Stopping Clocks

An unsual series of events transpired today. I am out in the Seattle area, caring for two grandchildren while my son and his wife are away on a trip. I was sitting with my 11-year-old granddaughter on the couch when she turned around to check the time on the microwave clock. "It's not really 10:20 is it?" she asked, surprised. I looked at my wrist watch and it said 11:40; then I glanced at the microwave and sure enough, it read 10:20. "I guess there must have been a power outage," I told her, and I went over to reset the digital clock. About 15 minutes later I walked upstairs and went into the master bathroom. I glanced at the clock on the wall and it was stuck at exactly 10:20! This clock was battery-operated, completely unaffected by electrical power! I was stunned.

About 30 minutes after that my cell phone rang and it was a dear sister from my home fellowhsip. I told her about this strange experience with the clocks stuck on 10:20, and she responded, "Daniel."

"What?" I asked her.

"Daniel is what instantly popped into my spirit," she said. "Daniel 10:20, but I don't know what it says."

I went immediately to my bible to look up the verse, which reads, "...Soon I will return to fight against the Prince of Persia..." Once again I was stunned. Aware that over these past two days Iran (modern Persia) has been powering up their nuclear reactor, this region has been strongly in my prayers, and I have been pleading with the Lord to give clear wisdom and direction to the leaders of Israel in responding to this situation. The Prince of Persia is surely a principality that has been in operation since ancient times, with the specific goal of annihilating the Jewish people, in order to eliminate the seed (Messiah) of the Woman (Israel). In these days, the God of Israel is getting ready to fight against the Prince of Persia in order to establish His Throne over all the original boundaries of the Land of Israel.

After pondering all this, I eventually was on the weather channel website and my eye caught a headline that said "Tropical Storm Danielle Forms in the Atlantic." Daniel? 10:20? Is all this somehow related?

The region where the Iranian nuclear reactor is located is a territory known as Elam in ancient biblical times. Elam is mentioned first in the geneaology of Noah, Genesis 10:22. Then in Jeremiah 49 there is prophecy that has never been fulfilled, with the subtitle A Message About Elam: "This is what the LORD Almighty says: 'See, I will break the bow of Elam, the mainstay of their might. I will bring against Elam the four winds from the four quarters of the heavens; I will scatter them to the four winds and there will not be a nation where Elam's exiles do not go. I will shatter Elam before their foes, before those who seek their lives; I will bring disaster upon them, even my fierce anger,' declares the LORD. 'I will pursue them with the sword until I have made an end of them. I will set my throne in Elam and destroy her kings and officials,' declares the LORD."

I cannot say that I fully yet understand how all this ties together, but the God of Israel is clearly reaching through time, even stopping clocks, to get our attention. When these prophecies are fulfilled, the evil principality of the Prince of Persia will be replaced with the Everlasting Throne of Yeshua, and He will reign forever! Amen!

What's in Your Back-Pack?

The original dream God gave me is now probably over a year old. This week He caused me to re-visit it as He said, "You looked at it in the natural. You didn't get it. Look again, through the lens of My Holy Spirit."

In the dream I was in a prison camp, wearing a drab uniform with a number on it. Many of us were milling around in this forested camp, surrounded by a high, impenetrable wall. Suddenly I heard my name blaring over the loudspeaker, summoning me to the front gate. There I found a tall, stately man whom I did not recognize, speaking with a prison guard. The guard informed me this man had papers that could release me if I wanted to go with him. I asked for a couple of moments to "think." I was given three minutes to make my decision, and in this time I prayed and asked the Lord if I should go with this man. He responded, "Yes, I sent him. Go with him."

I returned to the front gate after quickly retrieving the back-pack I had come into the camp with. This pack was all I had when I came in. The tall man who came for me inquired if there were four very specific things inside my pack, insisting that I would need them on my journey. He asked,

"Where is your poncho?"

"Where is your knife?"

"Where is your passport?"

