Author: admin

This week the nation remembers the anniversary of the terrorist attack of September 11, 2001.

We have been praying through the 40 day Jewish season of repentance, Teshuvah, which ends on Yom Kipper. As we complete the prayer journey we want to share a prophecy given in 1998 which warned us of the 9/11 catastrophe and launched the Teshuvah Prayer Initiative.

In the summer of 1998 a well-known prophet, Chuck Pierce, warned the Church to cleanse itself during a 40 day period corresponding to the Hebrew repentance season of Teshuvah, which ran from August 22, 1998 to September 30, 1998. He warned the Church of the coming rise of the Islamic spirit and the Spirit of lawlessness in the U.S. He also warned that, if the Church did not repent and find God’s plan, it would be unable to stop the disaster which would come at the end three years.

On September 11, 1998 the special prosecutor appointed to review to the scandals of President Bill Clinton announced that the President had committed perjury about an affair with an intern, and committed other abuses of power. Instead of removing the President, as the Republicans had done when Nixon was caught lying, the Democrats lined up behind him. By doing so, they endorsed his lawlessness and released the Spirit of Lawlessness on the country. And the Church, divided by politics, made no effective response.

Exactly three years after the announcement by the special prosecutor, just as the prophet had said, a catastrophe hit the United States. The Islamic Spirit warned of in the prophecy rose up and killed 3000 Americans on September 11, 2001. Few understood the judgment that had fallen on America. Many politicians made a show of defiance by quoting from a scripture, Isaiah 9:10, about rebuilding bigger and better. What they failed to understand in their ignorance was that Isaiah 9:10 scripture was condemnation of their attitude of defiance against God.

Last year the prophecy came to our attention as we prepared to pray for repentance, unity and healing the land during the 2017 Teshuvah season. For more information get a free download of our book Teshuvah Eclipses at www.dropbox.com/s/835gr2gnzg1labn/Teshuvah%20Eclipses.pdf?dl=0. This year we have again prayed through the Teshuvah season, which ends with the Hebrew Day of Atonement on September 19.

We believe that God has begun to deal with the spirit of Islamistism in answer to our prayers. The so- called caliphate of the ISIS terrorist groups in Syria and Iraq has collapsed, and the worldwide terrorism wave is receeding. The U.S. has also scotched the terrible Iranian nuclear deal and has brought the terrorists in Tehran under tremendous pressure. Much remains to be done, but much progress has been made against the Islamist scourge.

Here in the U.S. we are seeing the exposure of the lawlessness loosed by the Clintons and fostered under President Obama. Senior officials of the Justice Department and FBI have been caught colluding with the Clinton presidential campaign to excuse Clinton’s wrongdoing while working to undermine the Trump presidential campaign and his presidency. Many Obama era regulations, promulgated illegally, have been rolled back. And the appointment of a second originalist Supreme Court Justice promises to bring back the rule of law into our judicial system.

We thank God that in His mercy He has brought relief from the threats of Islamistism and lawlessness which the Church failed to deal with 20 years ago.

Let us pray that the Church will continue the Teshuvah prayers of repentance, unity, and healing of our land and will seek God for His plans for our generation.

We have been praying though the 40 day Jewish season of repentance, Teshuvah, and are entering the final days between the Feast of Trumpets and the Day of Atonement.

This year’s final Teshuvah Prayer time is also the beginning of the Shemitah, the Jewish year of Sabbath rest for the land and release of debts, which begins on the Feast of Trumpets. It is the Year of the Lord’s Favor.

During the Shemitah Years, Hebrews were forgiven from all debts. The land was also to lie fallow as the Hebrews lived off of the prior year crops and the “volunteer” produce. After 7 Shemitahs, or 49 years, the first year of the new 7 year Sabbath (the 50th year) was the Year of Jubilee when slaves were freed, debt was forgiven, and the land was returned to its original owners.

