of Islam, the Third Reich of Germany, the Spanish Inquisitions, and the modern-day European Union and United Nations. This evil power is, of course, none other than the dragon, Satan, "that ancient serpent who leads the whole world astray." (Revelation 12:9). And remember we are told in Revelation 13:2 that "the dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great authority." The New World Order is being given its power and authority from none other than Satan himself.

Am I saying there is not one single individual who will fulfill the role of "Antichrist?" No, I am not saying that. According to Daniel's vision, "while I was thinking about the horns, there before me was another horn, a little one, which came up among them." Came up among whom? I believe this becomes more clear when we understand that one individual emerges and rises to great power from within the beast system (New World Order). And again, this individual will be entirely consistent in his goal and motivation with those who preceded him. Let me name just a few and the footprints of Satan should become easily discernible to you: Pharoah, Haman, Antiochus Epiphanes, King Herod, Suleiman I, Adolf Hitler, Yasser Arafat, Bashar Assad, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. This line of evil rulers all had (have) one thing in common, didn't they? Their goal was/is to destroy the Jewish race, through whom the seed of the Messiah came and will come again. The rulers of the past all failed. But just because these failed do you think the enemy has given up? Some of the rulers I have listed here have yet to carry out their wicked plans.

I tell you the enemy is even now orchestrating this beast system, fulfilling these prophecies of Daniel and Revelation, all designed to annihilate the Jewish race and those who believe in the Messiah and keep His commands. Together, you see, we form the family of Jacob, the children of Yahweh. Thus together we will endure the time of Jacob's trouble - the last onslaught of Satan before he is bound in chains for 1000 years - and together as two sticks in the Father's hand, our robes washed in the Blood of the Lamb we will see the Promise come to pass!

Yeshua - the Rock of Jerusalem

In my last blog I wrote about Maj. Nidal Hasan, who murdered and wounded many on the Ft. Hood Army Base. You may recall that the Spirit spoke to me about his name (Nidal), which means struggle, and about the sign I kept seeing that said Temple, Texas. Father was showing me the bigger prophetic picture, of course - the end-time struggle over the Temple Mount, the place where YHVH put His name, and where Yeshua our Messiah will one day return to take up HIS throne.

But if I zoom back in from the bigger picture and look at what is actually being fulfilled right now, in this very day, I can clearly see the stone that the builders rejected becoming a stumbling stone. There is a lot of new information coming out now about Maj. Nidal Hasan. It has been verified that he had close ties and contact with members of the Al Qaeda terrorist organization, and that he clearly had a Muslim agenda, which calls its members to kill the infidel and conquer the "Great Satan" (the U.S.A.) with the sword of Islam. How many in this nation still do not get it? How many are really surprised that our government had knowledge of this and did nothing? How many of us finally have our heads out of the sand and are seeing biblical prophecy being fulfilled in our nation by an enemy of YHVH known today as Islam?

The Ruach (Holy Spirit) is sounding the alarm on His Holy Mountain; are you listening? Zechariah prophesied (Zech 12:1-3): "This is the Word of YHVH concerning Israel. YHVH, who stretches out the heavens, who lays the foundation of the earth, and who forms the spirit of man within him, declares: 'I am going to make Jerusalem a cup that sends all the surrounding peoples reeling. Judah will be besieged as well as Jerusalem. On that day, when all the nations of the earth are gathered against her, I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock for all the nations. All who try to move it will injure themselves."

On the early morning of November 8th I arose to check e-mail and noticed an article from the Ha'eretz Newspaper in Israel, reporting that the U.N. Security Council is getting ready to endorse a Declaration of Independence for a Palestinian State with pre-1967 borders (which includes the Temple Mount). It said Syria may be involved in brokering this agreement. Then yesterday Israel's Prime Minister Netanyahu flew to Washington D.C. and engaged in a secret meeting with President Obama. No details were released by the press.

What in the world is going on? I am telling you what is going on, beloved in Messiah! Jerusalem is quickly becoming an "immovable rock for all the nations, and all who try to move it [change its ownership/move its borders] will injure themselves." On the Temple Mount today sits the Muslim Mosque, the Dome of the Rock, which has a large inscription on its walls declaring, GOD HAS NO SON!

You see, the Stone that causes the Muslims and many other peoples of the earth to stumble has a name. His name is Yeshua. He is the One the prophet Isaiah wrote about (and Peter quoted) in 1 Peter 2:6-8: "...it says in Scripture, 'See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in Him will never be put to shame'. Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe, 'The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone,' and 'a stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall.' They stumble because they disobey the message - which is also what they were destined for."

Maj. Nidal Hasan was in a struggle all right. He and his fellow Muslims (as well as many other nations and religions of the world ) are stumbling over the capstone, and they are killing to prove their point. They are trying to move the Rock of Jerusalem, and in the end they will fall. It is Satan at war with Yahweh, doing his best to eradicate the seed of the Woman, the Lamb who was slain from the foundation of the world to redeem Israel (those who would believe in Him and keep His commandments).

They stumble because they disobey the message - which is also what they were destined for. Pray for the eyes of the blind to be opened, and the ears of the deaf to hear! Then keep your own eyes and ears open, that you may see the Truth and not be deceived.

Your Name is in This Temple

When something terrible like the Fort Hood massacre happens, I get quite a few e-mails asking, "What do you think it means?" It is good that we are an AWAKE people, asking questions about what these things mean, instead of going blindly on about our days, with our heads in the sand. We are a people who know that YHVH speaks through the things that He allows to happen, and if we are paying attention and seeking the mind of Messiah, He will at least give us some clues along the way. Sometimes the clues are blatantly obvious - such as the days in 2005 when I was in Jerusalem weeping over the thousands of Jews being expelled from their homes in the Gaza, and knowing in my heart that as we pushed for the dividing of the Land of Israel and forced Jews into homelessness in the streets, there would be a response from the Holy One of Israel. Sure enough, three days later, Hurricane Katrina roared into New Orleans rendering thousands of Americans homeless in the streets.

But sometimes the clues are NOT so obvious. And so when I went to the Holy Spirit last night asking for any message we could glean from the tragedy at Fort Hood, this is what I received: the killer's first name is Nidal. It is an Arabic name that means struggle. Then I kept seeing the name Temple, Texas on the Fox News screen where the correspondents were relaying the story.

Nidal is in Temple...Struggle on the Temple, Struggle over the Temple Mount...

Those words continued reverberating in my mind as I drifted off to sleep last night, and when I awoke this morning I felt assured that this is an underlying warning message from YHVH of what is just ahead. PRAY FOR THE PEACE OF JERUSALEM. Pray for many Jewish and Arabic eyes to be opened to Yeshua the Messiah. Pray for YHVH to defend His people, as He has promised, and for HIS NAME'S SAKE.
By faith pray Jehoshaphat's prayer in 2 Chronicles 20:
O YHVH, Elohim of our fathers, are you not the God who is in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. Power and might are in Your hand so that none is able to withstand You. Did not You, O our Elohim, drive out the inhabitants of this land before Your people Israel, and give it to the seed of Abraham Your friend forever? And they dwelt therein, and have built You a sanctuary for Your Name, saying: "If evil come upon us, the sword, judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we will stand before this temple, and before You - for Your Name is in this temple - and cry unto You in our affliction, and You will hear and save!"

