Word of the Lord for 2019

2019 will be a year of reset; One where you will find new foundations.  It will be a time when those things which seemed to be solid will be shown to be unstable, and at the same time new paradigms of stability will emerge. 

They will be in your finances.  Things you thought you could count on will be shown to be less reliable yet at the same time new sources and transfers to you will take place from places you did not even know of in the past.  A new reliance on provision from God will pay bigger dividends than any stock market.

You will make new connections in the year to come.  Some of the old will have to fade away as you position yourself for the coming season.  Not all old connections will have to be severed; some will provide stability in the days to come.  There are however a few that the Lord will tell you of that need to end.  Make no enemies, burn no bridges but as doors close you will find new peace.

There are new opportunities emerging as you face the year to come. Much comes because the landscape is changing.  Look at the year just past. You never imagined finding yourself where you are today and now look.. it’s not stopping. 

There is an assignment for the Child of God.  It’s not what you always thought.  It’s not designed to give you new visibility, it is an undercover assignment.  It is one that will provide breakthrough for others as you breakthrough to a new level in ministry.   The changes taking place are also happening in the old wineskin ministries and churches.  The evolving restructure is accelerating.  Many will despair for the loss of what they thought was the serving God programs as they are replaced by more effective and more efficient ways. 

Here are some things to watch for in 2019 that are clues to restructuring:

North Korea and the USA will make progress towards the peace and reunification, but it will be choppy.  Do not despair.

Europe is going to go thru a very difficult time.  There will be a near breakup of the EU.  Yet it will hold for a while yet.  The economy of Europe which has been dependent on high social costs and high taxes will come under a significant assault.  There is no turning this back.  This must result in a new approach.  The old guard will resist. 

The Middle East including Syria will become more stable.  Not as many had hoped.  Evil will once again manifest. ISIS will raise its head again and again and as many times will fail to do more than guerilla terror.  Iraq will become a new stability center.  Iran is under great pressure and in the year to come there will be rebellion in the streets to a new level.  It will not result in regime change.. yet.  But it will be a step.  Israel will continue to be a flashpoint.  Netanyahu will survive but just.  Europe will engage more in the middle east than it has in the past. 

China will become more belligerent than it has been in the past.  Even though there seems to be “Peace Talks” over trade and commerce, they will become more militaristic.  There are forces in China who advocate for outright war with the USA.  Of nations on the earth the antichrist forces in China are the most dangerous.  There will be brinkmanship on both sides, the US and China.  Even when the trade issues are resolved our relationship which was never real will have been damaged.

Many of the other eastern nations will catch cold when China sneezes.  Japan is vulnerable.  So is Korea. They have trade to be concerned about and a friendlier China is the key. Watch for China as they try to revise a corrupted commerce system.  It won’t go away easily.

Africa will continue to be the dark continent.  Sadly.  Only a commitment to reformation can save them now.  Small steps are not taking them anywhere.

South America, particularly Brazil will remake US agriculture.  As South American countries remake their economies, the loser will be US commodities.  Even though the strong dollar will weaken in 2019, leading to nominally higher commodity prices, they will not hold.  Venezuela will not recover in 2019.  That will happen in 2020.  It will be a bloody battle but one that is essential.  Only by the blood of patriots is a nation redeemed from tyranny.  Central America is lost.  Most of Mexico is lost.  The thugocracy of gangs and drugs holds those nations in bondage.  Columbia won much of that war.  So can central America and Mexico IF as Columbia did, IF they have the will. 

Russia despite its braggadocios will continue to be a thorn but not a stab in the side of the USA.  They will declare, intervene and try to re-establish themselves as global leaders.  What will become clear to the world however is other than on a regional basis, Russia is a paper tiger.  It tried to establish a beachhead with Iran, with Venezuela, with Cuba and now in Syria.  These interventions as they have for the USA will only drain them of needed blood of young men and treasure.  The controlled economy and strong arm leadership of Putin while supported by most Russians will become its undoing.  There will not be another revolution, but a challenge for real to the Putin regime will emerge.  I fear for his well being, but he will show himself.

The USA will see greater volatility in every sector of economy and sociology.  The old guard is gone there too.  Control that they had is being destroyed a little at a time.  The result will be opportunity and danger.  The mask is taken off the evils in the USA.  People are waking up to what is happening.  Those who prospered by fueling hate will find themselves on the sidelines.  The lies that are being told every day by 24 hour news channels will be exposed.  There is a powerful evil force at work to recapture the status these enterprises once had.  The enslavement of people’s minds is at stake.  We don’t know how bad it will be.  But it will be rough.  This demon will not go without shrieking and accusation. 

A few things you can watch for in 2019.  There will be an attempt to impeach the President.  Nothing will happen.  The long awaited report from Mueller will be released in the first quarter.  One side will read it as an indictment and the other will see it as exoneration.  Both will be wrong.  There will be damage.. but not enough to matter long run. 