According to Alfred Edersheim’s authoritative book The Temple, the Rabbis held that the first Shemitah Year began 21 years after the Hebrews entered into the land, or 1385 BC. Following through on the math, the next Jubilee year is 2040, but this year, 2018, is the next Shemitah Year. The Shemitah year begins with the Feast of Trumpets, and the Jubilee begins with the Day of Atonement.

There are a number of significant ancient Shemitah Years which seem to share the Teshuvah theme of returning to God’s presence. His presence came to Solomon’s Temple in 958 BC and to the Second Temple in 516 BC, miraculously aided its rededication at Hanukkah in 167 BC, and moved on Herod to renovate the Temple in preparation for the coming of the Messiah in 20 BC. Gabriel visited Mary in 6 BC , bringing God’s presence , Christ, to the land. The promised Holy Spirit came to the land, and the believers, in 30 AD, bringing the permanent presence of God indwelling all believers thereafter.

The Shemitah is a time to worship God with our land (or Finances) and receive freedom from financial, personal and other bondage. The Shemitah and the Year of Jubilee were used by Jesus to describe His ministry (See Luke 4:18-19 quoting Isaiah 61:1-2). Shemitah Years remind us of our freedom in Christ and the “Year of the Lord’s Favor”.

So join us in praying in the Year of the Lord’s Favor.

• September 10: Feast of Trumpets until sunset, Isaiah 61:1-4 and Luke 4:19 – The Year of the Lord’s Favor begins.
• September 11: Proverbs 3:3-4 – Love and faithfulness bring favor with God and man.
• September 12: Leviticus 25:1-13 – The 7 year Sabbath and the Jubilee.
• September 13: Deuteronomy 15:1-18 – The 7 year release from debt and slavery.
• September 14: Deuteronomy 31:10-11 – Reading God’s word in Shemitah years
• September 15: Psalm 69:13-16 and Jeremiah 26:19 –God’s favor for protection
• September 16: 2 Chronicles 33:10-17 – God’s favor after repentance.
• September 17: Psalm 90:17 and 106:4-6 – God’s favor for success, prosperity, and joy.
• September 18: Nehemiah 1:11 and 2:5, Luke 1:30 – God’s favor for Destiny
• September 19: The Day of Atonement until sunset. Isaiah 49:89 and 2 Corinthians 6:1-3 – Now is the time of God’s Favor.

Let us continue to pray for God’s Favor throughout this Year of God’s Favor as we continue the Teshuvah journey of returning to God’s presence and seeking God’s face for unity and revival.

This week marks the anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King’s monumental 1963 “I Have a Dream” speech in Washington DC.

In his speech, Dr. King reached back to the basic values of Americans, calling on the Nation to honor the promise of “Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” made in our Declaration of Independence. He looked forward to the day when segregation evaporated and people of different races could unite together as friends. And he expressed his vision of equality, where a person would be judged by the content of his character rather than his skin color.

Dr. King’s speech electrified the Nation. Within a few years the Civil Rights laws passed ending legal segregation. More importantly, people began to see the ugliness of racism and the atmosphere of the country began to change. For most Americans, hatred and bigotry have been replaced by acceptance and tolerance. Opportunity opened up for minorities and a black man was finally elected president of the U.S. While pockets of bigotry remain in both black and white communities, we are closing in on Dr. King’s dream of a color blind society.

The key to understanding Dr. King’s astonishing accomplishment is to understand who Dr. King really was. Dr. King lived his life as a Christian Pastor, committed to Christ and the Biblical way of living. While many called for violent revolution, Dr. King told his followers to take the non violent path and turn the other cheek like Christ did. He understood the power of blessing and not cursing his enemies, and in the end he won many of them over. By following his Christian principles, Dr. King changed the atmosphere of the Nation and won a great victory not only for his people, but for all people.

Today it is the Bible believing Christians who are becoming an oppressed minority. Christian institutions like marriage are being degraded as the sexual revolution reaches its “Anything Goes” conclusion. The resulting fatherlessness has created poverty, despair, and violence in our communities as godless generations come of age. Christianity is banished from the public square in many places, and its values are attacked as ignorant and outdated. Our spiritual atmosphere is becoming toxic, and we are desperately in need of another Christian like Dr. King to change our atmosphere.

