Ezekiel 35:12-15
Then you will know that I the LORD have heard all the contemptible things you have said against the mountains of Israel. You said, 'They have been laid waste and have been give over to us to devour.' You boasted against Me and spoke against Me without restraint and I heard it. This is what the Sovereign LORD says: While the whole earth rejoices, I will make you desolate. Because you rejoiced when the inheritance of the House of Israel became desolate, that is how I will treat you. You will be desolate, O Mount Seir, you and all of Edom. Then they will know that I am the LORD.
I couldn't sleep last night. I tossed and turned, comprehending the tremendous significance of the recent U.N. Security Council resolution, just passed on December 23. Maybe it even slipped by some in the midst of the holidays. But for me, it was like the blaring sound of a shofar, jolting me out of all the distractions of the season, and focusing me squarely on the prophecies of Joel and Zechariah, which speak about the dividing of the land of Israel, and Ezekiel's prophecy above, written about the mountains of Israel (the West Bank of today).
Last night I found myself tossing because I knew I had not yet embraced or understood the whole meaning of this resolution and its inevitable impact, not only on Israel, but on the world. So I got up at 2:00 a.m. to search on the internet for some answers that would give me understanding of what just happened at the United Nations and where it puts us on the timeline of things yet to come.
I searched first for teachings by Eddie Chumney; I have known Eddie a long time, and in my opinion he is one of the greatest bible teachers of our day. He has a grasp of Middle East events that surpasses most others, and he is a faithful Watchman on the Wall, well able to sound the alarm and help the rest of us understand what is happening. So I was blessed to find a teaching of his on Youtube entitled "The Significance of Dividing the Land of Israel." Remarkably, Eddie gave this teaching in May of 2015 - and so that makes it even more stunning to me, that what he prophesies will occur before the end of Obama's administration, HAS JUST OCCURRED. And the worst is yet to come, when 70 nations meet in Paris, France on January 15th in order to establish a Palestianian state with East Jerusalem as its capital. That will put the crowning touch on Satan's plan to rob the House of God, steal His land, and utterly destroy His people.
The video is two and a half hours long - but my friends, don't miss this opportunity to listen in and get understanding about what is happening, from the pages of Genesis - where Esau betrays his brother Jacob with a "kiss," - to the betrayal of Obama and the Esau nations occurring in this very day. Watch it in segments if you need to, but watch it! You will be greatly edified. Here is the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_8qzsILN5g&t=5242s
And as 2016 comes to a close, I pray that you might remember DoorKeeper Ministries with a gift. We are so blessed to be sending support to many young and orphaned children in both Kenya and Israel, helping a friend in South Africa with church plants, and still working on books and music of my own! Your support would be deeply appreciated. The link for donations through Paypal is:
http://www.doorkeeperministries.com/donate.html
2017 is going to be quite a ride, my brothers and sisters! Fasten your seat belts and lift up your heads, for your Redemption draws NEAR!
With love in our Soon-Coming King,
Kelly
Friday, December 30, 2016
Thursday, December 22, 2016
Pain in the Offering
Leading worship during our service last weekend, I was singing a familiar praise song entitled "Blessed Be Your Name." You will probably be able to hum along as you read the verse printed below:
Blessed be Your Name when the sun's shining down on me and the world's all as it should be, blessed be Your Name.
And blessed be Your Name on the road marked with suffering, though there's pain in the offering, blessed be Your Name
I've sung it hundreds of times - and I've often even paused before I sang that verse, to think more deeply about what I was singing. But last Shabbat the words struck a very deep chord. What is the road marked with suffering? What does it mean to have pain in your offering?
The year 2016 will be remembered by me as the "Year of Pain in The Offering." I've written about it before - how many times this past year John and I have put our lives on hold and poured out all we had, doing all we knew to do, to try to bring someone healing or deliverance or a desperately needed change - and sadly, in each of these situations, our efforts were rejected and the healing didn't happen.
"What are you teaching us, Lord?" I begged him to reveal. There was a very powerful teaching by our friend Cole Davis on Friday night. He taught about pain. He exhorted us to remember that not everyone Yeshua reached out to received Him either! So we begin to identify with Him more closely. My favorite scripture is one that usually gets quoted only in the first half. Philippians 3:10: "I want to know Messiah and the power of His resurrection....." (Often the "motivational speaker stops right there). But the verse continues...."and the fellowship of His SUFFERING, being conformed to His death."
The fellowship of His suffering. That's that "road marked with suffering." The narrow path. The one nobody really wants to take, because it will be so much harder and it will hurt.
I asked Him again, "What are you teaching me?" This time I heard the Voice of the Spirit say, "Look at Mary, when she poured the costly oil on the feet of Yeshua. There was pain in her offering."
"Pain, Lord? Do you mean because it cost her so much?"
"No," He replied. "Because she was anointing Him for burial. She was sharing in the fellowship of His suffering, being conformed to His death. And then she was chastised for it."
I remembered the story in Matthew 26. She was chastised by some of the disciples - and yet Yeshua rebuked them and made an astonishing statement. "Truly I tell you, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.”
I really began to get it. It's never about me. It's always about Him, no matter whom we are serving and no matter how they respond. I open my alabaster box and pour out pain in the offering, and my Master is pleased.
Blessed be Your Name on the road marked with suffering,
though there's pain in the offering, blessed be Your Name
Blessed be Your Name when the sun's shining down on me and the world's all as it should be, blessed be Your Name.
And blessed be Your Name on the road marked with suffering, though there's pain in the offering, blessed be Your Name
I've sung it hundreds of times - and I've often even paused before I sang that verse, to think more deeply about what I was singing. But last Shabbat the words struck a very deep chord. What is the road marked with suffering? What does it mean to have pain in your offering?
The year 2016 will be remembered by me as the "Year of Pain in The Offering." I've written about it before - how many times this past year John and I have put our lives on hold and poured out all we had, doing all we knew to do, to try to bring someone healing or deliverance or a desperately needed change - and sadly, in each of these situations, our efforts were rejected and the healing didn't happen.
"What are you teaching us, Lord?" I begged him to reveal. There was a very powerful teaching by our friend Cole Davis on Friday night. He taught about pain. He exhorted us to remember that not everyone Yeshua reached out to received Him either! So we begin to identify with Him more closely. My favorite scripture is one that usually gets quoted only in the first half. Philippians 3:10: "I want to know Messiah and the power of His resurrection....." (Often the "motivational speaker stops right there). But the verse continues...."and the fellowship of His SUFFERING, being conformed to His death."
The fellowship of His suffering. That's that "road marked with suffering." The narrow path. The one nobody really wants to take, because it will be so much harder and it will hurt.
"Pain, Lord? Do you mean because it cost her so much?"
"No," He replied. "Because she was anointing Him for burial. She was sharing in the fellowship of His suffering, being conformed to His death. And then she was chastised for it."
I remembered the story in Matthew 26. She was chastised by some of the disciples - and yet Yeshua rebuked them and made an astonishing statement. "Truly I tell you, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.”
I really began to get it. It's never about me. It's always about Him, no matter whom we are serving and no matter how they respond. I open my alabaster box and pour out pain in the offering, and my Master is pleased.
Blessed be Your Name on the road marked with suffering,
though there's pain in the offering, blessed be Your Name
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