President Trump will suffer a physical setback.  I see it above the neck.  Brain, eye, ear something.  Not heart.  There is an attack on his body.  He doesn’t help it by burning the candle at both ends.

By the end of 2019 as the 2020 Presidential elections loom.. there will emerge 3 to oppose Trump who will brutalize each other.  Disunity will reign.  One woman two men. 

The earth’s groaning will intensify.  The sons of God are not yet manifest to speak to the storms.   Therefore the storms will continue.  They are in fact not worse than before, they are simply the result of normal changes.  Things here are changing as well and that will result in a reset of assumptions.  These things will offer new opportunities.

I see an economy that will result in highest highs by the 3rd quarter of the year.  Despite all the hand wringing, a 27000 DJIA is on the horizon.  This is because as interest rates stay steady and they will, as commodity prices recover some, as business formation and restructuring intensifies we will see new highs.  Plus at the same time much of the rest of the world is looking for a safe haven and the US economy and its markets it the port in the storm many look for.

A few visions of social structures

Public Education will continue to be exposed for the damage it is doing and the great cost it exacts.  Challenges from every side from kindergarten thru higher education will erode its influence.  Eventually the old ways will have to die.

Entertainment and media will calm down.  There has been a rash of simply evil output by many anti culture influences.  They have to this date mostly failed. What is not failing is the influence that goodness in movies, TV and music as it is produces.  The returns from such things are being shown for good.  One cesspool of evil in all this remains Disney.  That too will be exposed in 2019 even to the pagan.

The giant has been awakened; it is now understood by many on both sides of the political spectrum that local and regional governance matters.  This will mean that taking your place in this must be your portion. 

Last the Church.  Church as we knew it 40 years ago is dead.  I mourn the loss.  But it’s undeniable.  Yet new church forms are taking their place.  They are becoming what the heart of God looked for.  In the next year the trajectory will accelerate.  Some will stumble, but those who build on solid ground will find that the place in the visible kingdom is theirs. 

Here’s the truth about the year to come.  The Kingdom of God is Expanding, Jesus is on His Throne and we can expect great things.. even if they aren’t what we thought.

2019 will be a year of New Foundations. 

The Seven Levels of Progressive Sanctification

Many People think getting saved is repeating a prayer the pastor or evangelist leads you in and boom you are saved forever.  Destined for heaven.  Dodging hell.  There is a deception in this. There are millions of people who at one time sincerely said that prayer but who now face the potential of loss.  

The moment they asked Jesus into their heart, on that day, at that moment, they were saved, like the Thief on the cross. Where the problem comes is many so called believers resist the continuing wooing of the Holy Ghost.  There is a call that the Spirit of God puts on a person after salvation that is irrevocable but can be resisted.  When we resist we actually blaspheme the Holy Spirit.  There is no requirement that we be perfect, just responsive when he woos.  There is a process to entering into all that God had prepared for you once you say yes.  It can take years, but it is required. 

Many are living a delusion.  They came into a relationship with their creator but without any response or reaction.  If you were to ask them 5 years later, "Are you a Christian headed for Heaven" they would answer in the affirmative.  They might say they belong to a church, might be a deacon or serve in the church.  Some are even "Pastors" or "Apostles".  They are marking time hoping there is a place in heaven for them.   I am not here to say if they are or not.  I am saying that there is a progressive sanctification that must take place or there is a problem which reveals a lost soul.

CONVICTION
Before you were saved you lived in sin and didn't actually know right hand from left.  Lost.  Only by the conviction of your sin by the power of the Holy Ghost did you recognize your lostness.  At one point you recognized it and like the thousands hearing the Apostle Peter on the day of Pentecost, you asked, "What must I do to be saved".  That question required an answer.  That was the day you came to Christ.

SALVATION
On the day you were saved salvation came to your house.  You were rescued like a person in a boat adrift at sea is saved.  Snatched from a certain hell your were drifting toward, you were born again.  It's the Sozo experience.

There are some who are happy to be saved and that's that.  Unfortunately if things don't progress there is evidence that you are NOT saved, just some religious activity.  If you push back or fail to respond to the Spirit's wooing you are saying.. "I am not interested in more".  "Just keep my hellfire insurance paid up".  I would say to you, you are not truly saved.  You can be saved from hell (maybe) but there is a call to more.

RESTORATION
You need restoration after salvation.  A recognition that who you were is no more. Your sins are gone.  You are totally forgiven.  You don't have to keep running to the altar to repent.  Your sins for all time are forgiven. Your new life starts now.  The past is past.  You are now on the road to being restored.  This is emotional restoration, this is physical restoration, this is spiritual restoration, this is what it takes to grow in Christ.  Your relationship to the Father is now intact.  Restoration and reconciliation is a powerful thing.  It's the next step on your road to fullness in your Faith.  God wants you whole.  Shalom.  Nothing missing Nothing Broken.  Restored. 

What comes next is the true work of God by Holy Spirit in your life and is the fruit you will exhibit if you are born again.  It's not singular.  You can go from Reformation to Transformation and back again.   