Struggle over the Temple...

EAGLES WINGS

"When shall we leave for Israel?"

"How will we know when it's time to go?"

"Should we go to Israel this year?"

I am asked those questions over and over, almost daily. We Ephraimites are eager to get home, aren't we? I know one couple who has actually built their cart and carries it with them in their car! I know another family convinced that the sign will be the parting of the Atlantic Ocean so we can walk across! Some are going over early for short trips to help work in the vineyards of the Jewish people, showing them our love and brotherhood. But it seems ALL of us are wondering how we will hear the "whistle" of YHVH and when we will begin the journey of the Greater Exodus.

So, what is my answer when I get those questions? I can only answer for myself. Every time (thus far) that I pray and ask the Ruach if it is time to go, I hear these words very clearly: "Not yet. Hunker down in your little yellow house. When it's time, I will send for you. Wait on Me - and do not run ahead of Me."

I remember the last time I was in Israel and a very wise person said to me, "Do not go to Israel unless you are assigned to go." I know that to be true. The spiritual warfare in the Land is 1000% stronger than anything we experience here. Jerusalem is, after all, Ground Zero in the battle! It is the City of the Great King, the place where YHVH put His Name - and Satan would like nothing better than to steal and control that piece of real estate! That's why it is always the focus of world news. Jerusalem is the timepiece of YHVH's entire story.

Today a sister wrote and asked my advice on when it will be time to emigrate to Israel - and in my answer, the Holy Spirit showed me something profound. I told her that YHVH is saying, "Wait on me..." and then the scripture in Isaiah 40:31 came to mind: "Those who wait on YHVH will renew their strength. They will mount up on wings of eagles..."

Wings of eagles! Where else in Scripture do we see this Hebrew idiom but in Exodus and Revelation - in the First Exodus and in the Greater Exodus! Exodus 19:4: "You yourselves have seen what I did in Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles' wings and brought you to Myself." Revelation 12:14: "The woman was given the two wings of a great eagle so that she might fly to the place prepared for her in the desert, where she would be taken care of for a time, times, and half a time, out of the serpent's reach."

What do "eagles wings" mean, then, but the supernatural deliverance of El Shaddai, rescuing His people first from bondage in Egypt, and then from the Luciferian New World Order? Being "carried on eagles' wings" in the Hebraic perspective is being protected and kept safe (out of Pharaoh/Antichrist's reach) - and what YHVH has done before, He will do again!

In the meantime, according to Isaiah 40:31, the way to renew our strength, clearly hear His Voice giving us the order to go, and then mount up on those eagles' wings...is to WAIT.

Crossing Over

I feel led to share a very prophetic dream I recently had. In this dream I was in a room with many dear old friends. Some of them were members of churches where I used to attend, and some were from a former Christian ministry of which I was a part. All of them were doing their best to coax and persuade me to abandon the path I have been traveling into the ancient paths (Hebrew Roots) of our faith. One dear old friend opened a beautiful box of Christmas ornaments made of glistening silver and she said, "These were part of my family's. Now they belong to you. Come back to us and sing with us again!"

Then three small children who were with me came over and began to tug on my sleeve. They urged, "C'mon, let's go. We need to move forward. Let's go!" I was feeling a deep, profound heartache, as if my heart were literally breaking in two, and I told them, "You go on ahead. I will catch up with you." When they'd left the room I walked over to the window and peered out. I watched as the three children took a grocery cart and began taking it up a steep path that was covered with very large rocks. I saw them doing their best to navigate over this difficult path. Then I turned back to the group of people in the room and firmly told them, "I cannot go back. I cannot and I will not turn back." Then I woke up.

There were tears streaming down my cheeks. I knew by the Spirit that this dream was from God and that a line was being drawn. But I was curious about the children, so I inquired of the Holy Spirit, "Who were they and what did this mean?" Immediately He responded to me, "They are the children of Israel. They are headed on the Second Exodus toward Mt. Zion - and the way is narrow and difficult. Catch up with them!"

In an amazing confirmation of this dream a dear sister sent me a prophecy she recently received that was so similar to my dream it left me reeling. This prophecy, from Bill Burns, also involved people getting ready to cross over a very difficult path to Zion, but being told they must leave all their baggage behind. Here is part of what Bill saw:

"At this point I began to see that each piece of baggage had a name on it. I saw bondage and unbelief labels on some, and others were called compromise, works of the flesh, fear, and many other things that had become attachments to this world. I had also noticed that those who carried brief cases had never set them down...not even for a moment.
The labels on the brief cases were identifying different kinds of ministries.

The Master then spoke, "The baggage that you have brought with you belongs to the Second Day, and you cannot bring it with you. You must decide, for those things cannot be brought into the Third Day. If you will leave your baggage and cross over by faith, I will deliver you from the bondages of the Second Day and bring you into the glory of the Third Day where all things become new. This is the time of the Great Crossover. Come, My people, for the bridge is finished. Cross over now before the night comes and the way cannot be found. Forget those things which are behind you, and press forward into a bright and glorious new day."

It's funny, isn't it, that many of us did not realize our baggage could include ministries we are hanging onto even after the season has ended. I am not so attached to any of my worldly possessions that I could not leave them behind in a New York minute! But my ministries? The Spirit had to show me in a dream that that is the "brief case" I have not wanted to set down.

This is the time of the Great Crossover - and the very word Hebrew means "to cross over." NOW is the time to leave behind the ministries of the past - doing things the way we did them in the Church - and CROSS OVER into a glorious new day! We cannot pour new wine into our old wineskins. We cannot take the brief cases with us. I don't want to stand at the window and watch as the children of Israel cross over into the Promised Land. I am a Hebrew, I am one of them, and this is my inheritance too! The Voice that spoke to me said, "Catch up with them!" So, I'm not looking back. I'm putting down my brief case and running toward that narrow, rocky path that will bring me at last to the Third Day!

