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!