REFORMATION LEADING TO TRANSFORMATION
What comes next is Reformation.  This means that things you used to do before you were a believer now must fall off.  If you were out having sex with anyone... that must stop.  If you were a thief, you must stop being a thief. If you were of a vile temper, that must be reformed.  It is a Holy Ghost reform school.  Don't treat this as a legalistic venture, treat it as a new life, old things are gone, the new is here.  You can't be double minded.  The things that you know are outside the word of God, starting with the ten commandments are now the framework for your life.  They help you know what must be reformed.  The Holy Spirit will help you, he will convince you of things you need to stop doing or start doing.  Many people I know, some who preach powerfully are unreformed. They live a worldly life without repentance for it.  Resisting (Blaspheming) the Holy Ghost.

TRANSFORMATION RESULTING FROM REFORMATION IN YOUR LIFE
After you get you act cleaned reforming your life, you will slowly become transformed.  You will become a totally new man or woman.  Your life will be changed into something unrecognizable by anyone who knew you before.  This takes time but transformation is what you are destined for.  Everything about you will be conformed to the Will of God and the world will become a very strange place.  You are being extracted.  You are a full member of the Kingdom of God in transformation.  No longer trying to start or stop doing things, you will be a new creation in every way.  You were when you were born again, but the transformation process takes time and requires obedience.  The Holy Ghost calls you to it and as you answer he will make you over from the inside out.  A new person in every way is what you were born again for and why the Blood of Jesus was shed.

MANIFESTATION
One by one the "Not Like God" chips are flaked off till you look like Him, act like Him and are his representation on the earth.  Made in HIS IMAGE.  There comes a time when you begin to manifest as a son or daughter of the most high God.  This manifestation becomes evident to everyone around you.  Some will actually see it on you and marvel. You will manifest such that demons will tremble in your presence. You will walk with authority knowing who you are in Christ.  It will become apparent that true Holiness, not behavior, is being the manifestation on earth of the Fullness of Christ is in you.  Christ in you and you in Christ.  It's a mystery, but it is what your destiny is to become. You become set apart, you are unique, completely other, a peculiar person.  The world will see you as from another planet almost.  You are.  In the world not of the world. Not conformed to the world.

REALIZATION AND REJUVENATION
As you walk out your days in the flesh in this you will come to a full realization of the eternal nature of your existence. Not just hoping for heaven, but knowing in your deepest part that you can say with authority that "to be absent in the flesh is presence with the Lord" and that without any doubt.  That realization will cause you to look forward to the rejuvenation that comes on the day when you step from time into eternity.  You will have fulfilled your purpose on the earth.  Even if you die a young person, knowing this will give you peace as you close your eyes for the last time.

I'm not where I want to be on this journey yet, but I know the way.  It's clear.  

Jesus Explains the Times by what HAS HAPPENED. WE Should hear HIM!

Two disciples were walking to Emmaus after the Resurrection.  They are in grief.  They didn't believe what the women saw.  They were convinced that it was all over.  Then Jesus shows up and walks with them.  They tell him what has happened.  They don't know it is Jesus.  Then he explains to them that everything that DID happen exactly as had been foretold by the prophets.

He called them foolish and slow to believe... not being cruel.  They certainly did know the prophesies.  Jesus himself before he died that all must be done as prophesied.  Yet when it happened they were unable to connect the dots.

Luke 24:25 He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?” 27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.

Even when he took scripture and showed them before he died. Matthew 16:21 "From that time on Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and that He must be killed and on the third day be raised to life".

I wonder if it ever happened that as Jesus was explaining to his disciples what was about to happen, that he interjected things and said, "I would explain that prophesy to you, but it's not going to come to pass for 2000 years or so.  Or after he rose from the dead, did he spend any time telling them of events yet to come?  Only the revelation of John at Patmos was spoken of the days to come in Jerusalem.

This all has to do with the truth that EVERY SINGLE prophetic word regarding things to come from Genesis to Malachi has already taken place and/or is fully manifested in Jesus and the Resurrection.    There is nothing more to be fulfilled.  The Matthew 24 prediction Jesus made happened in 70-72 AD at the hands of the Romans.  The destruction of the temple system was complete and a new order began.  One based on everlasting life by Grace. 

Anything that denies the finished work of the cross and the filled prophesies it carries is living under the law:

Paul writes to the Galatians about such things:

Chapter 3
Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by believing what you heard? 3 Are you so foolish? After beginning by means of the Spirit, are you now trying to finish by means of the flesh? 4 Have you experienced so much in vain—if it really was in vain? 5 So again I ask, does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you by the works of the law, or by your believing what you heard?

For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse, as it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.” 11 Clearly no one who relies on the law is justified before God, because “the righteous will live by faith.” 12 The law is not based on faith; on the contrary, it says, “The person who does these things will live by them.”[  13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole (the cross)."

The whole of Chapter 3 of Galatians speaks of the finished work and the curse of reliance on the law.

