February 14, 2011 · 7:11 am

November 4, 2008: The Day America’s Death Warrant Was Signed (Part 2)

If my revelation that America’s death warrant has already been signed by the Judge, then why should we even care about our national sins? After all, the nation will perish no matter what we attempt, right? So why not just give up and move to Australia or Brazil?

In his day, the prophet, Jeremiah, was torn by the same revelations that we American Christians now face. Not only that, his commitment to the Lord was pushed to its limits by the adverse conditions he struggled through. He was not allowed to marry, to attend feasts, to go to the Temple or to proclaim his own prophecies. Cruel beatings, imprisonment and extreme persecution marked the last twenty years of his prophetic ministry to Judah.

But yet, Jeremiah faithfully prophesied over and over again that Jerusalem (the chosen City of God with its holy Temple) and Judah could save itself only by surrendering to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon.

Let’s place Jeremiah’s prophetic words into a more modern context. What if David Ben-Gurion (Israel’s first prime minister) had traveled to his native Poland and Germany in 1939? What if after talking with the Nazi leaders, he declared, “We Jews can trust Hitler. Don’t worry about being relocated to Auschwitz, Belzec and Treblinka. These camps will be safe havens for us Jews,” what would Polish and German Jews have thought of Ben-Gurion?

Certainly not much, considering Hitler’s many writings on the Jewish problem and his Final Solution comments. And Nebuchadnezzar, like Hitler, was a cruel despot who saw nothing wrong with slaughtering innocent people if it benefitted his empire agenda.

So, you can imagine the horrors the Jews felt when Jeremiah spoke his “Thus says the Lord of Hosts” messages about surrendering to the cruel Babylonian army. They considered his words as acts of treason.

But even after Jeremiah definitely knew the Lord was determined to destroy Jerusalem and Judah, he continued to plead for the Jews to repent. Why? What did it matter? After all, the Lord was going to destroy Jerusalem and Judah anyway, right?

At one time I will suddenly speak concerning a nation or kingdom, that I will pluck up and break down and destroy it; and if [the people of] that nation concerning which I have spoken turn from their evil, I will relent and reverse My decision concerning the evil that I thought to do to them. (Jeremiah 18: 7-8 AMP)

Jeremiah knew God’s heart. He understood God is first and foremost a Redeemer who loves people and that His deepest desire is for people to turn away from sin and walk in His ways. In addition, Jeremiah most likely studied the words of Joel who prophesied about the day of the Lord, but also declared hope for nations who had received a death warrant notice from God:

Rend your hearts and not your garments and return to the Lord, your God, for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in loving-kindness; and He revokes His sentence of evil [when His conditions are met.] Who knows but what He will turn, revoke your sentence [of evil], and leave a blessing behind Him [giving you the means with which to serve Him], even a cereal or meal offering and a drink offering for the Lord, your God? Blow the trumpet in Zion; set apart a fast [a day of restraint and humility]; call a solemn assembly. (Joel 2:13-15 AMP)

So, Jeremiah held onto hope that the people of Judah would repent and return to God with all their hearts. Then, if they met the conditions of genuine repentance, maybe God would revoke the death warrant pronounced against Judah.

But Judah’s heart was hardened. The nation no longer trusted God to be their Savior and only a few people believed the words of Jeremiah. Thus only a few people surrendered to the Babylonians and were saved. The rest were either slaughtered or taken to Babylonia.

What about America? Can our nation possibly repent enough so that the death warrant against America may be removed by God?

Yes, but it would have to be a Nineveh type of extreme repentance whereby the highest leaders down to the least among us would have to repent and humble ourselves before God. You see, our nation has a high level of accountability before God. Our money is stamped with the words: “In God We Trust.” Our pledge to the flag states, “One nation under God.” Our leaders place their hands on Bibles when they are sworn into office.  Plus, America has received countless warnings from men of God about divine judgments, but these men have been rebuked and ignored.

So, America has absolutely no excuse before the throne of God. We are guilty!