Returning and Re-gathering

My dear friend Betty responded to my last post after she did a little research on the month of Cheshvan. She discovered that it was in the month of Cheshvan that Solomon's Temple was completed in Jerusalem. I found this very fascinating, since it appears that we are very close to seeing the third Temple being erected there; and if not the whole temple structure, then at least the Altar where the sacrifices will resume. We should all be cautioned not to speak against this event, since it was foretold in Scripture, and will most certainly be a sign once again to the world that Jerusalem is the City of the Great King, and belongs to Yahweh for eternity! The prophet Daniel tells us that "From the time that the daily sacrifices are abolished and the abomination that causes desolation is set up, there will be 1290 days." (Daniel 12:11) When the sacrifices at the Altar are abolished, the Great Tribulation begins. But there must be an Altar established again in Israel for this prophecy to be fulfilled! Could it be in Cheshvan once again that we see the Altar restored? Did you happen to see the article about the gathering of stones from the Dead Sea for just this purpose? I have reprinted part of it below from the Arutz Sheva newspaper in Israel, dated July 29, 2009):

"The Temple Institute, which has already built many of the vessels for the Holy Temple, such as the ark and the menorah, has now embarked on a project to build the altar. Construction begins Thursday in Mitzpe Yericho (east of Jerusalem) at 5:30 p.m.
“Unfortunately, we cannot currently build the altar in its proper place, on the Temple Mount,” Temple Institute director Yehudah Glick said. “We are building an altar of the minimum possible size so that we will be able to transport it to the Temple when it is rebuilt." Even a minimum size altar will work out to be approximately 2 meters tall, 3 meters long, and 3 meters wide. Workers have collected around 10 cubic meters of rocks weighing several tons already.The rocks were gathered from the Dead Sea area and wrapped individually to assure they remain whole and are not touched by metal, as the Bible requires.“The Torah says that no iron tools should be used on the altar’s stones,” Glick explained. “The altar represents a connection to life and to the creation of the world. Iron is the opposite – it is used to build tools of war, death, and destruction.”The stones will be cemented together with a mixture of sand, clay, tar, and asphalt. “There are many positive developments recently with regard to the Temple,” Glick added. “Hundreds of Jews visited the Temple Mount this week, and more and more continue to come, after undergoing the requisite ritual immersion.”

Additionally Betty uncovered the fact that in the month of Cheshvan the Israelites returned to the Land following their captivity in Babylon. So, it is not only the month of completing the Temple, but of the re-gathering of the scattered Israelites! No wonder my heart is so deeply yearning to return this month! No wonder I was so awe-struck when reading Ephraim Frank's blog this morning. You will want to read it too, for it contains a thrilling account of an Orthodox Jewish Rabbi who had a powerful vision from the Holy Spirit regarding the return of Ephraim to the land of Israel, and the joining of the two sticks in the Father's hand (Ezekiel 37:19, 22). Read those scriptures. Then read the blog at this link: http://israeliteletters.blogspot.com/

Then pray - with all your heart - for Yahweh to re-gather His scattered ones and reunite them upon the mountains of Israel, and reveal Himself as the only True God of Israel as He states in Joel 2:27, "Then you will know that I am in Israel, that I am YHVH your Elohim, and that there is no other!" AMEN!

A Stanger and Exile on Earth

Today the New Moon was cited in Israel. Happy Rosh Chodesh, we have just begun the month of Cheshvan! But why on earth am I watching the new moons? What am I looking for? More than ever in my spirit I realize that I am looking, longing, yearning for the signs of Messiah Yeshua's return. He gave us signs in the earth and signs in the heavens to watch, and I don't want to miss a single sign! It seems very, very quiet in the news and in the earth right now. It feels to me like a quiet before a great storm. And we know a great "storm" of war, famine, disease and death must occur in the earth before He returns. But my focus is solely on HIM, our soon-coming King, so that I might know what HE is doing and not concern myself with what the enemy is doing.

Today a blog by Homer Owen really touched my heart. Homer cited this scripture and made the following comment: “By faith, Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he lived as an alien in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, fellow-heirs of the same promise; for he was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God.” Hebrews 11:8-10

"In the 13th verse of this same chapter we are told that Abraham did not receive the promises made to him but rejoiced anyway and welcomed them from a distance. He had to maintain an attitude of being a stranger and exile on the earth. God had prepared a city for Abraham in heaven and he keep his eye on this heavenly or everlasting reward."

So it is for us, beloved. We too are strangers and exiles on the earth. I never felt more an exile than I did during the great Feast of Sukkot, which I celebrated in Oklahoma. I mean I'm pretty sure Oklahoma is NOT the Promised Land! Smile. So I have to maintain Abraham's attitude of understanding that I am just an exile here, waiting to go HOME. Longing to go home. Yearning to go home.

Our Messiah did not come this Sukkot to establish His City, whose architect and builder is is God, setting up His reign upon the Earth for 1000 years. Maybe next Sukkot? Or the one following that? Let us watch the new moons and the seasons, and keep our eyes on this heavenly or everlasting reward! And let us rejoice anyway, as Abraham did, and welcome the promises from a distance...

I Enter the Holy of Holies

Shabbat Shalom on this day of our Simchat Torah (the joy of the Torah)! I have just returned from 7 days in Oklahoma celebrating the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot) with Mike & Kathy Clayton and about 76 other wonderful Israelites! We camped in the woods and the deluge of rain reminded me of Sukkot in Jerusalem in 2005 when I first came to understand YHVH's outpoured blessing of rain during the Feast days. It never dampened our spirits or our hearts, even when the rain came pouring through our dining tent! It was a week of worship, fellowship, and rehearsals for the in-breaking Kingdom of Yeshua.

The thing I never quite got over was how strange we must have looked to the world - especially on Saturday evening when we had the awesome privilege of "entering the Holy of Holies." To describe this experience to you is most difficult - there are really no words to convey the Power and Glory of YHVH's Presence that visited us that night. But I will do my best to share what it was like to enter the Holy of Holies - even though we were simply preparing for what is yet to come.

The tabernacle looked like white linen curtains with only the light of the menorah shining through, the sweet fragrance of incense wafting above. Approaching the brazen altar with fear and trembling, I put my "sacrifice" into the fire to be burned. My sacrifice was a paper on which I had written that which I desired to be burned from me. I tore the paper into pieces and tossed it into the coals. Suddenly a tall column of fire erupted and CONSUMED my paper. YHVH had come down and literally consumed my offering. Inside the tabernacle I lit the menorah and asked Him that no darkness would ever again be found in me and that I might continually shine forth HIS Light in the world. I also asked Him for keener discernment, that I will know WHEN to shine the Light and when to separate myself. Amen.

I moved to the Table of Showbread - and there I utterly lost control and began to sob. I asked Father, "Why am I so overcome by the showbread?" I heard the Ruach clearly say, "Because I am your only Provider. This is the hidden manna, preserved for Israel in the final journey." Do I need stored food? Not much. Do I need silver or gold? Not really. Retirement accounts? No. He cannot give me the miracle until I have nothing.

Next I came to the Altar of Incense. Frankincense burned as a sweet fragrance. I watched the smoke ascend as the prayers of YHVH's people. And then I came upon the execution stake where He died - because we cannot enter the Holy of Holies but through His Blood. I prostrated myself and grabbed the foot of the stake. I held on tight - and I wept. What else have I to hold onto? Then - at last - I entered the Holy of Holies, behind the veil. I worshiped the Holy One of Israel. And I came to the full, astonishing reality that I - and a tiny remnant of others in the world - are rehearsing for the Kingdom! We are keeping His moedim. And HE is here to meet with us! His Presence was so powerful I could not walk straight as I tried to leave, but staggered as if drunk. I was overcome by the Shechinah in that Holy Place, and suddenly knew that if it were any heavier I could not have stood up or walked at all!