So when I become upset with some people using prophetic passages to reason away the finished work of the cross, the salvation by grace, our victorious existence for eternity and trade them for some dire prediction about the future.. I can only say.  HOW FOOLISH YOU ARE!

The mark of the Beast may be Facebook

I don't necessarily embrace all there is to know about the whole end times theology, I do pay attention to trends. 

Facebook seems to see itself as the arbiter of wisdom and is trying hard to control people's thinking.

That is a beast mark. 

So when I recently was banned from the site for what they said was inflammatory hate speak, (I criticized a muslin court for sentencing a young christian woman to hang for drinking from the same cup as Muslims). 

That got me banned.  How long I don't know. But it does lead one to wonder, how much of our lives is constrained by the constant restrain of thinking.

I won't cite 1984, Brave New World or Farenhiet 451, yet there is instruction to be had by thinking about these things.

Prophetically, it is important not to allow world systems cause us to become silent.  We must cry aloud and spare not... even in the face of the enemy of our souls rage against us.

God is Looking for a Moses to Lead his People, yet they follow KORAH

God is seeking a new Moses to lead his people out of the wilderness.  There is a group of wanderers who have been so long in the wilderness they think the wilderness existence is normal.  They accept the aberration, the immorality, the murder, the corruption and the deception they live in as normal.  They live in lack, want, despair and hopelessness because they have listened to the wrong voice.  The Voice of Korah.  He's alive in many today.

The voice of Korah speaks discontent.   His story is an old one, but as current as today's headlines

Korah and His Associates

Korah, one of the rich leaders of the Levites, and a cousin of Moses and Aaron, felt that he had been slighted and overlooked in the distribution of the highest priestly honors and leadership. He envied Moses and Aaron, and also his cousin Elzaphan, who had been put in charge of the Levites, after Aaron's family had become elevated to the rank of Kohanim (Priests). Realizing that despite his riches and influence he alone could do very little to shake the people's faith and confidence in Moses and Aaron, Korah looked for associates in his campaign against them.

Korah went to the people of the tribe of Reuben, his neighbors in the camping order. Being daily in close contact with them, Korah easily swayed the opinions of their leaders and drew them into his conspiracy. Among the Reubenites were two men, Dathan and Abiram, who since their early days in Egypt had been trouble-makers and the ringleaders of disaffection and rebellion. They were the first to rally to the party of Korah, and they were his most eager agents among their tribesmen. Their experienced and clever campaigning, aided by Korah's riches, influence, and knowledge, induced as many as 250 respected leaders of the Jewish camp to join the rebellion. 

These leaders are with us today.  They are profiting from the discontent in the camp today.  They are using victimization, old wives tales, offense, rumor, innuendo and resentment to cause people to stay in the wilderness.  They wander without direction because there is no Moses.  There has been a call from the Father for one to rise up.  None have yet been raised up.

There have been some pretenders, there have been some actual Korahs.  There have been some who thought they might be leaders but fell into the party of Korah.  They thought that it would cost them their acceptance among the people to take a stand against the delusion of Korah.

It is exactly this way today.  We see the pattern all over again.

I clearly heard the Lord say:

"Many who believed they had a place of leadership in the Kingdom over those wandering in the wilderness I will now set aside.  The name ICHABOD "the glory is gone" will be how they are known for the glory of the Lord is gone from them.  There was a time when their mission was clear, when they thought they might be among those destined to lead their people out of bondage, but they could not shake the chains of bondage from themselves and therefore forged lies that place people in bondage to this day.  These false leaders will be swallowed up into the chasm of obscurity.  My prophets know their names.  They appear to have some anointing, some touch of God left, but it is all residue.  They have been judged by heaven and found wanting.  Their works are weighed and found wanting. I will now set them aside."

It is much like the words written on the all at Belshazzar's feast.  That same warning is here again.

And this the writing that was written, MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN. This the interpretation of the thing:

• MENE; God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it.
• TEKEL; Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting.
• PERES; Thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians.

Daniel Chapter 5

God still has a call out for those who are willing to reject the party of Korah.  For those who are willing to become the leaders those wandering in the wilderness need so desperately.  I do not yet know many names.  It will take great boldness.

I can prophesy this, those from whom the mantle has been lifted think they will go on just as they always did.  They stand on the verse that the gifts and callings of God are without repentance, that can be true but the mantle that it takes to carry those gifts out is lacking and you become a clanging gong or clashing cymbal.

Those who most need to see or read this work will never ever see it.  They long since separated themselves from truth. They live a lie and use lies to build followings.  The accusations of the enemy is in their mouth.  I would call for repentance but it is too late for them.

ICHABOD is NOW YOUR NAME.  Any glory you ever had is GONE.. 

But God always has a people and right now they are a remnant in the wilderness, my hope is they will find a way out to freedom.  The choice is who they will follow.  Moses or Korah.

The Stench of Delusion Robs the Called of Anointing

Can a person forfeit the call of God on their lives?  Maybe a better question is how does a person neutralize and neuter the call of God. The call of God is without repentance, but it can be rendered null and void when we embrace a lie. 

