There’s no doubt Jeremiah’s prophecies had a positive effect on King Josiah of Judah, especially Jeremiah’s prophetic words reminding the Israelites of God’s covenant with them:
Cursed be the man who does not hear the words of this covenant that I commanded your fathers when I brought them out of the land of Egypt, from the iron furnace, saying, Listen to my voice, and do all that I command you. So shall you be my people, and I will be your God…” (Jeremiah 11:3-5)
Jeremiah first spoke this prophecy in Jerusalem sometime during 622 BC. The prophet then traveled from town to town throughout the land speaking the prophecy to the whole nation. Everyone heard the prophecy.
The priests went to a prophetess named Huldah who confirmed the words of Zephaniah and Jeremiah that God’s wrath would be poured out on Jerusalem, destroying the city. Huldah also added:
“Because your [Josiah’s] heart was penitent, and you humbled yourself before the LORD, when you heard how I spoke against this place and against its inhabitants…Therefore, behold, I will gather you to your fathers, and you shall be gathered to your grave in peace…” (2 Kings 35:27-28)
King Josiah renewed the covenant with the Lord and removed all of the abominations that belonged to the children of Israel.
A revival then broke out and continued for twelve years. Judah observed all of the Lord’s feasts and followed the Lord.
Now, wouldn’t you think that everyone would have been happy with Jeremiah’s covenant prophecy and his other prophetic words? Because after all they were confirmed and helped restore Judah’s position before God’s throne.
(Continued in Part 9…if you’re interested, the full series to date may be seen here.)
For 3.3 million Americans, the holy month of Ramadan began on June 6 and will continue through July 5. The month-long fast and celebration commemorates the time when Allah handed the Koran, the holy book of Islam, to Prophet Muhammad.
The Muslims are allowed two meals per day. One before sunrise called suhoor and one after sunset, which is called iftar. The most pious Muslims do not even drink water during the daylight hours. All are expected to fast except the elderly, the young, and the sick.
My prayers for today:
Lord, I pray that You use this Ramadan fast as a time to open the eyes of Muslims, so that they turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place for those sanctified by faith in You. (Based on Acts 26:18)
What do you think and has the Lord spoken to you today?
Join with me on Thursdays to fast and pray for America.
Today’s American believers are crying out to God for Him to send a revival to America, hoping a move of His Spirit will change our nation’s rush toward the abyss. The recent outpouring of the Spirit in West Virginia among high school students has given many a glimmer of hope, but what will happen if God sends a major revival? Will it end America’s problems with sin?
Hey, just so you know: I’m all for revival and any move of the Spirit that God wants to pour out on America. Revive us, O Lord!
But let’s open our eyes and understand that revivals tend to be shallow works in the Body of Christ. People just have to put up their sails and blow along on the winds of the Holy Spirit. They don’t have to work much to be around the presence of God. People get saved. Many renew their faith in Christ. Miracles happen. New revelations become everyday occurrences. And so forth.
Yet, what has usually happened after the revival fires have burned out?
In the Businessmen’s Revival of 1857, six percent of America’s total population – or one million people – were converted to Christ. But even with this, the Civil War began just three years later. The deep roots of sin were not dealt with in the revival and six hundred thousand men died.
The Welsh Revival of 1904-1905 touched almost every person in Wales. Bars were closed. Jail cells emptied. Miners no longer swore in the workplace. Churches were open twenty-four hours each day to handle the crowds. Two years later, everything returned back to the former ways.
The Azusa Street Revival of 1906-1912 restored the spiritual gifts to the Body of Christ, but it also tore down the racial walls. Blacks and whites, led by Pastor William Seymour, worshipped God side by side. Yet, when the revival ended, blacks and whites separated once again into black churches and white churches.
God has a divine purpose in His revivals and moves of the Spirit, but it never replaces the individual believer’s responsibility to make godly choices, pursue holiness, grow in sanctification, and seek the Lord with a whole heart. This is what Jesus referred to when He said:
“If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross daily, and follow me.” (Luke 9:23 NLT)
Jeremiah discovered this important lesson as the revival fires ebbed.
(Continued in Part 8…if you’re interested, the full series to date may be seen here.)
In the 1990s, spiritual warfare was the “in” revelation for us believers. Most of the hype was due to a fresh look at –
so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. (Ephesians 3:10)
We sang spiritual warfare songs, waved banners, spoke in loud tongues (loud because somehow this seemed to have more power against demons), and shouted proclamations of liberty to cities, believing the demonic principalities and powers would loosen their holds on oppressed people. It was a heady time for loud warriors in the army of God.