Outside I stared up at the stars and wondered, "Are you pleased with us, YHVH? Are you blessed at the desire of our hearts to meet with You; to keep your moedim and to learn to follow Your ways? Your Torah is LIFE to us! We washed our hands in the bronze laver. There was no towel. The water is the WORD, and we don't want the WORD to depart from us! Give me clean hands and a pure heart. Take not your Holy Spirit from me. Fill me with your Light. Your tabernacle is Messiah Yeshua: water, blood and light. And now Your tabernacle is me: water, blood and light. Dead flesh. Sweet fragrance. Living bread. Holy and set apart.

Missing the Mark

"Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Messiah, that we might be justified by faith." (Galatians 3:4)

Never has that Scripture meant more to me than it does this Yom Kippur. Struggling with all the ways I missed the mark this year, I feel like I am literally clinging to the Cross. "What is the mark?" you may ask. The mark is Torah. Mistranslated as law, Torah really means "teaching and instruction" in the Hebrew. It is Yahweh's perfect instruction to His people on how to live a holy and righteous life, reaping blessings instead of curses. I shoot for the mark of Torah every day - but how often does my dart land outside the circle, or even fall to the ground?

Tonight when the sun sets, Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement) begins. I have written letters to those I may have hurt or offended and asked forgiveness. I sincerely wanted to reach this day having confessed my sin to Yahweh and having done all I could to make amends with others and take an axe to the root of my own bitterness. But even with all my own efforts and good intentions, do I have clean hands and a pure heart? Am I deserving of eternal life in the glorious Kingdom of God? No.

And so here I am...on my face with my arms stretched out toward that ancient tree on which my Messiah shed His precious blood. The Lamb that was slain from the foundation of the world - God's free gift of salvation to His imperfect children. Father, thank you for the Torah - the tutor that brings me to Messiah - where I am undeservedly justified by faith. If I did not have the mark to shoot for, how would I know I missed it?

Now knowing I missed it I come once again to the incredible Good News: through Yeshua I get another chance! I am justified by faith; not faith in myself, but in HIS FAITHFULNESS.

Be blessed this Yom Kippur and rejoice with me in the gift of blood sacrificed for us by our eternal High Priest.

Crushed and Blessed

It was a profound weekend in the Spirit. Several images from my time of worship and also of sighting the New Moon will remain with me a long time.

In worship a group of women known as "Hands of Praise" come forward and do sign language to the words of worship songs. They are all dressed in black, which takes attention away from everything except their beautiful, expressive hands, offering worship to the King. As I looked into their faces, though, I noticed that two of them were radiating such joy that it took my breath away; and then I realized that I knew something about these two particular women. One of them lost her home and everything she owned in the Windsor tornado a little over a year ago. Not only did she lose everything, but in the week that followed, her mother died. It was a week of unspeakable tragedy in that family. But oh, the wellspring of joy on her face as she worshiped her King! The other woman came to death's door last year and defeated it. She developed an infection that nearly shut down her kidneys and doctors gave her little hope. But Yeshua had other plans for this beautiful young woman, and as I watched her hands signing the words, "I'm forgiven because You were forsaken; I'm accepted, You were condemned. I'm alive and well, Your Spirit is within me, because You died and rose again" I saw the evidence of her miracle all over her, and something became very clear to me once again. We who have suffered much are loved much! We who have been crushed - like the oil being pressed out of the olive - are anointed with His Light! The crushing is the oil of the anointing. What a blessing!

Then last night I made my way out to the Seven Lakes Park in Loveland, Colorado, and trudged through thick, high clumps of reeds, amidst swarms of mosquitoes, down to the bank of a lake where about twenty of us gathered to await the sighting of the New Moon. I thought how strange we must look to the world! There was just nothing more important to this odd little band of people than to watch to see what the Father is doing! And sure enough, two days after the Hebrew calendar said it would be Yom Teruah (Feast of Trumpets) the tiny sliver of the New Moon broke through a window just above the waning rays of sunlight, and just below a bank of deep blue clouds. It was hard to spot! We had to squint and stare until finally one of the men shouted enthusiastically, "There it is! Blow the shofars!" As we all began to spot that first tiny crescent, we blew our shofars with great joy, announcing the beginning of the Feast. It was a spectacular sight: the rays of the setting sun formed a literal crown around the moon, refelected in the water below. With great joy I thought of this Day in the future when the Feast of Trumpets will at last be fulfilled and the 7th trumpet will sound, heralding the Return of the Messiah in power and glory!

Father is teaching us that no longer can we rely on ANY of man's calendars to know what He is doing - certainly not the Roman calendar, and now not even the Hebrew calendar! If we want to know when the 1st day of the 7th Hebrew month will be so that we can blow the trumpets and welcome back the King, we must do as Yeshua did: "I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does." (John 5:19)

Yes, it was a profound weekend in the Spirit. The crushed, the suffering, the dying raised to life, and the peculiar little band of people on the lakeshore looking for the new moon all have something in common. They live in this world, but they are not OF this world. They are joyfully serving and living for the KING who is not of this world, but of the world to come!

What Is In Your Heart?

I used to have a pastor who would say, "As soon as you start walking with the Lord your God, there will be someone assigned against you to test you." How right he was!

In Deuteronomy 8:2, Moses reminds the Israelites, "Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the desert these 40 years, to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart..."

I believe that in this hour we are in, we are each being tested in order to reveal what is in our hearts. The tests are never the same for any two people - but rest assured that there is probably someone in your life right now that has been assigned against you and they do not even know it. You are being humbled - and it is a test. How you handle it will reveal what is in your heart - and although this may be painful, it is always Yahweh's purpose and intention to cause us to examine our hearts that we might repent (teshuva) and come back to His straight and narrow path.

Was Bathsheba assigned against David? Was she out bathing where he could see her so that David's problem with lust could be revealed? I don't know...but I do know that when he saw the wickness in his heart he prayed the prayer that became Psalm 51: "Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation (your Yeshua!) and grant me a willing spirit to sustain me. Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will turn back to you." Not only was David convicted of his own sin, but he became desirous of helping others turn from their sinfulness as well - just as we should be doing in the Body of Messiah.

If Yahweh used Bathsheba to test David, she was completely unaware. Those assigned against us are probably completely unaware as well - because it is usually not people trying to throw us off course, but the spirit of Satan who works through them. When Yeshua explained to Peter the divine plan of redemption that included his agonizing death on the tree, Peter rebuked him and said, "Never, Lord! This will never happen to you!" And Yeshua responded, "Get behind me, Satan." He was not calling his friend Peter "Satan." He was speaking to the spirit operating through Peter, trying to tempt Him to forget about the Cross and take the easy way out.

As the Israelites wandered through the desert being humbled and disciplined by many tests, and by those assigned against them, Moses reminded them that this was "to teach them that man does not live on bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord."

Is someone in your life on assignment to test you? Just be certain that all your responses line up with the Word of God. Be aware that this person probably has no idea they are tempting you in some way - and do not come against the person, but rebuke the spirit of the enemy that is working to throw you off course. Remember that Moses said to the people, "Your clothes did not wear out and your feet did not swell during these 40 years. Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the Lord your God disciplines you." (Deut. 8:4-5)

Thank You, Papa, for loving us enough to test us and discipline us. Thank you for calling us Your children. Thank you for providing for us on the journey - and giving us your Holy Spirit to guide us. Amen.