Although it is possible America could repent enough to please God, I hold no hope that this will ever happen.  Instead, I believe we Christians need to:

…strip off and throw aside every encumbrance (unnecessary weight) and that sin which so readily (deftly and cleverly) clings to and entangles us, and let us run with patient endurance and steady and active persistence the appointed course of the race that is set before us, looking away [from all that will distract] to Jesus…(Hebrews 12: 1-2 AMP)

We Christians need to prepare ourselves for the dark days lying ahead so that we can be the Body of Christ reaching out to our neighbors, family and friends.

What do we need to do?

(Continued in Part 3)

Click on following link for earlier article: Part 1.

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February 7, 2011 · 7:29 am

November 4, 2008: The Day America’s Death Warrant Was Signed (Part 1)

We American Christians have come to expect spiritual John Waynes to arrive during our nation’s worst times and rescue us from imminent disasters. This has often happened in times past when men like John Wesley, George Whitefield, Charles Finney, Billy Sunday, Billy Graham and others have called America away from the spiritual abyss.

So, is there still balm in Gilead for America?

Let’s look back at the events of the 2008 presidential election.

At the Democratic Convention in Denver (August 25 – 28, 2008), the party selected the two most radical pro-abortion candidates in the history of America as its standard bearers: Senator Barack Obama and Senator Joseph Biden. Both were Planned Parenthood poster candidates.

The Republicans countered at their convention in St. Paul, Minnesota (September 1 – 4,2008) with two pro-life candidates in Senator John McCain and Alaska Governor Sarah Palin. Governor Palin’s refusal to abort her son, Trig, a Down Syndrome baby, focused America’s eyes on the abortion issue.

Soon after the Republican convention, the polling data showed a dead even race between Obama/Biden and McCain/Palin. This was a remarkable comeback for McCain who had lagged behind Obama in the double digit percentage range for weeks.

McCain/Palin finally inched ahead going into the second week of the month.

Then, on September 15, 2008, Lehman Brothers filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy protection. The following day, the Federal Reserve authorized a $85 billion bailout loan to AIG. Financial news swirled out of control until the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 was enacted, which established the $700 billion Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP).

With the bad economic news, Obama/Biden surged back into the lead and McCain/Palin wilted on the campaign trail. Obama eventually won in a landslide on election night.

Spike Lee, film director and producer, later declared, “God Himself ordained the financial crisis to happen when it did in order to propel Barack Obama to victory.”

For the last two years, Spike Lee’s words have haunted me. Were Lee’s words accurate?

There’s no doubt in my mind that the Lord could have held back the financial crisis until after the presidential election, but He didn’t. Why not? I wondered. After all, if the financial crisis had not hit, McCain could have been elected president and the Supreme Court’s balance could have been shifted to the right by now with a good chance of Roe versus Wade being overturned sometime in the near future.

When He approached Jerusalem, He saw the city and wept over it, saying, “If you had known in this day, even you, the things which make for peace! But now they have been hidden from your eyes. For the days will come upon you when your enemies will throw up a barricade against you and surround you and hem you in on every side, and they will level you to the ground and your children within you, and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not recognize the time of your visitation. (Luke 19: 41-44)

In the midst of the hubbub and excitement on that first Palm Sunday, Jesus paused on His journey to Jerusalem at a spot on the Mount of Olives, overlooking Jerusalem and the Temple. This was the exact spot where Jews throughout history had mourned and wept over the Temple.

When Jesus stopped and wept at the overlook, the people probably hushed, anticipating a historic speech, but what they heard shocked them. The Prophet, their long awaited King David, prophesied the above words which trumpeted the death of Jerusalem and the Temple.

Why did Jesus prophesy Jerusalem’s and the Temple’s death warrant?

…because you did not recognize the day of your visitation. (Luke 19:44)

The Greek word episkope in verse 44 is translated into our English word visitation. Yet, episkope does not imply a visitor stopping by for a friendly visit. Its true meaning suggests God the Judge would visit a nation, examining the people to determine whether they would be blessed or cursed.