Jesus often was confronted with lies and accusations.  Mostly from religious people. From those who saw themselves as anointed with a calling.  They were wrong but the lies came anyway. It ended with the cross. Jesus defeated the demons at the cross in a public display.  Many people had partnered with the demonic that day. They didn't know it but they suffered a defeat as well.

It's the same today.  There were without a doubt people on whom at one time God had a calling in the crowd crying "Crucify Him".  They had embraced a great delusion and it meant that they were set aside. On the day of Pentecost when Peter cried out that THEY had crucified the Lord of Glory there were those who cried out "Then what must we do to be saved".  Some however in that moment rejected the pain of the delusion they had embraced and turned away.  The lie they carried was more powerful than the truth by which they might have been set free.

I have no knowledge of the depths to which they may have sunk.  I have no idea if those people ever made it back.  Any anointing they once possessed became an offense to Father.  Trying to operate in that anointing was a lost cause.  In fact it became a stench in the nostrils of God.  Every accusation and hateful word they spoke and spread condemned them even further.

It is no different today.  There are people in authority who Father God has put in place.  We may not love those people. They may be flawed in human terms.  Yet they are the ones who according to scripture are "Put Up" and another is taken down.  It's not just high office, but even the authority figures we interact with on a daily basis.  The demon of rebellion and deception has caused many to lose the touch of God on their lives.

The vile attitude towards authority figures has become a stench to Father.   We place ourselves under judgment to be measured by the grace we extend to those who we find ourselves resenting.  We are judged by the same standard by which we judge.  The result is many find themselves lacking. Lost.  Set aside.  Marked for the graveyard of lost anointing.  Perhaps never to find a way back.

A few like on the day of Pentecost might find their way back, but not many.  There certainly were far more than 3000 present when Peter spoke.  These so deluded went to the grave lost in their deception.  Some even entered hell's gates thinking they were holding a standard.  They were, but it was the enemies standard.

It's about hatred.  It's about the ANTI CHRIST attitude of judgment, anger, hatred and lies.  All fruits of the evil spirit to which they have become attached.  It will destroy them eventually if they don't find a way out of the black dungeon they have locked themselves into.

Many think they speak truth when they spread lies.  They think they are wise when foolishness condemns them.  It's a painful thing to watch. 

I have personally known some so called men of God who's deception and delusion so captured them that they have become worthless men.  Useless to the kingdom.  God cannot speak love and hate from the same mouth.  It is impossible for sweet and sour to flow from the same fount. 

Is there  a cure?  Maybe not.  I don't have one.  Repentance from death works is a start.  That is not a misspelling. There are dead works, and there are death works.  Words of hate and death destroy the anointing and neutralize the call of God on a person's life.

Be careful who you accept as a prophet, teacher, pastor and particularly anyone who describes themselves as Apostle.  They can take you to hell.   I have on man who I know who's soul has been in jeopardy for several years.  I doubt not only his calling, but his salvation.  There is no fruit of the spirit in his life.  None.  There should be some evidence.  He may be a spiritual zombie.  Looking still alive on the outside but walking dead man's bones.

Sadly I have tried to approach him directly, deal with him thru those he seems to revere as senior authorities, thru people we have in common.  Nothing seems to work.  He is so filled with hate perhaps the adage is true.  People that hate themselves will hate everyone else... EVEN IF THEY CALL THEMSELVES APOSTLE.

Prophecy in Present Truth becomes Personal and Meaningful

When we apply prophetic present truth to the word of God, it gives us understanding of the finished work of the cross.  

Isaiah Chapter 36 as present truth (Gene Edit)

Prophecy to the Mountains of My Kingdom

36 “And you, son of man, prophesy to the mountains of those who call yourself christian, and say, O mountains, hear the word of the Lord. ² Thus says the Lord God: Because the enemy said of you, ‘Aha!’ and, ‘The religious places and institutions have become our possession,’ ³ therefore prophesy, and say, Thus says the Lord God: Precisely because they made you desolate and crushed you from all sides, so that you became the possession of the rest of the world system, and you became the talk and evil gossip of the people, ⁴ therefore, O mountains of the church, hear the word of the Lord God: Thus says the Lord God to the mountains and the hills, the ravines and the valleys, the desolate wastes and the deserted cities in which my former church was represented, you have become a prey and derision to the rest of the nations all around, ⁵ therefore thus says the Lord God: Surely I have spoken in my jealousy against the rest of the pagan world system and against all scoffers, who gave my rightful places to themselves as a possession with wholehearted joy and utter contempt, that they might make its people there a prey. ⁶ Therefore prophesy concerning the kingdom, and say to the mountains and hills, to the ravines and valleys, Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I have spoken in my jealous wrath, because you have suffered the reproach of the nations. ⁷ Therefore thus says the Lord God: I swear that the nations that are all around you shall themselves suffer reproach.