But let’s be honest: can anyone name one city that was set free, like San Francisco? Or LA-Compton? Or Chicago? Or Philadelphia? Or Detroit? Or Washington D. C.? Or wherever?
No! Not one city!
Most of us Christians have moved on to the next “in” revelation and have completely forgotten our spiritual warfare efforts from this time period. Yet, the verse still remains in our Bibles, and if all scripture is inspired by God, then maybe we did something wrong back in the 1990s.
What may have been our error?
This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel…and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things (Ephesians 3:6,9)
Paul wrote his letter to the Ephesians in 61 AD. At the time, the Body of Christ was mainly Jewish with only a few Gentiles. Paul’s profound revelation showed that God’s plan was to join the Jews and Gentiles into one Body through the cross.
My dad’s favorite saying to me when I had a brainstorm idea: “Son, don’t go off half-cocked.” By this, he meant that I should not start a project without being totally prepared.
So, I think we believers went off half-cocked to fight spiritual warfare in the 1990s. We were missing half of the church: the Jews.
(Excerpt from Search for One New Man series which can be seen in its entirety here.)
My prayer today:
Lord, help us Gentile believers to hear the sound of Your shofar so that we can embrace our Jewish brothers and sisters to fight spiritual battles in America today.
Join with me on Tuesday’s to pray and fast for the one new man to finally come forth in the Body of Christ.
…that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace (Ephesians 2:15)
The angel did not seem like a person to toy with. So I kept quiet.
“First, you need to see this.”
A vivid light came on in front of us. The light came to life. I saw people. I saw homes. It was San Francisco. The Golden Gate Bridge. The Bay Bridge. Fisherman’s Wharf. Hunter’s Point. Pacific Bell Park. The Presidio. China-Town. Nob Hill. Pacific Heights.
Next, I saw my parents. They had aged a few years, but still, I could tell they really enjoyed life. I saw Kari and her parents. They, too, had aged and appeared to be happy. I saw relatives, friends, politicians, famous people, and others. All appeared to be older, but still, they enjoyed life.
A bright glow then hit San Francisco. For a fraction of a second, I could not figure out what it was, but then I knew it was a nuclear explosion.
The blast radiated out from a sidewalk café at the corner of Fillmore and Washington Streets in the Pacific Heights section of San Francisco. It traveled three hundred miles per hour, vaporizing people, and real estate. One moment people walked on sidewalks, and the next they were incinerated. Just black marks remained. Buildings and homes imploded. Fires broke out. Gas mains exploded.
The most sought after real estate in San Francisco, the one hundred and thirty city blocks of Pacific Heights, was erased from the board in less than ten seconds time. No longer were these scenic settings and spectacular views the envy of the people living below them. Japantown, Marina District, Presidio Heights, and other areas experienced damages, but nothing like the calamity Pacific Heights had suffered.
The living light zoomed in on my parents and their home. I watched as both were blown into pieces. An arm here. A leg there. Their heads were sliced from their torsos. Mom’s white dress bought at a boutique on Fillmore Street was soaked in blood and intestinal parts. Kari’s parents suffered similar fates, but Kari herself did not die instantly. Her beautiful blue eyes melted and ran down her face. Unsightly sores and oozing pus covered her body. I heard her shrieks. Her words slammed me like sledge hammers, pounding on my heart.
“Kill me. Someone kill me. Please kill me. I want to die,” she screamed over and over again.
I fell to my knees and wept. My stomach heaved and I vomited. Pieces of pepperoni pizza which Kari and I had eaten for supper floated on the sand along with greenish fluids and mucus. The vomiting continued until dry heaves hit me.
All through my writhing, I heard screams and cries of people coming from the living light which still showed scenes from the nuclear blast. No longer could I watch it, but I knew what was happening. Babies died. People were burned alive. Death. Death. Death. It continued and continued.
I threw myself down atop the vomit.
“Oh Lord, stop it. Stop it. I will do anything You want me to do. Just stop it,” I cried.
The living light went out. Silence swallowed up the noise.
Too weak to stand up, I sat on my haunches. I gasped, trying to catch my breath. My heart pounded in my chest. The blood pulsed through the veins of my head. Every part of me ached.
A second light came on. This time a voice spoke out of the living light.
“Jeremiah.”
“Yes, Lord,” I said, somehow knowing it was the Lord.
The Lord has a way of etching his message on the hearts of His prophetic voices:
But if I say I’ll never mention the LORD or speak in his name, his word burns in my heart like a fire. It’s like a fire in my bones! I am worn out trying to hold it in! I can’t do it! (Jeremiah 20:9)
(Continued in Part 7……if you’re interested, the full series to date may be seen here.)