Yes, Jesus is the Prince of Peace, but also He is the stumbling stone and a rock of offense whereby people and nations stumble and fall to their doom. (Jesus’ prophesy was fulfilled in 70 AD when a Roman army under General Titus destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple and killed over a million Jews.)

It’s now my sincere belief that the 2008 Financial Crisis was a plumb line event the Lord sent to discover how America measured up. So, was America squarely looking up to Him and His ways or tilted off center? What did the plumb line event reveal to the Lord?

Lou Engle stated it best:

In this election, we have bowed our knee to Baal and chosen prosperity over posterity. (See full article here.)

Sad words, but true. Our nation failed the test, and like Jerusalem and the Temple on that first Palm Sunday, America’s death warrant has been signed by the Judge. It’s just a matter of time until the execution is carried out.

Sadly, in retrospect, Spike Lee’s words proved to be accurate.

(Continued in Part 2)


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February 2, 2011 · 2:39 pm

What if Obama Loses in 2012? What Will Conservative Christians Really Gain?

What if Obama Loses the 2012 election? What will conservative Christians really gain?

Actually, conservative Christians will gain very little and lose much.

“What?” you shout, “How can you make such a dumb statement? Don’t you realize Obama is the worse this and that in the history of America? And then, there are his views on healthcare, Israel, the economy, global warming, abortion, world government and energy; what about these issues? Don’t you care?”

Just for the record, you can check how I felt during the 2008 election cycle by looking back at my posts during that time period. For the most part, you will notice I opposed the Obama/Biden ticket because of their pro-abortion stances.  And if you have time, you can also check out my prophetic mistakes and what I learned from them by clicking here and reading all of  #1 and #3.

Okay, so much for full disclosure on my part. So why am I making such a bold statement that conservative Christians will gain very little and lose much if Obama is defeated?

First: To defeat President Obama in 2012 will take a concentrated effort by conservative Christians. This effort will take huge amounts of time; time we do not have. Plus, it will take millions of dollars of donations; money which could be used elsewhere with greater benefits for the Kingdom of God.

Second: To defeat President Obama in 2012 will mean a dirty-dog, down-in-the-trenches, in-your-face battle between the different factions of the Body of Christ which will only add more division to the Body. A division – we Christians can not afford at this time in America. (Here’s the demographics for 2008, which are basically the same as 2004 and probably won’t change much for 2012.)

What will we gain if Obama is defeated? A pat on the back from fellow conservative Christians who agree with us, but little else. You see, the damage to our economy and our nation will already have been done and will take years to reverse. Years – we will not have.

Why am I so pessimistic about our government and nation? America is sliding down a greasy slope into a bloody terrorist war which will occur here on our home-front. A terrorist war which we are not prepared for, cannot stop and one which our government will be of limited help for us.

Our only hope is for a great number of American Christians to be able to live as mature citizens of the Kingdom of God when the heavy terrorists’ attacks strike us, especially here on the West Coast. These mature kingdom citizens will have to help their neighbors and others, during the dismal days awaiting our nation.

But sadly, the following scripture describes most of us American Christians:

...”How hard it is for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God! For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. (Luke 18:24-25)

We Americans are wealthy and do not know much about the kingdom of God or our citizen benefits. At best, we know how to sit in pews and get along with other Christians who think exactly like us.  So how can we possibly change ourselves?

“The things that are impossible with people are possible with God.” (Luke 18: 27)

I believe we still have time to change and prepare for the upcoming terrorist strikes, but it will take a total commitment on our parts to learn about the kingdom of God and unlearn most of our present teachings. This undertaking will not have the luxury of wasting time for two years, trying to defeat President Obama.

We need to make up our minds now.

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September 21, 2010 · 6:48 am

Say It Ain’t So, Joe!

I am going to take some time off from blogging because I need to refuel my batteries and finish some other projects. I should be back blogging soon, but until them, you can still follow along with my life on Facebook, or if you need to, send me an email.