Instead of cursing the darkness, as many do, we should follow the path laid out by Christ and followed by Dr. King. Let us bless and not curse our enemies, seeking reconciliation and unity, and winning them over by love.

We can change our atmosphere if we do it God’s way.

The week we are in the midst of praying through the 40 day Jewish season of repentance, Teshuvah.

The word Teshuvah literally means to return to the presence of God. It is a season of introspection and repentance for Christians to come into unity with God, as Jesus prayed in John 17:21. However, as Jesus prayed, unity with God requires unity with each other in Christ. (John 17:20-23).

Yet, almost since the beginning of Christianity, believers have quarreled about Christian doctrine and church government. The first Jerusalem Council served as an example of a favorably resolved dispute (Acts 15). However, other disputes resulted in division and treatment of opponents as non-Christians. As Ralph Martin famously said, “The Body of Christ is broken”

Today there are many denominations and doctrines which create a great diversity within the body of Christ. Yet, we can still be United in Christ. Lutheran theologian Oscar Cullmann said, “Unity in the church . . . is unity in diversity . . . recognizing others in all their variety as true Christians.” Pope Francis has said, “Unity brought by the Spirit can harmonize every diversity.” Unity in diversity recognizes the contributions of other streams of Christianity and blends them together in a symphony of harmony. It is a unity of the Spirit, not in doctrine or church government.

During the second ten days of Teshuvah, from August 21 to August 30, we will be praying for God’s people and the healing of the broken Body of Christ as God’s people come together united in Christ.

• August 21: The blessings of unity (Ps. 133)
• August 22: Unity in Christ (John 17:20–22)
• August 23: Accepting our brothers (Rom. 15:5–7)
• August 24: Do not judge (Rom. 14:13; Luke 6:37–38)
• August 25: Divisions (1 Cor. 3:1–9)
• August 26: Evangelism through unity (John 17:23)
• August 27: Watchmen warnings (Ezek. 33)
• August 28: Appealing to all (1 Cor. 9:27)
• August 29: Salvation for Israel (Rom. 11:11–32)
• August 30: Messianic Jews and the Toward
Jerusalem Council II movement (Acts 15)

The Unity Revival has already begun. The Pope’s historic outreach to Kenneth Copeland in 2014 produced a flood of Christian leaders who traveled to Rome for international reconciliation meetings. There have also been national-level events like Kairos 2017 where 40 national Christian leaders ranging from Cardinal Di Nardo, President of U.S. Bishops, to Kenneth Copeland met to dialogue, pray, and worship in unity. Much has happened, but much more needs to happen to heal the broken Body of Christ.
The urgent need to heal the Body of Christ must be communicated from the national leadership of movements and denominations to the local churches. The city fathers must become champions of unity, bringing the Body of Christ together to impact their communities. The prayer of Jesus in John 17 is not only about unity. It is for unity with a purpose, “So that the world may believe” (John 17:21).

Like the watchmen on the wall in the Teshuvah scripture of Ezekiel 33, the church must warn the unbelievers of the judgment to come and bring as many as possible to salvation.

The Body of Christ must be healed to do its work for Christ.

Last year on August 21 Teshuvah, the 40 day Jewish season of repentance, began with the Great American Eclipse. You can receive a free download of our book about this sign in the Heavens, Teshuvah Eclipses, at https://www.dropbox.com/s/835gr2gnzg1labn/Teshuvah%20Eclipses.pdf?dl=0.

Teshuvah is a compound word consisting of the Hebrew Tashan, meaning “return,” and hey, the last letter of the JHVH name for God. The hey in JHVH represents the Shekinah, or manifest presence of God. Thus, Teshuvah is a time to return to the presence of God. It is also understood that returning to God is accompanied by repentance.

