Category: Resource Notes

            In the early Church the date of February 4 was set aside as “Dismal Day”.

            Dismal Day was a somber day set aside to remember the plagues of Egypt during the Exodus. The name “dismal” itself means “Evil days” and was intended to memorialize the woe and suffering of the Egyptians. Rather than celebrate the victory of the Israelites, the purpose of the day was to serve as a reminder of the consequences of disobeying God. Thus, the reflective and introspective mood of the day.

            At the time of the Exodus in 1446 BC Egypt was the most powerful nation on earth. The Israelites, who had come in 1876 BC, had settled in an area of the Eastern Nile Delta known as Goshen. After the death of their champion Joseph in about 1806 BC, the Egyptian Pharaohs became fearful of the Israelites and made them into slaves. One of the Pharaohs had even initiated an infanticide against the Israelite children in about 1526 BC. It was a survivor of this holocaust, a stuttering 80 year old named Moses, whom God chose to confront the most powerful man in the world.

            Of course the Pharaoh refused to submit to God’s command to let his people go, and God sent the famous Ten Plagues of Egypt. Because of their stubbornness, the Egyptians saw their river die, their crops fail, their livestock destroyed, and finally their children die. Then, to top it off, their army was destroyed chasing the Israelites and the entire country of Egypt was later overrun by foreign invaders. Certainly “Evil Days” for the Egyptians.   

            It is unfortunate that the Church no longer sets apart Dismal Day to remember the consequences of rebellion against God. To remember how the most powerful Nation on Earth brought judgment on itself by mistreating God’s people and killing God’s children. To remember how their river died, their agriculture economy shriveled, their children were lost, and their military was humbled. To remember how defiance of God’s commands destroyed the most powerful Nation on Earth. And to seek God because it is beginning to unfold again right before our eyes.  

            For his people, God had set aside the land of Goshen as a place of safety, and they were spared from the seven last plagues sent on Egypt. Today many Intercessors believe that God has set aside Lands of Goshen in America, and that He will make a distinction between those states, cities, and people who follow Him and these who do not. Just compare the economies of places like Texas where God is honored with California where He is not. This is no time to disregard God’s plans and purposes.

            The Nation is in serious trouble as it suffers more and more from its disobedience. The Church needs to humble itself and pray for an Awakening.

            Dismal Day would be a good time to start. 

            Most Christians recognize Nimrod as the builder of the Tower of Babel, but few know the whole story and recognize his influence down through the ages.

            The historical Sumerian Kings list records him as “Enmer Kar”, a name which translates into vowelless Hebrew as “NMR” (Nimrod) with the name “Kar” meaning “The Hunter” (as Nimrod is known in the Bible).  The Sumerians credit him with introducing the worship of the “Queen of Heaven,” a false pagan goddess which has come down the ages as Inana, Asherah, Isis, Venus, and numerous others.  The Tower of Babel was a Ziggurrat, or a magical model of heaven, where the pagan “Gods” from heaven could be contacted.  Josephus tells us that Nimrod rebelled against God because he hated God for judging mankind in Noah’s Flood.   His name “The Hunter” indicates a violent disposition, and many believe that he was a Tyrant who hunted men.

            Nimrod had set himself above the plans and purposes of God.  After the flood God had commanded mankind to fill the Earth, but Nimrod kept them under his thumb in Mesopotamia.  Nimrod went so far as to set himself up as the “Seed of Woman”, the Messiah promised in Gensis 3:15, to cement His political power. 

            But God sent the Tower of Babel judgment, producing a civil war which overthrew Nimrod and scattered humanity over the Earth.  Sadly, however, many ambitious men had learned from Nimrod and took the Nimrod Spirit with them to enslave their fellow men.

            So we see the Nimrod Spirit echoing through the ages in rulers like the Pharaohs of Egypt, the Kings of Assyria, Babylon, and Persia, Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, Genghis Khan, Napoleon, Stalin, Hitler and Mao Tse Tung, to name a few, following Nimrod’s path to power.  The Nimrod Spirit comes upon those who want to rule over other men, establishing tyrannical government and putting themselves above God and His purposes.  The Nimrod Spirit deceives the followers of the Tyrant through a false religion such as paganism, or a false philosophy such as Communism, which legitimizes the power of the Tyrant.  For those who are not deceived, the Hunter rules through fear and terror.