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September 15, 2010 · 8:06 am

Elijah, Come Out of the Cave! Now! (Part 8)

Click on following links for earlier articles: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6 and Part 7.

A pupil is not above his teacher, nor a slave above his master. (Matthew 10: 24)

In Part 1, I mentioned about the night I visited a small country church where two traveling prophets were conducting meetings. Both prophets were veterans who had been in ministry for twenty years or more.

The preaching was okay and the prophetic words were excellent. But yet, the two prophets did not discern the deeper spiritual needs of the people.

This oversight bothered me and I sought the Lord on why the spiritual radar systems of these two top-notch prophets were so defective.

Finally, the Holy Spirit spoke to my heart: “The two prophets are trained by the traditional church system and are dependent on the traditional church system for their financial livelihoods. Thus, their spiritual radar systems for discerning the spiritual needs of believers and then delivering them are dulled and made useless by the system.”

Maybe, you’re not sure about this, right?

Well, who was Elijah’s biggest enemy?

Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, ” So may the gods do so to me and even more, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time.” And he [Elijah] was afraid and arose and ran for his life… (1 Kings 19: 2- 3)

Though Ahab was the king of Israel, it was Jezebel who influenced Ahab to worship pagan gods and turn away from God.  Thus, Jezebel was Elijah’s biggest enemy.

The same is true today for the Elijah-type prophets.

There have been numerous books written about demonic spirits which are labeled Jezebel Spirits, but my personal belief is that Jezebel represents a religious spirit. Nothing more. Nothing less. It plainly dislikes God and His ways and wants to hinder and control prophetic words within the Body of Christ.

And furthermore, it is my belief that the traditional church system is under the control of a  major principality in the demonic hierarchy which rules over America and it is – in fact – a religious spirit.

The only way to break the control of religious spirits on believers’ lives is to have Elijah-type prophets arrive on the scene. Where will they come from?

I believe the Elijah-type of prophets will come from outside the traditional church systems. Maybe from prisons. Maybe from the deserts or wildernesses of America. Maybe from the armed forces. Maybe from professional sports. Maybe from businesses. But no matter where they come from, they will be trained to discern and fight religious spirits.

Lastly, I believe Elijah was the chosen prophet at the transfiguration of Jesus, rather than David, Isaiah, Jeremiah or Ezekiel, because it will be prophets like Elijah who will set us free from the religious requirements and bondage imposed on us by the weakness of the Law, which is the flesh.

Obviously, this is a lot to digest for now. So, we’ll do more on the Elijah prophets in the future.

(Conclusion)

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September 13, 2010 · 7:40 am

Elijah, Come Out of Your Cave! Now! (Part 7)

Click on following links for earlier articles: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5 and Part 6.

On Monday, May 20, 1985, about 3:30 in the afternoon, I gave my life to Jesus. The next morning, I phoned someone and asked what I should do. He told me to read the Bible, beginning with Matthew. I followed his directions.

A few months later, I heard another person say that believers should pray and ask the Lord what we should study. This then became my Bible study method, which I still follow even today.

But it wasn’t long before I noticed something about my Bible studies: most of my time was spent reading Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and the other prophets. Over and over, I studied these books.

Then, I purchased the The Elijah Task by John Sanford (1977). At the time, this was the only book written about prophets and their callings. The basic premise of the book is that the Lord is going to release an army of Elijah-type prophets into the earth, proclaiming repentance with power and anointing.

Since the 1980’s, there have been countless other books, prophecies and even songs (Days of Elijah) declaring the coming of this army of Elijah-type prophets. Many Christians are now looking for these prophets to soon arrive on the scene.

But where are believers looking for these Elijah-type of prophets to be raised up at? In the traditional churches, specifically the Pentecostal and Charismatic ones.

“What’s wrong with that thinking?” you proclaim.

Our five examples of Elijah-type of prophets (Elijah, Elisha, John the Baptist and the Two Witnesses) have one thing in common which sets them apart from all of the other prophets. You see, not one of them was raised in the traditional religious system of his time. Not one was accountable to a religious hierarchy, such as a priest or a pastor. Not one of them.