More on 222

I got many responses to the post on "222" and I SO appreciated what you wrote and contributed. A couple of responses need to be shared with all, as they give more insight for us.

One person wrote to say that my last paragraph - concerning 1 John 2:22 - is an accurate description of the problem in the Episcopal Church today. I went back and read the last paragraph I wrote, and he is so right on! At the opening of the General Convention of the Episcopal Church a few weeks ago, the Presiding Bishop announced that she does not believe in any individual prayer of salvation through Jesus Christ. How clearly we see the "great falling away" foretold by our Messiah in this denomination that has, from the top down, eroded into denial of our Lord and Savior! This is indeed the great lie of Satan, from the Garden (see Genesis 3:15) forward to the present. If Yeshua our Messiah can be denied, and his seed wiped out forever, then Satan can claim the victory! The antichrist spirit has been present in all those in history who have sought to eradicate the Jews from the earth, since through the Jewish people came the Seed of the woman.

Concerning Haggai 2:22, another person wrote to remind me that it is not only the Muslims who will be killing their brothers in the end times. Yeshua Himself tells us, "Now brother will deliver up brother to death, and a father his child, and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death. And you will be hated by all for My Name's sake. But He who endures to the end will be saved." (Matt. 10:21-22). Indeed, our Lord is not talking about Muslims here, but about our own families! Believers will experience the betrayal of their own family members in those days, and it is already so in many nations. In fact, when a Jewish person in Israel comes to faith in Messiah Yeshua he almost always ostracized completely from all family and friends, forced to pursue his faith in isolation and persecution.

A third person wrote to tell me that the book of Haggai has repeatedly come up in the Spirit in his ministry, and especially the second chapter. It seems that we are once again in a time of being asked to "rebuild the Lord a House" and the lessons we must undergo are the same as they were in Haggai's day. The challenges and the encouragement God spoke through this prophet are spoken to us again today to spur us on to advance His Kingdom: "Be strong, all you people of the land," says the Lord, "for I am with you," says the Lord of hosts. "According to the word that I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt, so My Spirit remains among you; do not fear!" (Haggai 2:4-5).

Our Bridegroom reminds us of the Covenant He made with us when He brought us out of Egypt - and He has given us His Spirit to abide with us. He is a Covenant-keeping God, and His Promises to those who love and fear Him are sure!

222

Today I spent time with the prophet Haggai - a place in the Bible I've not spent much time before! Haggai prophesied to the Jewish people after they returned to Jerusalem from the Babylonian exile; but he also has words for us today that really spoke to me. In fact, the LORD gave me two new understandings of the number 222, which He has so strongly quickened to my spirit over the past 3 years. Although Haggai begins by prophesying to the Jews of his time, he issues a second decree at the end which is clearly intended for the "end times." When we see the Hebrew idiom "in that day" we know the day referred to is "The Day of the Lord," or the "end of the age." In Haggai 2:22 the LORD says, "I will overturn royal thrones and shatter the power of the foreign kingdoms. I will overthrow chariots and their drivers; horses and their riders will fall, each by the sword of his brother."

Chariots and horses in Scripture refer to human strength. That is why the psalms warn us not to trust in the strength of chariots and horses. To do this is to trust in man, rather than in God. "Foreign kingdoms" refers to kingdoms other than the Kingdom of God, whose Throne is seated in Jerusalem, the City of the Great King. So this "222" warning is yet another assurance from Yahweh that He will come to the defense of His people by causing His enemies to turn on one another - just as they did in 2nd Chronicles Chapter 20, and just as they are doing now among the various sects of Islam. In 2nd Chronicles Chapter 2o the Israelites did not have to shoot an arrow or draw a weapon; they simply praised Yahweh and while they were in prayer and worship, the armies of the enemy killed one another. "Their horses and their riders will fall, each by the sword of his brother." Already around the world we see Muslim brothers killing one another in the name of their false moon god, Allah!

Then the Spirit took me to another "222" in 1 John 2:22: "Who is the liar? It is the man who denies that Yeshua is the Messiah. Such a man is the antimessiah - he denies the Father and the Son." Verse 23 goes on to say, "No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also." Why does John make this point? Because the Father and the Son are ONE GOD. You cannot have one and not have the other; you cannot deny one and not deny the other!

You may remember that originally the Spirit showed me the meaning of the number 222 in the Hebrew gematria: 200 = the Head, 20 = to cover, 2 = the family or household. The Head (Yeshua) covers the family. It is a number of His divine protection. But in these two scriptures above it is also a strong warning that the family of God must stay awake and watch for the liar who will come to deceive many by saying he worships God, but "God has no Son." This lie is at the core of Islam. But this lie of Satan will fail, as Yahweh overturns royal thrones and shatters the power of foreign kingdoms, overthrowing chariots and their drivers, their horses and riders falling, each by the sword of their brothers.

Be strong - and keep the faith!

Wise, Respected Leaders?

In Deuteronomy Chapter 1 Moses is giving the Israelites a "recap" of their wilderness journey as they are encamped east of the Jordan, preparing to finally enter their inheritance in the Promised Land. He reminds them of how the Lord instructed him to choose some men and appoint them to high leadership positions over the people.
Deuteronomy 1:13-15: "Choose some wise, understanding and respected men from each of your tribes, and I will set them over you. So I took the leading men of your tribes, wise and respected men, and appointed them to have authority over you - as commanders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties and of tens and as tribal officials."

Moses was told to find wise, understanding and respected men. What he apparently got was wise and respected men. I wondered, "What happened to the word understanding? It is left out of verse 15! Why?

When we need to go deeper, we must always go to the Hebrew. The Hebrew word used here for "understanding" is biyn, which means discerning, prudent, observant. Now we get some clarification about what was missing in these leaders. They were wise - meaning they had knowledge, common sense, and probably good leadership skills. And they were respected - men of notariety among the tribes, those whom the people looked up to. But they were apparently not discerning or observant. Does this ring a bell with you regarding our current leaders, not only of the U.S., but around the world? Oh, we have plenty of leaders in power who are respected and smart, well-versed in the ways of the world, crafty in how to maneuver the masses. But are they discerning? Do they seek the counsel and advice of the God of Israel as they lead us? Do they spend time in the Word of God to receive their wisdom and strength? Do they trust in Him to direct and guide their steps? And what about the leaders in the Church? Shouldn't we be asking the same questions about them?

It seems we are in the same predicament Moses was in! We have "wise and respected leaders" who have no discernment, and who observe with eyes of the flesh instead of the Eyes of the Spirit. Thus should WE be ever more discerning in this hour, brothers and sisters. We should be vigilant, hiding the Word in our hearts and testing every spirit and every teacher. We cannot enter our own inheritance in the Promised Land following after the false and negative reports of the ten spies! Listen to the Still, Small Voice that leads and guides you, and reject the rest.