⁸ “But you, O mountains of the Kingdom, shall shoot forth your branches and yield your fruit to my people, for they will soon come home to my dwelling places. ⁹ For behold, I am for you, and I will turn to you, and you shall be a place of restoration and renewal. ¹⁰ And I will multiply people to you, the whole of the true house of God, all of it. They shall be inhabited and the burned over places rebuilt. ¹¹ And I will multiply on you my man called by my name and all of yours, and they shall multiply and be fruitful. And I will cause you to be inhabited as in your former times, and will do more good to you than ever before. Then you will know for certain that I am the Lord. ¹² I let people walk on you, even my people who are known as mine. And they possessed you, and you were their inheritance, and you were not able to constrain them of converts to the fallen ways of the world. ¹³ Thus says the Lord God: Because they said to you, ‘You call yourself a Christian people, and yet you bereave your nation of children by abortion and unholy relationships,’ ¹⁴ therefore you shall rise up and no longer tolerate lives being pulled into hell and no longer bereave your nation of children, declares the Lord God. ¹⁵ And I will silence the taunts of the ungodly in accusation, and you shall no longer be the brunt of evil ridicule that causes my people to be seen as foolish by the unsaved, declares the Lord God.”

The Lord's Concern for His Holy Name

¹⁶ The word of the Lord came to me: ¹⁷ “Son of man, when my people lived in their own world of religious institutions, they defiled it by their ways and their deeds. Their ways before me were a stench of rot. ¹⁸ So I poured out my wrath upon them for the blood that they had shed in the land, for the idols with which they had defiled it. ¹⁹ I scattered them among the nations, and they were dispersed through the countries. In accordance with their ways and their deeds I judged them. ²⁰ But when they came to the nations, wherever they came, those nations profaned my holy name, in that people said of them, ‘These are the people of the Lord, and yet they are meaningless and without impact.’ ²¹ But I had concern for my holy name, which my people had profaned among the nations to which they came.

I Put My Spirit Within You

²² “Therefore say to the my people of the Kingdom, Thus says the Lord God: It is not for your sake, my people, that I  act, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations to which you came. ²³ And I vindicate the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, and which you have profaned among them. And the nations will know that I am the Lord, declares the Lord God, when through you I vindicate my holiness before their eyes. ²⁴ I take you from your pollution from the world system and gather you from all those places and bring you into the kingdom,  a new holy nation, a peculiar people. ²⁵ I have sprinkled clean water on you, and you are clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I have cleansed you. ²⁶ And I gave you a new heart, and a new spirit within you. And I removed the heart of stone from your flesh and gave you a heart of flesh. ²⁷ And I put my Spirit within you, and caused you to walk in my statutes being careful to obey me. ²⁸ You dwell in that place of honor that I gave to your fathers, and you shall be my people, and I will be your God. ²⁹ And I have delivered you from all your uncleannesses. And I summon supernatural provision and make it abundant and lay no lack upon you. ³⁰ I make the fruit your work and the increase of your labors increase, that you may never again suffer the disgrace of poverty among the nations. ³¹ Then you will remember those evil ways, and your deeds that were not good in the former days, and you will loathe yourselves for being dragged into iniquities and abominations wondering how did we fall so far? ³² It is not for your sake that I act, declares the Lord God; let that be known to you. Be ashamed and confounded for your error of being lured away by the world system my people.
³³ “Thus says the Lord God: I have cleansed you from all your iniquities, I cause my holy nation to be inhabited, and the waste places rebuilt. ³⁴ And the land that was desolate shall fruitful, instead of being the desolation that it was in the sight of all who passed by. ³⁵ And they can say, ‘This land that was desolate has become like the garden of Eden, and the waste and desolate and ruined cities are now fortified and inhabited.’ ³⁶ Then the nations that are left all around you shall know that I am the Lord; I rebuilt the ruined places and replanted that which was desolate. I am the Lord; I have spoken, and I do it.
³⁷ “Thus says the Lord God: This also I let my kingdom people ask me to do for them: to increase their people like a flock so shall the waste cities be filled with flocks of people. Then they will know that I am the Lord.”

Destined for a Crown but Choosing the PIT

Many people are living far below their destiny because they want to.  Oh, they will deny it, but they do.  They would rather live in their chosen familiar pit than wear the Crown and be the Prince they were supposed to be. They blame circumstances and others for their situation.  All this in opposition to the word of God:

Psalms 103:4 says: --- who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy

Now that is either true or it's not.  You make the choice. He's already done it.  He needs you to get out of there.   He keeps saying it over and over, almost like you are supposed to believe it.  What would our life be like if we believed the BIBLE was TRUE.

Psalm 49:15
But God will redeem my soul from the power of Sheol, For He will receive me

1 Samuel 2:8
"He raises the poor from the dust, He lifts the needy from the ash heap To make them sit with Princes, And inherit a seat of honor; For the pillars of the earth are the LORD'S, And He set the world on them."