"Where is your silver?"

I answered each question according to where this item really was in my home or car. The man gently but firmly admonished me, "You should have had these four things with you."

Immediately after that I woke up, and for the past year I have continued to think of these things as literal, physical things I should have in my immediate possession. But this week the Lord must have shaken his head in exasperation, and said, "Poor child, she did not understand the meaning of the dream." By His grace, He explained:

"The poncho represents your covering. You will not survive without Yeshua as your covering. He is your Head and your authority. You must go or speak under His authority. Your knife is the "Sword" of My Word. You must have it deposited deeply in your heart and your mind, able to recall it for wisdom, discernment and warfare whenever you need it. Your silver symbolizes righteousness. Righteousness means 'doing the right thing.' Always have your silver with you, meaning you are clothed in Christ, living and moving in His righteousness. And finally, your passport. Ah, dear child, your passport is the white stone with your new name written on it. If you are to escape the camps of the wicked and move through the traps of the enemy, you must have the white stone as your passport. It is your faith in Me, trusting that I am able to deliver you. You are marked as My own."

How foolish I was to think the Holy One of Israel wanted me traveling with a back-pack in which I would store a rain poncho, a knife, a passport, and some silver coins! How much more powerfully He speaks to us than we can sometimes understand! Now I will daily search the "back-pack" of my mind and heart: Do I have His covering, His authority, His Word, His Righteousness, and His deliverance fully manifested in my spirit and in my life? If so, I have nothing to fear. I am ready to go with the man at the gate.

Modern Parables

I have just returned from the national conference of the Messianic Israel Alliance. It was a profoundly blessed week with a big "family" gathered from around the country. We were greatly edified by wonderful teaching and anointed worship. And the Lord spoke to me there in parables, teaching me patience and perseverance!

When I first arrived to set up my table for books and CDs, I noted that once again my table was a far distance from the main marketplace. For the past few years at this conference there has been a large hall filled with tables for resources and merchandise, and my table has been down a separate hallway, far from the traffic. This year my table (along with three others) was actually on a floor above the marketplace, barely noticeable to shoppers! For the first couple of nights I sat and waited, hoping that some people would find their way upstairs. I thought about going to the staff and asking to have my table moved, but just as I entertained that thought, Father spoke to me in Scripture (Luke 14:8-11):
"When someone invites you to a feast, do not take the place of honor, for a person more distinguished than you may have been invited. If so, the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, 'Give this man your seat.' Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important place. But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, 'Friend, move up to a better place.' Then you will be honored in the presence of all your fellow guests. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

I received this caution from Father in my heart, and knew I must remain hidden and humble. But on the final day of the conference, a staff person came to me and said, "Kelly, we are sorry you've been way up here, separated from the others. Please, we want to move your table to a better place!" Isn't God good?! How He loves to test us and see if we will obey; and if we do, He always responds as a loving Father.

I also want to share with you a dream I had last night (after arriving back home) and what the Lord spoke to me when I awoke. I feel led to share it because I sense there are others who need this word:
In this dream I was driving my car down a busy highway. Suddenly a blanket flew across my windshield, entirely obstructing my vision. My knuckles were white and my heart in a panic as I continued to drive blindly, crying out to God to help me steer. The blanket flailed in the wind, but remained stuck to my windshield, and I remembered wondering if the road was taking a turn in any direction, and where the traffic was around me! Suddenly, the blanket mercifully flew off and I could clearly see a stop sign just ahead of me where pedestrians were crossing. I was able to come to a complete stop without hurting anyone, and I sat there, utterly amazed. Then I heard the Voice of my Father:
"You are going about blindly right now, unsure of what is ahead. I am well able to steer your course. Do not panic, do not fear! Do not stop driving. Keep moving forward and when you need to turn to the right or the left, or make a sudden stop, I will remove the hindrances just in time. You will be given direction on a need-to-know basis, so do not try to get ahead of Me. All things will be made clear - just in time!