Only Your Ship Will Be Destroyed

In my last blog I wrote about Paul and Silas reassuring their prison guard, "We are still here." It was a profound statement of faith in the One who would not only keep them, but bring the guard and his family to salvation as well, through their faithfulness. This week the Spirit spoke to me about Paul and the men in the ship that encountered a terrible storm at sea. Acts 27:14-22:

14Before very long, a wind of hurricane force, called the "northeaster," swept down from the island. 15The ship was caught by the storm and could not head into the wind; so we gave way to it and were driven along. 16As we passed to the lee of a small island called Cauda, we were hardly able to make the lifeboat secure. 17When the men had hoisted it aboard, they passed ropes under the ship itself to hold it together. Fearing that they would run aground on the sandbars of Syrtis, they lowered the sea anchor and let the ship be driven along. 18We took such a violent battering from the storm that the next day they began to throw the cargo overboard. 19On the third day, they threw the ship's tackle overboard with their own hands. 20When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and the storm continued raging, we finally gave up all hope of being saved. 21After the men had gone a long time without food, Paul stood up before them and said: "Men, you should have taken my advice not to sail from Crete; then you would have spared yourselves this damage and loss. 22But now I urge you to keep up your courage, because not one of you will be lost; only the ship will be destroyed."

"Do you see?" the Holy Spirit asked me. "Only the ship will be destroyed. What does the ship represent?" I meditated upon the question. They threw their cargo overboard. This means they got rid of all their possessions on that ship, even the grain and food that was heavy. Now they were lighter, free of baggage. But that did not entirely solve the problem. The storm continued to rage and it got so bad that they "gave up all hope of being saved."

It was then that Paul brought his great word of encouragement: "I urge you to keep up your courage because not one of you will be lost; only the ship will be destroyed." Again, what does the ship represent? I believe it represents not only our material possessions and possibly even our homes, but our entire lifestyle of comfort and complacency. I believe that possibly very soon this will all be destroyed. The Lord warned me about this recently when I was sharing my home with a family of six for a month. When it began to feel "inconvenient" to me to be staying in my basement, Father whispered in my ear, "You DO realize you are living like most of the rest of the world don't you?" Indeed! We are some of the few people on earth who expect that each child in the family should have their own room, and everybody should have their own private space.

The Lord is preparing a people who are willing to give up these luxuries and comforts, and be willing to throw the cargo overboard. He is not going to destroy the faithful, who love Messiah Yeshua above all things. When neither sun nor stars have been seen for many days and the moon has turned to blood, some will have shed their baggage and all their extra food, trusting in the Holy One of Israel to keep them safe. To these He says, "Keep up your courage! Not one of you will be lost; only your ship will be destroyed."

Shabbat Shalom!

WE ARE STILL HERE

My beloved friend Rosemary sent a word to me this past week that spoke so profoundly to my spirit, I am hearing one phrase over and over every day, many times a day. The phrase is "We are still here."

Her word came from Acts 16:25-33. In this story Paul and Silas are in prison when suddenly a violent earthquake hits, the prison foundations are shaken and the doors fly open. The prison warden wakes up and finds that the doors are open and undoubtedly the prisoners have all escaped, and then he draws his sword to kill himself. But Paul shouts, "Don't harm yourself! We are still here!"

Something awesome happens because they are still there. The warden gets down on his knees and asks how he can be saved. Paul and Silas reply, "Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved - you and your household." Then they are given the opportunity to witness to all the people in the warden's household, and everyone there gets baptized in the Lord and comes to the faith. They even stop to attend to Paul and Silas' wounds in their new-found love and compassion! Verse 34 says, "The jailer brought them into his house and a meal was set before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God - he and his whole family."

All this because THEY WERE STILL THERE! This has had a great impact on me. I see and hear the Father speaking to us in this day about steadfastness. It is a time of the great falling away. People want to be in their comfort zones; we want instant gratification and results. If things don't happen fast enough, we just quit and get interested in something else. If things get too hard and we start feeling tired and worn out, we just quit and stay home. Where is the steadfastness of Paul and Silas? Where is the deep passion to bring in the harvest - a passion that overrides all our own comforts?

It would have been SO easy for Paul and Silas to run out that prison door and say, "Thank You, O God, for this miraculous escape! Thank you for getting us out of here! Whew, now we can find a friendly house with a nice bed and get some rest." But no...they were steadfast. They were focused. Most of all, they were obedient. All they said was, "We are still here." The obedience brings the blessing.

Does this speak to you? When you've been given something to do for God, will you persevere even when you don't understand what He's doing - and even when you're tired and bruised?

Learn From Each Man All He Has to Offer

This past Sunday I went with some friends to hear ex-Palestinian terrorist Walid Shoebat speak. Walid is a modern-day apostle Paul, if you will. Born in Bethlehem, raised as a Muslim and trained to hate and kill Jews and Christians, he was utterly transformed by Messiah Yeshua and now teaches and exhorts those whom he used to persecute and kill. He is a passionate follower of Yeshua (Jesus), who said to us on Sunday night, "I will fight for my faith in Yeshua until the day I die." But his mandate is not just sharing the Gospel. His mandate is, in his own words, "to wake up America!" He says America is sound asleep in front of our TVs and our computers, and he is right. And he says that while we are sleeping, the enemy of our God is infiltrating our country - not with weapons of mass destruction, but with subtle weapons of overtaking our government, our schools and universities, and our society.

In the few hours we listened to Walid in a packed church, our Bibles open on our laps, we heard about 1% of the Scriptures that concern Muslim nations. He told us there are approximately 1,352 Bible prophecies mentioning Muslim nations, and almost all of these prophecies are in reference to the end times. From his Middle-Eastern Muslim background he tried to open our Western-cultured eyes to understand about the Beast of Revelation. He made us question: "Why is the Antichrist often referred to as 'the Assyrian' in Isaiah? Why are all the nations that God judges at the end currently Muslim nations?" Syria, Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Egypt, Turkey, Somalia, Sudan, Ethiopia. In the Bible they are mentioned in names we do not recognize, such as Persia, Edom, Elam, Cush, Put, Babylon, Meshach, Tubal, Dedan. Because these biblical names are unfamiliar to us, did we not understand? Or because our teachers and prophets all used the term "revived Roman Empire" to tell us about the Antichrist and the Beast system, did we fail to look at the ancient boundaries of the Roman Empire? Did we forget that in Yeshua's day even the areas of Israel, Arabia, Lebanon, Jordan, Syria, etc. were under Roman Empire rule?

Walid convincingly opened my eyes to the truth of the prophecies in Ezekiel, Isaiah, Daniel and Jeremiah. Those prophecies tell of the fierce judgment and wrath of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob coming against modern-day nations that are ALL under Islamic rule - and in examining them more closely through the eyes of this Arabic man who has been transformed by the love of our Messiah, I could not deny the fact that the Bible does flow consistently and seamlessly from the tree of good and evil planted in the garden by the "bad seed" of Lucifer (the original ANTI-Christ), to the description of Mohammed in Isaiah 14:12-13, to the prophecy in Daniel 11:36-45, to the description of "the Assyrian" in Isaiah 10:5-13, to the final prophecy about the beast in Revelation 13:1-8.