They were all unknowns, raised up in the wildernesses and deserts of their day, away from the religious systems.

“Wait a second!” you say, “where should we look for the Elijah-type of prophets? And why would the Lord do it this way?”

(Continued in Part 8)

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September 10, 2010 · 7:57 am

Elijah, Come Out of Your Cave! Now! (Part 6)

Click on following links for earlier articles: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4 and Part 5.


4 and 5.  The two witnesses.

And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for twelve hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth. These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth. And if anyone wants to harm them, fire flows out of their mouth and devours their enemies; so if anyone wants to harm them, he must be killed in this way. These have the power to shut up the sky, so that rain will not fall during the days of their prophesying; and they have power over the waters to turn them into blood, and to strike the earth with every plague, as often as they desire. (Revelation 11: 3 – 6)

Throughout history, people have speculated about the two witnesses mentioned in Revelation Chapter 11.

The early church believed the two witnesses would be Enoch and Elijah. Their reasoning was that both prophets were taken directly into heaven without first suffering death. Hmm! Maybe.

Many others think the two witnesses will be Moses and Elijah. In this scenario, it would then be a recurrence of the transfiguration with Moses representing the Law and Elijah the Prophets. Hmm! Maybe.

Still others believe the two witnesses will be the Messianic side of the Church and the Gentile side of the Church. Hmm! Maybe.

Since eschatology has never been my forte, I really have no clue exactly who the two witnesses will be, but I do know this: they will be Elijah-types of prophets. Why?

Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord. (Malachi 4: 5)

Elijah does first come… (Mark 9: 12)

It is he who will go as a forerunner before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah… (Luke 1: 17)

Then if you look ahead to the end of Revelation Chapter 11, the seventh trumpet is blown and we see the coming of the Lord.

…The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ; and He will reign forever and ever. (Revelation 11: 15)

As Sherlock Holmes would say to Dr Watson after explaining a mystery, “It was elementary my dear Watson.”

Thus, the two witnesses (also called prophets) have to be Elijah-types of prophets.

But once again, what really sets these two witnesses apart so that they are Elijah-types of prophets?

(Continued in Part 7)

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September 8, 2010 · 8:24 am

Elijah, Come Out of the Cave! Now! (Part 5)

Click on following links for earlier articles: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 and Part 4.


3. John the Baptist

It is he [John the Baptist] who will go as a forerunner before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah to turn the hearts of the fathers back to the children, and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous, so as to make ready a people prepared for the Lord. (Luke 1: 17)

Unlike Elijah and Elisha, John the Baptist did not have a powerful signs and wonders ministry. Instead, John was primarily a  prophetic voice.

But much like Elijah, who arrived on the scene without any advance warning, John the Baptist did the same. One day, he was a man hidden away in the wilderness, and the next day, he was standing at the Jordan River, preaching, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

Then Jerusalem was going out to him, and all Judea and all the district around the Jordan. (Matthew 3: 5)

And the crowds showed up to listen to his message and to be baptized. He was the man!

Yet, his ministry only lasted six months.  But in that small amount of time, John the Baptist stirred the hearts of the people so that they were prepared for the arrival of the Promised One who immediately followed him.

Jesus Himself validated the ministry of John the Baptist as an Elijah-type of prophet when He said:

For all the prophets and the Law prophesied until John. And if you are willing to accept it, John himself is Elijah who was to come. (Matthew 11: 13-14)

Yes, John was filled with the Holy Spirit from when he was within his mother’s womb. Yes, he was a cousin, first removed, of Jesus, but unlike the Lord, John was a Levite, not from the tribe of Judah.

But what was it that set John apart from the other prophets and made him an Elijah-type of prophet? And who are the remaining two prophets?

(Continued in Part 6)

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September 3, 2010 · 7:42 am

Elijah, Come Out of the Cave! Now! (Part 4)

Click on following links for earlier articles: Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3.