            Even today, the Nimrod Spirit controls most of the nations of the Earth. Nimrod is constantly looking for ways to subvert those nations with shared power or democratic institutions, as in the African tragedies of “one man, one vote, one time” after Colonialism or the subversion of Russia by Putin. Religious tyranny from the Nimrod Spirit can be seen in ISIS, Al Qaeda, Boko Haram, and in many Islamic nations such as Iran.  Even in the United States individual liberties are being eroded by an increasingly powerful government.  Outside of government the Nimrod Spirit is active in large businesses and social institutions.  The Church is also plagued by the Nimrod Spirit as many pastors and leaders are more intent of building their own kingdoms than in building God’s Kingdom.

            The answer to the Kingdoms of the Nimrod Spirit is to move into the Kingdom of God.  God’s Kingdom comes within the believers, giving them discernment to see through Nimrod’s deceptions and power to overcome the fear weapon of Nimrod.  Christians should be on guard against the Nimrod Spirit in their churches, remembering that Jesus established a standard of Servant Leadership which is diametrically opposed to Nimrod.  Churches are to be run by the mothers and fathers, called Elders in the Bible, who are interested in the outcome of their flock, rather than Nimrod Spirit leadership which is often interested only in the income from the flock.

            Let us begin our prayer warfare against the Nimrod Spirit at home by praying that the Nimrod Spirit will be exposed and driven out of our churches.  Pray for a revival of Servant Leadership and a spirit of Unity between church leaders which will bring them together to advance God’s Kingdom, not their own.

            Beyond the Church it is easy to identify the Nimrod Spirit in action.  Washington, D.C. is full of Nimrods, as are corporations, unions, universities, and the media.  Even Christians have been deceived by false philosophies such as Socialism or the attempt to submerge individual rights into group rights, as in some labor unions, which create group leaders who are often little Nimrods.  We are desperately in need of a Christian Awakening to remove the blinders and drive the Nimrod Spirit out of our government before it is too late.    Only a revival, expanding the Kingdom of God, can save us from the Nimrod Spirit.

            Throughout the world the Nimrod spirit continues its bloody march through history, keeping billions of people in tyranny and the resulting poverty.  In the last few months we have seen bloody results of the Nimrod Spirit operating in France, Syria and Nigeria. As in America, the only answer is the Kingdom of God, which has liberated some two billion of us from the Kingdom of Darkness ruled by Satan, the ultimate Nimrod.   In the end Satan will rally the Nimrods of the Earth to fight against Jesus as He returns to establish the outward Kingdom of God, and then Nimrod Spirit will final be broken.

            Until then, we must use the spiritual weapons of our warfare to keep praying for the expansion of the Kingdom of God and freedom from the Nimrod Spirit.

               On Monday, January 18 the U.S. will celebrate the Martin Luther King holiday, honoring the life of an American hero and a Christian martyr.

               Dr. King grew up in a world where many people believed that the black African people were inferior to the white Europeans. This belief, which was used to support slavery in the U.S. and the colonization of Africa by Europe, directly contradicts Biblical teaching that all humans are from the same family and that God commands us to love our brothers. However, the rise of Secularism and a Darwinistic view of the human race gave a scientific veneer to the myth of racial superiority. To their shame, even some Churches went along with the lie. Modern science has now proven that all humans came from the same mother, as the Bible teaches, and that there is more genetic difference within the races than between them.

               So Thomas Jefferson was right when he said all men are created equal. But making that statement a reality has been a long battle in the U.S. We fought the Civil War to end slavery, and the war brought God’s judgment, as one soldier died for each slave imported into the country and the slaveholding South was devastated. Nevertheless, racial inequality was reborn in the “Jim Crow” system of laws which discriminated against black people in the South. After the Second World War black servicemen who had proven themselves the equal of their white brothers found it more and more difficult to accept their oppression.

            In many countries oppressed minorities had taken up arms, but the U.S. was spared from this fate. Instead, a black Baptist pastor called on his people to use nonviolent Christian principles to bring about change. Dr. King’s Civil Rights crusade eventually bought an end to the Jim Crow laws and led to a broad level of reconciliation between the races. Sadly, he and many others gave their lives to bring about the nonviolent Civil Rights revolution.