Teshuvah occurs during the forty days beginning the first day of the sixth month of the Jewish religious calendar and ending on the Day of Atonement, on the tenth day of the seventh month. Observant Jews have an understanding that this forty day period, and especially the last ten days between the Feast of Trumpets and the Day of Atonement, represents an opportunity to repent and avoid the judgment of God. For Christians, these forty days are an invitation to repent and enter into unity with God through the blood of Christ. However, for unbelievers, Teshuvah is a solemn warning of the judgment to come.

This duality of Teshuvah—as an invitation and a warning— is illustrated in two of the scriptures that are associated with it. Psalm 27 speaks to the benefits of living in God’s presence
and seeking His face. He will keep us in time of trouble and allow us to see His goodness while we live. In Ezekiel 33 the Lord commands us to warn the unbelievers to repent and save themselves from the judgment to come. We are also told that we must warn the righteous of their folly so they can repent, lest they suffer judgment. Thus, Teshuvah calls believers to
repent and come into God’s presence and also calls on us to evangelize a lost and dying world.

This year Teshuvah begins on August 11 and we are again asking you to join in praying through Teshuvah.

During the first to ten days of Teshuvah, from August 11 to August 21, we invite you to join with us in praying for personal repentance:

August 11 – Deuteronomy 30:19-20: Choose Life.
August 12 – Mathew 4:1-11 and John 14:30: The victorious 40-day Teshuvah Journey of Jesus.
August 13– Romans 8:12-15: We are Children of God
August 14 – Deuteronomy 8:1-5: Faith
August 15 – Romans 8:1, 2: No Condemnation for those in Christ
August 16 – Deuteronomy 6:17-26: Obedience
August 17 – 1 John 1:9 Forgiveness
August 18 – Deuteronomy 6:4-15: Love God
August 19 – John 14:23 Love brings obedience and peace
August 20 – Ephesians 2:8-10: Make sure you have received salvation by grace to achieve your destiny.
August 21- Acts 1:7-8 and Acts 2: 38:39: Receive the Holy Spirit to empower your Christian walk.

This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to His voice, and hold fast to Him. For the Lord is your life. –Deuteronomy 31:19-20

This week marks the anniversary of the outbreak of the First World War, when Germany declared war on France.

Before the war, the ten European colonial powers effectively ruled the world. They stood at the pinnacle of an era of incredible technological innovation. Trains, autos, steamships, radio, gasoline, steel, electricity, and many other inventions of the industrial revolution transformed the lives of First World citizens. Trade and prosperity reached record highs and most imagined that the human progress would climb ever upward. It all came crashing down in August of 1914.

This week also marks the anniversary of the final stage of the world wars which began in 1914, when the U.S. dropped an atomic bomb on Japan. The short span of 31 years from 1914 to 1945 had seen the overthrow of the European hegemony and the emergence of only two powers, the U.S. and Russia. Third world colonies of the great powers gained independence, and the nation of Israel was reborn. After 1945 prosperity finally returned to the First World and those new nations which had avoided the traps of socialism and communism. We have seen great technological advances and now, as in 1914, most imagine that human progress will continue its upward climb.

The Bible speaks of a time when the world would be ruled by “Ten Kings” (Revelation 17:12) “who would hate the prostitute” (Babylon Religion) and “bring her to ruin”(Revelation 17:16) Those ten nations, the European Colonial Powers, were used by God to break up the dominance of pagan religions in the world and create an opening for the Gospel to be preached. From this opening has come the powerful revivals we see in Africa, Asia, and South America today.

Sadly, the ten nations have not participated in the modern Christian revival. Instead, most embraced secularism and attacked or marginalized Christianity. Believing themselves to be wise, they left their Christian belief and values behind. The result was a descent into brutality, atrocity, genocide, and destruction in the two world wars. Because they lost their faith, the Ten Kings also lost their place.

The message for America today is to be on watch lest we lose our way and lose our place. Our faith is the foundation of our place, and without our faith we can fall backwards into depravation as the Ten Kings did.

Let us pray for Christian awakening and a realization that our foundations must be restored if our nation is to survive.