Once again, it’s time to hear from our sister in Jerusalem about what she is witnessing there as a believer in Yeshua. Put your prayer shawls on and pray for Israel and Sister J. Now here she is —
Greetings, brothers and sisters, in Yeshua’s (Jesus’) Name. May HE be glorified and blessed and made known, and may you be encouraged.
The name “Jerusalem” occurs 815 times in the Bible, 669 times in the Old Testament and 146 times in the New Testament; additional references to the city occur as synonyms.
The number of times will vary of course according to translation. That used to scare me, [ie: how can TRUTH vary?] but the more I understand Hebrew, and the more I learn how to trust The Lord and His Holy Spirit, the less it scares me that translation differences occur. His Truth IS and WILL BE and ALWAYS HAS BEEN and His Spirit can interpret it for our hearts.
It seems that perhaps the fullness of time concerning Jerusalem is here and we must know what He says about this and where we stand concerning the city and His Word. We must KNOW what God is saying about Jerusalem, for surely, though we may not fully understand why, it has a particular place in God’s heart and plans.
Jerusalem Day (Yom Yerushalyim) is here. It begins Saturday night and marks the 49th birthday of reunited Jerusalem, the beginning of the fiftieth (Jubilee) year. [Interestingly, the Muslim’s month of celebrating Ramadan begins at the same time this year.]
Early this morning as I walked the two short blocks to work from my bus stop, a cloud of holiness pressed me into worship, a bowing down worship. Multitudes of singing birds flew over my head and I began to count the flowering trees, bushes and plants along this very short route. Olive trees, pomegranates, passion fruit, grapes, lemons, oranges, shesek, almonds, apricot, the smell of the jasmine, mint, rosemary, hyssop, and nameless (to me) trees with blue flowers, purple flowers, red flowers and oh so much more. The combination of the colors, the sweet smells and the songs of the birds overwhelmed me and my heart nearly burst. This is Jerusalem!
“What is Jerusalem, Lord? How does she appear to You and what do You feel about her? Teach me please…”
I have NEVER loved a city. I ran from NYC where I was born, as soon as I was old enough, oppressed by the pressure of the too-many-people-and-too-much-noise all crammed together with its demands. I longed for the wind of the country finding its way over the hills and through the trees whispering its own song. And when we made aliyah some 22 years ago I didn’t think of coming to Jerusalem. But Derek Prince said it best: “You can not choose to live in Jerusalem, Jerusalem chooses whom she chooses.”
And I am still full of questions: “Who ARE you, Jerusalem?”
The sheer wonder of it all continued all through work today, and I HAVE to share with you.
“Where were you in 1967 at this time?” I asked in Hebrew nearly every patient that walked in to the clinic. The reaction was UNIVERSAL. All stopped and their eyes clouded over with wonder.
“b’mil’cha’ma?” (In the war?) each asked.
Then they would stand still and look at me.
Shlomo Alkali turned a shining face to me before he had to run off. “I was in kita dalet [fourth grade]. We are 8th generation Jerusalemites. We all fought. I remember it as if it were today.”
Another said, “Although I was only two years old I remember it as if it were happening now. There was a wonder so that our skin stood on edge. I heard the sounding of the shofar. The people that had been dying stopped dying and were dancing in the streets instead.”
Dr. Wexler’s story was the one that brought me to tears (although they almost all did) because he is a bit fearsome. He is now retired but a very famous doctor, artist, writer, highly regarded by one and all. I haven’t spoken to him much. But today, asking him this question transformed him. I wish that my Hebrew were good enough to share with you the entire story, but I must admit that, although I fully understood and entered into the emotion of it, I did not understand all of the details, which this scientist described as nothing less than miraculous and holy. As a matter of fact, the word “holy” was used by nearly everyone I spoke to today. When I asked him where he was, he turned his face to me and stared with a profound silence. His face seemed to melt. “I was a young doctor in the army, stationed in the Sinai,” he said. “Right on the border with Egypt. There I was when the war started. It was big. Very big! But the Bigger One fought for us and they miraculously surrendered to us the first day although we had nothing to defeat them. I was rushed up to the Syrian border in a helicopter, where the fighting raged for another day: more miracles! Then I was rushed to Jerusalem, to Latrun first. Each field hospital was full but we had to be rushed along the front where the fighting raged. Then I was at the Old City when the line with Jordon came down. You know, Jordon had all of this. It was a miracle. It is still a miracle.”