            We still have some work to do to reach Dr. King’s goal of a color blind society and full racial reconciliation. But on this day we celebrate a Baptist pastor who used Christian principles and his Christian faith to bring his white and black brothers together.

            Let us pray that Dr. King’s memory will be honored by reconciliation and unity, and that those who would divide and promote hatred, whether white or black, will be exposed and repudiated.

                Next week, January 10 holds the dubious distinction of being the anniversary of the convening both the League of Nations in 1920 and the United Nations in 1946.

                The League of Nations was formed in the aftermath of World War I as an attempt to bring dialogue to the nations and avoid war. Progressive U.S. President Woodrow Wilson pushed the idea, apparently believing that tyrants could be talked out of tyranny. Americans were unconvinced and never joined. Tyrants in Japan, Italy, and Germany ignored the League of Nations and it collapsed in the flames of World War II.

                After the war the League of Nations was resurrected as the United Nations. In the beginning the U.N. was somewhat successful, and even supported the formation of Israel in 1947. The U.N. also supported the Korean War against communist aggression in 1950, but only because the Russians were boycotting the U.N. when the vote was taken. Thereafter the Cold War overwhelmed most U.N. opportunities and the U.N. became largely a propaganda entity.

                The end of Colonialism and the birth of new nations brought a burst of hope to the U.N. However, most of the new nations were taken over by tyrants and the U.N. became something of a club for authoritarian governments. While the tyrants use the U.N. for their propaganda purposes, putting countries like Iran on the human rights committee is not calculated to produce any real advances in human freedom. Naturally, the tyrants oppose the freedom agendas of the U.S. and the other Democracies.

                A particular target of the authoritarian governments of the U.N. has been the democratic state of Israel. Acts of terrorism, wanton attacks on civilians by rockets, and military aggression against Israel are routinely ignored, while Israel is condemned for defending itself. Last year things got worse when the tyrant majority granted Palestinians, including terrorist Hamas, observer status. The Palestinians continue to accuse Israel of war crimes, while expecting the U.N. to gloss over their terrorist attacks and murders.

                Why do the nations rage? The Bible says that they want to throw off the restraints on their evil activities (Psalm 2:1-3). They are at war with God’s plans and purposes, especially as it relates to Israel.

                The only force consistently standing against the tyrant majority in the U.N. has been the U.S., which has a Security Council Veto. We must pray that the U.S. will continue to stand up to the tyrants and enemies of Israel.

And let us not forget to pray for the peace of Jerusalem.    

               It has been said that those who do not understand history are doomed to repeat it.

               We at Corporate Prayer Resources have found that history and its cousin archaeology are invaluable resources for the Church to draw on. That is why we have made the book Babylon: A Spiritual Journey Through Time and The Nations available.

               Over the past two centuries our knowledge of ancient history has expanded greatly. We can now verify some Biblical events with hard evidence, such as the fallen walls of Jericho. Evidence gathered from outside the Holy Land confirms the historicity of many Bible texts, such as the Assyrian failure to take Jerusalem. Science has now found that all humans have a common mother (Eve), that there was a catastrophic decrease in the human population (Noah’s Flood), and that at one time humans spoke a single language (Tower of Babel). Thus, history teaches us that we can trust in the accuracy of the Bible.

               History and the Bible teach us much about God’s dealings with humans. God judged the Egyptians by humiliating their gods, and He struck Assyria at its greatest point of pride, its army. The remains of sacrificed children found in Canaan have shed light on why God decreed the total destruction of the Canaanites. But we also find that God is merciful, as when he gave evil King Ahab a second chance after he repented. God’s ultimate act of mercy, sending us the Christ, echoes down through history as the Kingdom of God expanded throughout the Roman Empire and then throughout the earth.

               Our knowledge of the past helps us to focus our prayers by revealing the spiritual roots of the forces acting against the expansion of the Kingdom. Some years back a group of intercessors went to Ephesus to confront the pagan “Queen of Heaven”, failing in their mission because Ephesus is now controlled by the Islamic spirit, not the pagan spirit. Others have mistaken the Freemasons for a pagan institution when in fact they are dominated by the secular spirit. On the other hand, we have seen breakthroughs on prayer journeys where we have understood the history of spiritual bondage in the nations.