Read these scriptures and ask the Holy Spirit to give you wisdom and understanding. I did not agree with everything Walid Shoebat taught - but I am grateful that we have such teachers among us who are on their knees in prayer and crying out in the wilderness of America's slumber. Just because we do not agree with everything a teacher teaches does not mean we should reject everything he says. My dear sister Theresa sent me a quote yesterday illustrating that none of us yet has perfect understanding or has it all right: "Therefore, do not reject any thing for the harm it may render, nor despise any man for the ugliness within him. Rather, use each thing towards the purpose God conceived it for, and learn from each man all he has to offer."

If you are interested in reading Walid Shoebat's fascinating book, God's War on Terror, you can order it from his website here: http://www.shoebat.com/. And as you read and study these things, remember always that Yeshua has told us all things ahead of time (Matthew 24:25) so that we will keep watch and not be in fear, but in His perfect shalom!

Precious Moments of the Best Kind

Last Tuesday evening my daughter, her husband, and their three children came to my home for dinner. You wouldn't think that would be a big deal - certainly not noteworthy enough to write a blog about! After all, my daughter lives only three blocks away from me! But it is a big deal to me. They are a young, busy family and we rarely get a chance to sit down and enjoy dinner together. And after we finished dinner on this gentle summer evening, we went out on my old-fashioned, covered front porch. My daughter and I sat in the porch swing. Her husband sat in the big wicker chair. The children played in the yard. We ate popsicles. We talked about our hopes and the things that matter to us. We didn't have to rush off anywhere. Nobody had an appointment or a music rehearsal or a sports practice. We made time to just be together all evening long, and it was, for me, a treasured and poignant time. I remember that when I prayed a blessing over the dinner I said, "Father, I thank you for the great joy of having family so near. I never, ever take for granted how blessed I am to be able to walk down the street to see them, and to put my arms around my grandchildren."

I really meant that prayer. But tonight I was even more touched by a post from the son of a good friend who was critically injured in a bicycle accident a few weeks ago. His spine was injured and he was paralyzed from the neck down. For the last few weeks he has been in ICU in Houston, and now in rehabilitation. The post from his son is too beautiful not to share - just as a reminder to us all how fleeting this life is - and how precious family is!

Ben (my friends' son) writes:
Yesterday evening, for the first time in what seems like a very long time, I had the pleasure of actually sitting down around a dinner table in his room with Dad, Mom, Gramma and Grampa. We blessed our meal, and proceeded to spend the next hour and a half telling stories, giving each other a hard time, and most importantly, laughing. I found it difficult not to think of the innumerable times in my life that I've taken something as simple as eating dinner with my family for granted -- and then to realize how truly precious each opportunity to look our loved ones in the eye is. In the midst of trials that at times seem too much to bear, it is the brief moments such as these that reinvigorate our spirits and give us the strength to press on. They provide the certainty that no matter how tenuous and frail the physicalities of this world may seem, God has seen fit to bestow upon us the ties that bind and hold infinitely more firm than sinew, bone, or steel -- and it is with that assurance of fortitude that we find the stamina to keep moving up the mountain. And not surprisingly, Dad is leading the charge.With much love, and eternal thanks,-Ben

We Want a King!

The timing of the death of Michael Jackson has not been lost on me. Satan laughs gleefully, I believe, as the majority of the American population will stay distracted by watching all the media hype and all the videos of the "King of Pop" for hours, days and weeks. While they are distracted by the idols of media and entertainment, the elitists of the New World Order can move ahead full steam in pushing through such horrendous legislation as the "Climate Bill" - a 1200-page bill that nobody in Congress has apparently even read, and that will cost our families dearly. While we watch Michael Jackson videos and consume ourselves with his death, the death of our country proceeds without even so much as a squeak of objection. It all became so real to me when I read this week's Haf Torah portion in 1 Samuel chapters 11-12.

The prophet Samuel had warned the people of Israel against wanting a human king instead of trusting the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob to be their king. But they didn't listen. They wanted "change!" And they got change. They got King Saul, who became so obsessed with his own power and glory that the people of Israel suffered greatly at the hand of their enemies. Saul said to them, "When you saw that Nahash, king of the Ammonites was moving against you, you said to me, 'No, we want a king to rule over us - even though Yahweh your God was your king. Now here is the king you have chosen, the one you asked for; see, Yahweh has set a king over you. If you fear Yahweh and serve Him and do not rebel against His commands, and if both you and the king who reigns over you follow Yahweh your God - good! But if you do not obey Yahweh, and if you rebel against His commands, His hand will be against you as it was against your fathers. Now then, stand still and see this great thing the LORD is about to do before your eyes! Is it not wheat harvest now? I will call upon Yahweh to send thunder and rain. And you will realize what an evil thing you did in the eyes of Yahweh when you asked for a king. " (1 Samuel 12:12-17).

When I was in Kansas last week we drove through a lot of wheat fields, and one thing became quickly obvious to me. There has been too much rain! Just as in Colorado, they have had an unusually wet spring, and the crops are poor, many of them too wet to cut or to survive. I have lived in Colorado now for 25 years, and NEVER have I seen so much rain or heard so much thunder! The parallel is unavoidable.

When the people of this nation were unhappy they asked for a king - a human king, not the King of kings! They look to King Obama and the government to be their savior - and the result for us is the same as it was for Israel. But we're so busy watching "king" Michael Jackson and whatever other idols the media wants to hype that we don't even realize the danger we are in for rejecting our True Messiah and failing to repent. In Samuel Chapter 12, the people heard the warning of the prophet and they repented. "Then Samuel called upon Yahweh and that same day He sent thunder and rain. So all the people stood in awe of the LORD and of Samuel. The people all said to Samuel, 'Pray to the Lord your God for your servants so that we will not die; for we have added to all our other sins the evil of asking for a king.' 'Do not be afraid,' Samuel replied. 'You have done all this evil; yet do not turn away from Yahweh, but serve Him with all your heart. Do not turn away after useless idols. They can do you no good, nor can they rescue you, because they are useless. For the sake of His Great Name, Yahweh will not reject His people, because He was pleased to make you His own."

If we would turn away from worshiping Obama, and Jackson, and whatever other useless idols we have placed above the Lord our God, would He not do the same for us? He is pleased to make us His own! Yet, this true, from-the-heart repentance has not occurred in our nation. In fact, we are increasingly becoming a nation that is utterly turning away from all God's commands and professing universalism instead of teaching that Yeshua haMashiach (our Lord Jesus Christ) is the ONLY Way, the Truth, and the Life! And so the rain continues to fall, the wheat continues to die, and the Thunder of His Voice continues to warn us: "I will send thunder and rain, and you will realize what an evil thing you did in My eyes in asking for a king." Is anyone listening?

River of Life

One of the biggest mistakes I make in my relationship with the Living God is thinking I can predict when and where He will show up. He truly is mysterious and a God of creative surprises!

This past week I traveled to Winfield, Kansas where I have ministered several times before. Crossroads Community Church in Winfield is a nondenominational church that is not well-known or famous and is actually located out in the country in an obscure, abandoned school building. But it has not been hidden from the Holy Spirit. He is alive and well there, and He visited us in power this past Saturday evening.