He spoke of being flown in helicopters held together with rubber bands and looking at Moti Gur and knowing he was a great man. “He will be a General someday, I said to myself. ” You could feel the special mantle of authority on him. This same Moti Gur became the General responsible for planning the famous Operation Entebbe to free the Israeli hostages held in Uganda in 1976.”
The stories went on.
“I was fighting for my home with my family,” one said.
Another said, “We lived near the wall and I followed the soldiers into the Old City!”
Each said that there was an electricity in the air that they never felt before or after. Their skin prickled with the wonder of the fact that they KNEW that they were part of a “holy event.”
I asked Bat El (her name means “daughter of God”) who is only in her 20s, if her mother, Ahovah (Beloved) told her about it. She was vague. “My Grandmother told us all about it once and I think my Mother spoke of it, but I didn’t pay that much attention.”
I’ve gotten close to her mother who is undergoing cancer treatment and has grown fond of me. I looked at Bat El and said, “You MUST ask her and ask her again until you feel as if you were there” I showed the younger ones photocopies that I have of the proclamations signed by the Chief Rabbis and Generals thanking God and promising Him that we would guard Jerusalem and be faithful. They HEARD and wanted to know more.
Here’s a link to more info on the 1967 Six Day War here.
And a great five minute video history of the war:
May we each be found IN HIM ALONE…With our eyes fixed upon Him…for His glory.
I finished studying at 9 p.m. and went into the kitchen for a drink of water. As I turned on the recessed ceiling lights, I stopped dead in my tracks. A grotesque creature sat on a stool at the island counter. If the angel was the epitome of the Kingdom of Light, then this being was the dark side’s counterpart. Its gloomy eyes glared at me while its lips formed a sneer. Festering sores plastered the being’s face and neck. A filthy robe cloaked its torso and a stench of decay clogged my nostrils.
“Listen up, Chuck,” the creature said in a raspy voice.
Fear struck my chest like a baseball bat. I had trouble breathing. Confusion settled over me like a morning fog. I could not put two and two together.
“If you go to businessmen and tell them to pray over their financial gifts, seeking the Lord where they should give their money, some bad things will happen to your family. Your two sons will die in an auto accident and your wife will go insane. Do you hear me?”
I could not speak as my mouth went dry and a throbbing sensation sent stabs of pain through my mind.
The creature drummed its dirty two-inch long fingernails on the granite counter. The beat reminded me of a funeral march.
“I said, ‘Do you hear me?’” the creature hissed out the words.
I nodded.
“And I can do it. It will be easy. Just as easy as it was for me to come into your home. No one can protect you from me, not even God!”
The creature bared its brownish-yellowish teeth with a hideous grin as it stood up.
“Don’t you ever forget what I told you, okay?”
The being walked over to the door leading out to the deck, then without opening the door, he stepped through it, and left.
I collapsed on the floor and wept. My body convulsed in fear.
“Oh God! What have I done to my family?” I screamed.
Most believers will not have visible encounters with demons, but as C. S. Lewis wrote — “There is no neutral ground in the universe. Every square inch, every split second is claimed by God, and counterclaimed by Satan.”
My prayer today:
Lord, open our American spiritual eyes to see we’re in a life and death war against principalities, powers, rulers of the darkness of this age, and against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places and that we’re not fighting against flesh and blood. Help us to be strong in You, in the power of Your might, and to put on the whole armor of God. (Based on Ephesians 6:10-12)
What do you think and has the Lord spoken to you today?
Join with me on Thursdays to fast and pray for America.
Thus, Judah and Jerusalem were feeling the early sparks of revival fires coming to life in their midst.
Now while this was going on, God called Jeremiah to be a prophet in 627 BC. After Jeremiah’s initial preparations, God told the young prophet to go to the entrance of the Temple in Jerusalem on a feast day when it was packed with people and speak His words:
“Even now, if you quit your evil ways, I will let you stay in your own land. But don’t be fooled by those who promise you safety simply because the LORD’s Temple is here. Don’t be fooled into thinking that you will never suffer because the Temple is here. It’s a lie! Go now to the place at Shiloh where I once put the Tabernacle that bore my name. See what I did there because of all the wickedness of my people, the Israelites. So just as I destroyed Shiloh, I will now destroy this Temple that bears my name, this Temple that you trust in for help, this place that I gave to you and your ancestors. And I will send you out of my sight into exile, just as I did your relatives, the people of Israel.” (Jeremiah 7:3, 4, 8, 12, 14, 15 NLT)
Remember: Jeremiah was a young prophet, just beginning his prophetic ministry. Yet, God gave him this major eye-opening prophecy. But…but…but even so, the Lord’s private words to Jeremiah still shakes me to my bones when I read them:
“Pray no more for these people, Jeremiah. Do not weep or pray for them, and don’t beg Me to help them, for I will not listen to you.” (Jeremiah 7:16)
Jeremiah knew a prophet was called to speak the words of the Lord, but he also knew the prophet was called to intercede for the people, as Moses and Samuel did in their days.