               Finally, understanding the past is a key to understanding Bible prophecy. For example, Daniel’s prophecy of the “70 7’s” can be traced with historical data to confirm the start of Jesus’ ministry in 26 AD. Many of the prophecies in the book of Revelation can be matched with historical events to help us understand the times we live in. One of those prophecies, The Woman Riding the Beast in Revelation chapter 17, is a picture of the history of the world from Babylon to the Antichrist, and forms the outline of our Babylon book.

               So the past is indeed a key to the future, as it confirms the Scriptures, teaches us God’s ways, shows us how to pray for the nations, and illuminates prophecy.

               Let us pray that the Lord will help us use the past to help guide our footsteps in the year to come.

               And may you have a blessed New Year.

Christmas Promises

            There are many reasons to celebrate Christmas and the advent of Christ. One of the best reasons for us is the celebration of how God kept His promises about sending Christ to Earth:

            * God promised Adam and Eve He would be born miraculously to a virgin, (Gen 3:15), and He was.

            *God promised Abraham that Christ would be a descendant of his (Gen 12:2), and He was.

            * God promised Jacob that Christ would come from the line of his son Judah (Gen 49:10), and He did.

            * God promised David that Christ would come from his Line (2 Sa 7:16), and He did.

            * God told Micah that Christ would be born in Bethlehem (Mi 5:2), and He was.

            * God told Daniel when Jesus would begin His ministry 483 years after the decree to rebuild Jerusalem (Da 9:25), and He did, in 26 AD.

            * God told Isaiah where Christ would begin His ministry, in Galilee (Is 9:1), and He did.

            There are over 300 of specific prophecies recorded about Jesus, His ministry, and His resurrection. All have been fulfilled, giving us confidence that God’s promises to us will also be fulfilled.

            So as we gather to thank God for the greatest Christmas present of all, Jesus Christ, let us also rest secure in the knowledge that God can be trusted to keep all of His promises.       

            That trust is the source of our peace which passes understanding.

            So have a merry, peaceful Christmas.     

            Most Christians don’t know that Christmas was set on December 25, the ancient Roman Winter Solstice date, to displace a Pagan holiday celebrating the birth of a pagan false “Seed of Woman” God. While the Winter Solstice is an important element in the Celestial signs of Christ’s Advent, He could not have been born on December 25.

            However, the birth of John the Baptist and the Star of Bethlehem give us the information we need to find the actual time of year when Christ was born. The Bible tells us that John’s father Zechariah was a member of the Priestly order of Abijah, which ministered at the Temple twice a year, eight weeks after the Spring and Fall Feasts. Zechariah was ministering in the Temple, either in late May or late November, when the angel Gabriel announced that he would have a son. John would have been conceived near either the Summer Solstice or the Winter Solstice.

            We know from the Bible that John the Baptist was six months older than Jesus, so Jesus would have been conceived on the Winter Solstice or the Sumer Solstice. His Birth would have followed nine months later on either the Fall Equinox or the Spring Equinox. Both of these dates occur near Jewish Feast Times, coming near the Feast of Tabernacles in the Fall and the Feast of Passover in the Spring.

            Enter the Star of Bethlehem, which was observed not only by the Wise Men but by the ancient Chinese astronomers as well. The Chinese date the Star of Bethlehem in the Spring of 5 BC and say that it was visible for 70 days. This would have given the Wise Men plenty of time to travel to Israel from any location in the Near East. Some think that the Wise Men took much longer to travel to Israel based on their statement to King Herod that the Celestial signs had begun two years earlier. However, our research indicates that the “Signs in the Sun, Moon, and Stars” leading to Christ’s birth actually began in 7 BC at the same time that the Angel appeared to Zechariah (See the Starbiblesociety.com Blog of 12/16/15 “The Sign of Christ’s Advent”).

            The evidence indicates that Christ was born at the time of the Spring Equinox in 5 BC. The actual date we believe to be Passover of 5BC because there was a Lunar Eclipse in the Feet of Virgo as described in Revelation Chapter 12 (See our Blog of 4/9/14 “The Blood Moon Rising”).

            So on the Ancient Roman Winter Solstice date of December 25, you’re really celebrating the beginning of the “Signs in the Sun, Moon, and Stars” in 7BC which led to Christ’s birth on Passover of 5 BC.

Merry Christmas!