And I set watchmen over you, saying; "Listen to the sound of the trumpet!"
But they said: "We will not listen." Jeremiah 6:17
Recently, because I have studied and taught on the end times, one of my children asked me if there was any prophetic significance to the two recent hurricanes that have caused so much destruction in Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico and the Caribbean. My reply was that the earth has always been subject to drastic weather events and perhaps these two were things that just happened in the course of time.
Yet on the other hand it is interesting that the hurricanes occurred so soon after the total eclipse that traversed our country this August. In Scripture eclipses of the moon are signs of judgment for Israel and eclipses of the sun are signs of judgment for the gentile nations.
Here are some more thoughts on the matter.
I am convinced that the year 2017 is quite significant on God's calendar for the Jewish nation but I don't know what that is yet. There are an amazing number of important dates concerning Israel and Jerusalem that tie into the years 2017 and 2018. Interestingly there are also some corresponding historic dates for the Church that tie in to 2017. The Church of course is world wide and the U.S. is not Israel nor the center of the universe.
However, many believe that, because of our unique call upon God and dependence upon Him at our founding, the presence of a Church that has sent out missionaries and mission materials world wide, a still vibrant Church in many places, the large number of Jewish people living here and our special relationship with Israel, that we will be blessed or judged depending on our countries stance toward Israel.
Here are just a few of the dates I am talking about:
1517 - Ottoman Empire controls Jerusalem - Martin Luther nails 95 thesis at Wittenburg Church
1897 - First World Zionist Congress calling for a Jewish homeland
1907/1908 - Azusa Street Revival, reintroducing Pentecostal/Charismatic gifts of the Holy Spirit
1917 - Balfour Declaration - British call for a Jewish homeland in Palestine
1917 - British general Allenby captures Jerusalem from the Ottoman Turks (ending 400 yrs rule)
1947 - Jews declare a homeland in Palestine (50 yrs from Zionist Congress)
1948 - Jewish state officially begins
1967 - Jewish forces capture East Jerusalem/temple mount in 6 day war
2017/2018 is the 500th anniversary of the rebirth of the Christian Church, the 120th anniversary of the call for a Jewish state, the 70th anniversary of the rebirth of the Jewish state and the 50th anniversary of the Jews gaining control of Jerusalem and the temple mount. It is also the Jewish year 5777/5778.
There was also on September 23 a major sign in the heavens that corresponded with the description of the sign of the woman and the birth of a man child found in Revelation chapter 12. This happened to occur during the Jewish feast of Yom Kippur (also known as the Feast of Trumpets and the Jewish New Year). Some commentators thought this might indicate a good date for the prophesied rapture of the Church.
I happen to have a foot in two different Christian world views. The first is the study of Biblical prophecy which I believe shows that my Lord Jesus could return at any time to catch up all born again believers, first the dead and then the living (the rapture) to be with Him for eternity. After this happens, either immediately or after some period of time, tribulation will come upon the nations, God will focus His attention on the Jewish people and Jesus will return to earth to reign and rule for 1000 years.
In my lifetime I have seen a steady decline in the moral condition's of both our country and the world and I believe the pace of disintegration is rapidly increasing. There is a steady and I believe organized attack on Christian values in general and on Christians in particular. The only solution I see to that is massive revival, where enough people get born again and empowered by the Holy Spirit so that society in general can be renewed. I pray for this but right now my eyes cannot see it.
My other foot is in the prophetic witness of those who are truly sensitive to what the Holy Spirit is saying. I do believe that the aspect of the spiritual gift of prophecy that reveals future events is for today and I know of some things that have been promised whose time has not yet come. So the paradox for me is that Jesus can come at any time but there are still promises to keep. Personal prophecy should never overrule Scriptural prophecy but we must admit that our timing of future Biblical events may be influenced by the teachings of others who are not infallible.
Great caution though must be exercised with personal prophecy. I believe that there are many prophets who perhaps are sensitive enough to the Holy Spirit's voice that they can get some things right but for a variety of reasons (that I will not list here) other of their words are not solid and true. They partially prophesy from their own biases.
There are a whole bunch of these prophets who believe that God will put Christians in positions of influence (government being one of those) and then there will come a revival in America so strong that the nation will be renewed. They see a mass harvest of souls prior to the first return of Christ. Again, I am more inclined to see revival coming, not top down but out of distress rather than out of prosperity.
I am not a prophet but I want to blow this trumpet as a watchman, one who has been called to gather the people to safety.
Our country has been given a major warning from God by the total eclipse of the sun in August which traversed the entire continent in the U.S. from Oregon to South Carolina. To make this sign stronger and more obvious there will be another total eclipse seven years later that traverses the U.S. from Texas to Maine, the route of which marks an X in the middle of the country. Seven is a divine number. Maybe these will be seven years of either warning or judgment.
It would not stretch the imagination to say that Harvey, Irma and the Los Vegas shootings, so soon after the eclipse, can be seen as warnings that we must soon get our house in order. There are also rumblings in the earth, political situations in North Korea and Russia and domestic tensions that keep getting worse.
Perhaps, if there is a major revival coming, it will come after the rapture. What we are doing now is laying the groundwork for it. We will plant, someone else will harvest.
We have an enemy here and abroad who hates us and is well organized. He knows his time is short and is on the move.
Do not put your hope in politics to change the drastic situation our country is in. The situation we find ourselves in (20 trillion in debt, the inability to reign in spending, the annual growth of the welfare state) has come because of weak and corrupt hearts. Although there are many good people in government, human nature desires power and Washington corrupts almost all who serve there.
Do not put your hope in Donald Trump. Yes, it has been prophesied that he was God's man to route out corruption in government, to expose the hypocrisy of the press and to stop the assimilation of the U.S. into the politics of globalism. We will see.
And even though he has so far surrounded himself with true Christians, selected well for Supreme Court and lower judgeships, is a friend of Israel, removed U.S. funding for abortions overseas, started withdrawing from the unrealistic climate accords and has been eliminating all of Obama's restrictive executive orders, he is still a vain, vindictive and insecure individual and I still fear he may end up being a wolf in sheep's clothing.
We must pray that his heart will be soft to the leading of the Holy Spirit, that he will exhibit the fruits of the Spirit in his character and his life, and that God will use him to help heal the racial divide and unrest that dark forces have planned to split apart our country and bring violence to our cities. We must pray that God will give him wisdom for all the challenges that our country will be facing in the years ahead.
We have elected a Trump(et), have seen our warning eclipse and now we must listen and find our safety in the love and grace of our Lord Most High. He will never disappoint and will see us through.
And watch and be ready, for Jesus may return at any time.
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