A local summer concert series named "River of Life Concerts" was being hosted by Crossroads this past weekend, and since I was already there to lead a women's retreat, they put me on the concert schedule to sing a few of my original songs. After teaching and leading worship all day Saturday I was pretty well spent, and I confess I went to the concert with little to no enthusiasm. I sat on the back row while the first two acts performed, and I prayed a small prayer that Father would get my heart right and remind me that I was there to give HIM my worship.

The first act was a rock 'n roll trio with a loud guitar and a few shouted lyrics. Again I wondered, "Lord, what am I doing here?" About 20 people had trickled into the sanctuary that seats over 200. When it was my turn I went up and sang my three songs, praying that someone would be blessed in my offering. At the end of the concert an unusually excellent folk/bluegrass trio came up and thrilled us all with their vocal harmonies and masterful guitar playing. Still, I wondered what this could be all about!

At the close of the concert the organizer came up on the stage and asked all the artists to come up and do a closing "jam session." Obediently I went forward, but I stayed near the back, not knowing what on earth we would all do to "jam" together since our music had been so totally diverse. We began with a couple of old country gospel favorites that everyone would know. And then it happened. It happened in this place and time and situation that I would have least expected it to happen! A man who is an incredibly gifted, powerful worship leader stepped up to the keyboard and began to play "Here I Am to Worship." The guitars were gently laid on the floor, and we all began to quietly sing to our King. Then the music flowed into the grand strains of "I Exalt Thee" and the Holy Spirit began to descend upon us in that heaviness that can only be described as the "weightiness - the kabod" of God.

The people on the stage as well as the people in the audience moved from praise into deep worship of the heart. Finally the kabod - the glory of God - got so heavy that I was no longer able to stand, and I fell to my knees, covering my head and face with a scarf in His Presence. When the song finished, nobody was able to move for a bit. We had truly been visited by the Presence of the Living God, and we were in awe.

When I laid my head on my pillow that night I asked the Lord to forgive me. How dare I make presuppositions about this small, seemingly insignificant "River of Life" concert out in the cornfield? He will cause HIS river of Life to flow wherever and whenever He chooses. And my heart is still bowed low before Him in awe and gratitude that He allowed me to be there when He came!

May we be a people who seek Him - and watch for Him - in even the most unlikely places! And may the places of worship in this nation soon be filled to overflowing with a people who want His Presence more than they want entertainment or sports or sleep...or their next breath.

The Warning Buzzer

Oh, that now all-too-familiar sound on the radio, "aaah, aaaah, aaaah!" It is an ominous sounding warning, a loud, piercing buzzer, that causes you stop whatever you are doing and tune in. We've been trained from our youth to recognize that sound on radio and television as impending disaster or emergency. It seems to scream, "Pay attention! Keep watch!"I know Colorado isn't the only place in the nation that has experienced that warning signal a lot over the past two weeks. Today makes nine straight days of tornado and severe thunderstorm warnings in my town. A beloved sister in Texas just sent me photos of her house with the roof blown off. I believe God is training us to watch the skies, even as Yahshua warned us to do in Scripture. In this past hour when the radio blasted the warning signal I went outside, as I always do, to gaze at the westward sky - and once again in my spirit I heard this Scripture from Matthew 16:1-3: "The Pharisees and Sadducees came to Jesus and tested him by asking him to show them a sign from heaven. He replied, "When evening comes, you say, 'It will be fair weather, for the sky is red,' and in the morning, 'Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.' You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times."Today I believe the Lord is saying to us that we can expect the appearance of the sky to speak more to us than a weather forecast. Yes, I can see that the clouds are dark and ominous. But I must ask myself, what is Yahweh speaking through the thunder? What is He displaying in the lightning? I believe His voice is thundering a warning to us that goes well beyond taking cover or making sure our house insurance is paid up! Today in the rumbling thunder I hear, "Have you made ME your covering? Are you living your life for Me or for yourself? Do you trust Me to be with you in the midst of the storm or are you in panic and fear? Am I your insurance plan, or do you put all your faith in the plans of man? Are you searching the sky for the appearance of storms or do you search it for MY appearing, looking up with joyful anticipation in your heart?"

In other words, CAN YOU NOT INTERPRET THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES?

To be sure there are dire times ahead of us. Far too many prophetic people are warning of a major earthquake to occur this summer, probably in connection with our dividing up the land of Israel. If our President persists in doing this, we can be sure the God of Israel will answer. But we also know He is a God of great mercy, and I am equally certain that the storms all across our nation are the warnings of the Righteous King who calls many to repent, deny themselves and their own lustful desires, and pursue the Way that leads to eternal life.

What is the Way? To answer that question puts me on the side of the "right-wing-religious extremists," I guess; because I answer that question in Jesus' words: "I am the Way and the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father but by ME." (John 14:6)

End-Times Instruction!

We are enduring a rash of severe thunderstorms and tornado activity here in Colorado this week. The lightning has been more active than a fireworks show, and the wind, hail and ominous funnel clouds have been unsettling to say the least!

Last night as one of these severe storms passed directly over the town where our little group had gathered to pray, we had an incredible experience with the LORD. Geri went to the front of the house and I went out onto the back deck. We stretched out our hands and in the name of Yahshua, the Deliverer, we commanded the storm to leave at once! We checked the local TV station and the warnings were out for everyone to take shelter, so we obediently went into the basement where we sat at a small card table and bowed our heads to pray. The Holy Spirit came to us with the sweetest, most gentle Presence, and He directed us to a passage in the Word, which He said would be our "end times instruction."

What do you consider "end times instruction?" Most of us think about the storing of food, perhaps having a weapon and ammunition, or perhaps having a bag packed so that we can be prepared to flee our homes. This is not what the Holy Spirit wanted to show us. He took us to 1 Peter 4:7-10: "The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear-minded and self-controlled so that you can pray. Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms."

Take this passage sentence by sentence and meditate upon it. I think you will be as amazed as we were to find that God's end-times instruction for is simple, gentle, and quiet. It is not fearful or difficult! We need clear minds and self-control so that we can pray - just as we experienced in the midst of the storm yesterday. We need to love one another deeply, even when it is not convenient or what our flesh wants to do. We need to open our homes, our food, our provision to those in need - without complaining about it! (I am so blessed right now to have a family of six in my small home, sharing food and hospitality with them until they find jobs and house to live in. The obedience is bringing blessings!) Lastly, the Spirit says we are to use whatever gift we have to serve others. We don't all have the same gifts, but we all have one (1 Corinthians 12).

As we see the end times upon us, and we see so many people begin to suffer mentally, physically and spiritually, we can take this passage from 1 Peter 4 to heart! There will be much to do to reach out to the suffering with love, with hospitality, and with spiritual gifts. And in the midst of the chaos that will break out all around us, we must stay clear-minded and self-controlled so that we can pray.

Last night - while we quietly prayed - the storm dissipated and left the area. No hail damaged our cars or homes, no tornado touched the ground. It was quiet - in the Shadow of El Shaddai.