2. Elisha

The Lord said to him [Elijah], “Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus, and when you have arrived, you shall anoint Hazael king over Aram; and Jehu, the son of Nimshi you shall anoint king over Israel; and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah you shall anoint as prophet in your place. (1 Kings 19: 15 – 16)

Elijah had one of the greatest days in the whole Bible when he called fire down from heaven, executed four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal and prayed for rain. Now, forty-three days later, after struggling with fear, depression, hopelessness, and then, finally hearing the voice of the Lord in a cave, Elijah was directed to do three important things.

Interestingly enough, how many of the three things did Elijah actually accomplish?

So he departed from there and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, while he was plowing with twelve pairs of oxen before him, and he with the twelfth. And Elijah passed over to him and threw his mantle on him. (1 Kings 19: 19)

This is the only recorded time in the Bible where a prophet passed his mantle and anointing to another prophet. There are other examples of transference of power in the Bible, such as  Moses laying his hands on Joshua, but this is the only recorded time for this particular type of transference.

So how can I positively say that Elisha was an Elijah-type prophet?

Because Elijah only did one of the important things the Lord commanded him to do and that was anointing Elisha. But it was Elisha who then fulfilled the other two important things: by anointing Hazael king of Aram and anointing Jehu king of Israel.

Elisha asked for a double portion of Elijah’s spirit and then received it.

And finally, Jesus Himself linked Elisha with Elijah in His discourse at the synagogue in Nazareth.

But I say to you in truth, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah…and yet Elijah was sent to none of them, but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. And there were many lepers in  Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman, the Syrian. And all the people in the synagogue were filled with rage as they heard these things. (Luke 4: 27 – 28)

Yes, like Elijah, Elisha was a prophet of power. Also, in terms of signs, wonders and miracles as recorded in the Bible, Elisha’s ministry was second only to Jesus.

But once again, what sets Elijah and Elisha apart from the other prophets in the Old Testament? And who are the other three Elijah-type prophets?

(Continued in Part 5)

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September 1, 2010 · 7:10 am

Elijah, Come Out of the Cave! Now! (Part 3)

Click on following links for earlier articles: Part 1 and Part 2.

They asked Jesus, saying, “Why is it the scribes say that Elijah must come first?” And He said to them, “Elijah does first come and restore all things… (Mark 9: 11-12)

There are five examples of Elijah-type prophets in the Bible. Each prophet is uniquely different, but each has an important trait which is also common to the other ones. This common trait is not seen in King David, Isaiah, Jeremiah or Ezekiel.

And guess what? This trait is also the reason why today’s church has not seen the Elijah-type of prophets….as yet.

1. Elijah.

Now Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the settlers of Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the Lord, the God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, surely there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word. (1 Kings 17: 1)

One moment, Israel was a backslidden nation without a prophet who had the anointing to point the people back to God. And then, in the next moment, Elijah arrived on the scene.

Little is known about Elijah before he prophesied to King Ahab, except that he came from the nation of Gilead, and not from Israel. Most likely, he was an Ishmaelite, which made him a Gentile.

Isn’t that interesting? God used a Gentile to prophesy to His people, the Jews. This fact may help explain why the listeners were so touchy when Jesus stood up and spoke at the synagogue in Nazareth.

And He said, “Truly I say to you, no prophet is welcome in his hometown. But I say to you in truth, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the sky was shut up for three years and six months, when a great famine came over all the land; and yet Elijah, was sent to none of them, but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow….And all the people in the synagogue were filled with rage as they heard these things. (Luke 4: 24 – 26, 28)

Yes, Elijah was the prophet of power. Yes, he slew four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal. Yes, he prayed a drought away. Yes, he called fire down upon a hundred soldiers. And yes, he was taken alive up to heaven in a chariot of fire.

But even with all of this, what was it that set Elijah apart from the other prophets in the Old Testament? And who are the other four Elijah-type prophets?

(Continued in Part 4)

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