(Continued in Part 6……if you’re interested, the full series to date may be seen here.)
“But to truly understand spiritual warfare, you need to remember: Satan was an archangel who understands the government of God. When he rebelled, he became the father of lies and there’s no truth in him. Everything Satan attempts to do is a lying counterfeit of what God does and how God governs.”
He glanced at me, making sure I was on the same page with him.
“Satan’s army wears protective armor just like Christians do, but the demonic armor is the exact opposite of God’s armor. Their loins are girded with lies; their breastplates are unrighteousness; their feet are shod with chaos; they have shields of fear; they wear helmets of eternal doom; and their swords are the lying words of Satan. But there is one important similarity common to both God’s army and Satan’s forces. Can you guess what it is?”
I shook my head.
“Unity,” he said. “Both armies’ success depends on unity. God’s army is unified through faith in God, love of God, and love of the brethren. Satan’s forces are unified in their hatred of God and all Christians – and – their fear of God, Satan, each other, and bold believers.”
As long as the Body of Christ continues to be divided into Jewish and Gentile branches, the Church will continue to be defeated by Satan and his demonic army here in America.
My prayer today:
Lord, we American believers admit that apart from You, we can do nothing. So, we need You to move by Your power to graft the two branches of Jews and Gentiles into the one new man, bringing us believers into unity and peace for today’s spiritual battles. (Based on John 15:5, Romans 11:23, and Ephesians 2:15)
Join with me on Tuesday’s to pray and fast for the one new man to finally come forth in the Body of Christ.
…that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace (Ephesians 2:15)
It was one of those mornings when the church service sprang to life. The worship team sang songs of celebration and their joyful attitude soon caused members to move out of the pews and into the aisles. People were dancing, clapping their hands and shouting for joy. Youngsters jumped up and down with excitement and expectation. Something great was now happening in their midst.
The pastor clapped his hands and tapped his foot to the music. He turned his head to scan the whole congregation. Then, he saw him, sitting in the second row by himself, near the wall. The middle-aged man was weeping and looked like he had just received news that his best friend had died.
The pastor walked over to the man. “Jeremy, what’s the problem?” asked the pastor, his eyes revealing a deep compassion.
“I just had a vision,” said the man in between sobs, “and in it, I saw our church going through horrendous times ten months from now. Many in the congregation will lose their jobs and the congregation will be reduced by over half. We will be forced to cut back on all of our community programs. It will be devastating!”
“Oh my!” said the pastor, wondering if the prophet would be as accurate this time as he had been so many times in the past.
Ten months later, the church service resembled a funeral. The worship team members sat in the first row, none of them felt like singing and rejoicing. All felt the crushing agony of the closing of the mill. People were out of work and losing their homes. Everything seemed to be changed forever for the worse.
The pastor sat lost in his thoughts, hoping to stir up a message within himself which would encourage the group. But he had suffered a deep loss when his wife left him because of their financial stress. He wondered if he should resign his position and find a different career.
Then, he looked over the congregation and saw the man named Jeremy standing in the second row, near the wall. He was jumping up and down, waving his hands and shouting for joy. It looked like Jeremy had just won the Irish Sweepstakes.
The pastor strolled over to the man. “Jeremy, why are you celebrating when the rest of us are suffering such agony?” asked the pastor.
“Pastor, I just had a vision,” said Jeremy, “and in it I saw that eight months from now our church would be bursting at the seams with new members. A foreign company will buy the mill and enlarge it. And your wife will return to you and your marriage will be better than ever.”
The pastor shook his head. I hope he’s right, he thought. I hope the prophet is right this time.
I have declared the former things from the beginning; they went forth from My mouth, and I caused them to hear it. Suddenly I did them, and they came to pass. (Isaiah 48:3 NKJ)
(Excerpt from: Get Ready! The Prophets are Coming! A teaching by Larry Nevenhoven which can be seen in its entirety here.)
Prophecy is often out of step with today’s circumstances, which was true for Jeremiah.
(Continued in Part 5…if you’re interested, the full series to date may be seen here.)
Larry Who 