Psalm 113:7
He raises up the poor out of the dust, and lifts the needy out of the dunghill

YET in spite of knowing and quoting all these there are many who are stuck in the pit, waiting for someone to lift them out.  God is looking for you, he sees you far above your dumpster diving life.  He wants more for you.  You were made for better.

Some of the PITS in which some people have decided to pitch their tent are:

• The PIT of Fear (fear of man being huge)
• The PIT of Addiction (sex, drugs, alcohol, relationships)
• The PIT of Victimization, Victim-hood and Poor me
• The PIT of Resentment of others better or worse off than me
• The PIT of Anger against everyone different from them
• The PIT of Entitlement (I have this coming to me, I deserve it)
• The PIT of Ignorance (this is a big one, ignoring the truth for a lie) 
• The PIT of Deception (unwilling to ask the question, REALLY? falling prey)
• The PIT of Poverty (calling in misfortune in the name of being UNDER)
• The PIT of Hurts (you have no idea what it's like)
• The PIT of Impossible (I could never do that)
• The PIT of Depression (this is a real comfort zone for many)
• The PIT of Escapism in Theology (Never really embracing the Kingdom)

The Pit you find yourself in is one you choose.  Getting out of it, finding help is also a choice.  Telling the truth to YOU is the big deal.  In fact the Pit SHOULD be a place of JOY because you know that the CROWN is coming.  Your ashes will be turned into Beauty once you exit the pit.

It is sobering is that people will die in the PIT.. they will be buried in the PIT and never having discovered life beyond the Pit.  It's a horrid way to live and die.  You were created for more than this.


GET OUT OF THAT PIT!!

WHY REVIVAL IS DEAD IN THE USA

I was meditating on the things of God, on why we don't see revival. Why so much of the church is inert, Unable to influence the culture. I heard a sound... one that I had not expected. He began to download the truth of WHY REVIVAL IS DEAD IN THE USA.

Here's what I heard Him say:

Life cannot come out of death. When death is the culture, life cannot shine. Even if it does, the dominant culture will prevail.

Clarity cannot come out of confusion. Much of the church is confused and lives in obscurity. My word should be simple but Man has make it a maze that the soul can no longer navigate.

Order cannot come out of disorder. Most of my body is in disorder and disarray. Some is denomination, some is division, some is racial, some is ethnic, some is economic, some is cultural and much is simply selfishness. It's out of order.

Discernment cannot arise our of deception. Too much of my body is living in deception. Some about being victims, some about who I am, some about the Kingdom. How can I move when they don't even SEE the kingdom. Many are not yet born again.

My light of way and truth cannot be seen for the darkness. It's always there, but religion and the world has blinded the eyes of even those who believe or think they believe.

Dependence on others, on government, on poverty programs, on politics has destroyed the capacity to operate in faith and trust in ME. If I move they credit political leaders. They never see me move so they never learn to trust.

As people trust more in Government the less they trust in me. It is an evil scheme of the enemy of your souls. I will not allow my Spirit to move in places where people gather but do not trust ME but rather trust in men, systems, government and others.

As I pondered what I was hearing I thought of a friend of mine who after ministering in a Muslim country and meeting with christian missionaries of various denominations said all that fell away as they gathered, they were desperate for the truth of God and His promise to them. He didn't fail them, but they only had Him to rely on. All the foolishness dispersed and God arose in their midst.

Think of China where people live in oppression. The church thrives. Think of some countries where Christianity is illegal, yet God Arises. Contrast that with Europe with social support systems that remove the need for God. Our government which are in Berlin.. etc.

Here's the bottom line. If you are in a community, a church, a population, a group and the bulk of your membership sees God as a fun guy, praise, dance sing but dependence on Government in every form is the norm.. don't bother to pray for revival. If you support more government support for people.. robbing others, then don't bother praying for revival. There are places I know of where no matter what.. it's dead dead. Not just Dead.

The fact is, until our nation, the USA suffers great depression and great distress in every way, until we are desperate, Revival is never coming. We are too soft, independent, removed and comfortable in our paneled houses. Unless you really want the USA to go thru a pigpen experience like the prodigal to come back the father, then don't pray. Have fun, dance, speak in tongues, howl, scream, sing and have a great time.. living in darkness.

Can you SEE the Kingdom of Heaven TODAY?

What does the Kingdom of God look like.  Jesus told us not to follow everyone who said, It's here, or it's there.  That it is invisible.. mostly.

I say mostly because there are scriptural evidences of the ability to SEE the kingdom.  Jesus did say that unless a person was born again he could not SEE the kingdom of God.   So it must not be perceived or seen by ordinary means.  It requires someone tuned into the supernatural.  Someone who has the spiritual bandwidth to perceive it.  “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given"

There are many references to the Kingdom of God. It's not UP THERE in heaven somewhere.  It's right here, near you, sometimes you get a glimpse.  "Being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, he answered them, “The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed, nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There!’ for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.”

So what populates the Kingdom?  First, those who are subjects of the King.  A king cannot have a kingdom without those who hold him up and honor him as King.  “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.”  JESUS is our KING and we are his subjects.  "the Lord will be king over all the earth. On that day the Lord will be one and his name one."

There are those who are servants of the King.. not people servants, ministering spirits who do what the King mandates and those who are the Subjects confess.  The angel armies of the Lord.  The ones who you know are always there prepared to act in your behalf.

There is an account in 1 Kings 6 of Elisha and his servant (Probably Gehazi) although his name is not mentioned, just a young man.  They were under threat of attack by The Army of Aram.  The servant was terrified, sure to be killed.  But Elisha asked God to Open his eyes and suddenly the young man saw the army of angels ready to fight for them.  That stopped the fear.  So it is today, if we could open our eyes and see we would be astonished at the things we would see.  We would fear less, be more bold and walk in authority.

Not only are there Ministering angels, but trying to infiltrate the Kingdom of God to neuter the subjects of the king are fallen angels.  Demons.  They are as real as the Angels of the Living God.
They respond to fear and defeat.  They torment.  They can even occupy and oppress a Servant of God.  

Then there are Spirits that are hard to discern.  They are manifestation in tangible form of some of the demonic influences that try to invade the Kingdom.  The Kingdom of God is always under attack by the enemy.  He wants to destroy it.   Some of these tangible spirits which you may see from time to time are hate, anger, greed, fear, terror, poverty, lewdness and every work of the flesh you see listed.  "For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit"

We can try to fight against them in our own strength and TRY HARDER to be a Good Christian.  That is a losing cause.  Only by discernment, the power of the Holy Ghost and the authority to command those demonic manifestations to leave can we live at peace in the Kingdom. 
"I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” 
"But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you".

We are a nation, an unseen nation, we are everywhere.  It is the kingdom.  It's as real as Germany, Poland, Iran or the USA.  It has borders but there are invaders.  The difference is, unlike any country, the Kingdom of God is eternal:  "The God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall the kingdom be left to another people. It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand forever"

Not everyone who claims to be a citizen of the Kingdom is fully alive and awake to the supernatural.  They live on the fringe.  They live without understanding. They live satisfied with a truth of the Kingdom that is 10% of what Jesus intended.  "flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable".  “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven"

Sometimes it is because of cares and riches that people are kept away from seeing. Jesus said: 
"I'll say it again--it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God!"  This in response to the Rich Young righteous in his own eyes ruler who turned and walked away.  Jesus was testing his heart.  His riches still held him and would always hold him.  It wasn't that riches are bad or that everyone is supposed  to sell everything and give to the poor, it is because like Abraham and Issac, God wants to know for sure if you are serious.  

I the USA and many developed nations, what little Gospel Truth there is so watered down in order to fit the blinded eyes of "christians" who jump thru hoops, even say a sinners prayer, but never encounter the Kingdom.  The are still on the other side of the eye of the needle.  

We should expect to see, expereince, discern, sense, speak out and manifest all the gifts of the Spirit of God and in that way also be able to see what God is doing and what the Kingdom is all about.  That also means sometimes we will be somewhere that is NOT the kingdom and we will know it.  

That's another story.  JESUS want's us to be able to SEE the Kingdom of God, He wants us born again and seeing. BUT the devil is busy: 
"Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don't believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don't understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God".  They might be church goers, they might be church leaders, they might be "apostles or prophets" but they are unbelieving believers.  Jesus had them with him, he had to constantly say..   Before He raised Lazarus from the dead he had to say to Martha: 
 "Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?"

Jesus calls us to open our eyes to his Glory.. to the Kingdom and all that it entails.. We are blinded by the light, there is so much more. 

Can Satan HEAL people?

Satan cannot “heal” – but he can easily appear to do so, which means his healings are always counterfeit. Either a person is healed through the power of suggestion (much like the placebo effect)  or through an illusion of some kind.  The problem is counterfeit healings fail soon after. There are also several other reasons why people believe themselves to be healed and Satan is more than happy to cooperate with these to fool someone.   The bottom line is that the devil has more than enough power to convince someone that they’ve been healed, even when they have not.  The test to Godly healing is are they healed.  I know that sounds simplistic, but as the old saying goes, the proof is in the pudding.

But don’t take my word for it. Let’s see what Scripture has to say on this subject.

First of all, nowhere in Scripture do we find evidence that Satan has the power or authority to heal anyone. Therefore, because he is not capable of doing anything good, he cannot heal anyone,but, as I said, only appear to do so.  Only GOD is the author of every good and perfect gift.
 
In Job 2:7 where we read “Satan went out from the presence of the Lord and inflicted loathsome sores on Job from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head.” This tells us that sickness or injury can definitely originate from Satan. Therefore, it follows that Satan would certainly be able to make a person feel better or even appear to be healed if he simply stopped inflicting the sickness on a person.  That would be possible if you think satan is compassionate and wants to see people delivered from his oppression.

However, keep in mind that because he’s incapable of doing anything good, he’s not withdrawing the affliction because he wants to help the person. He’s doing it because he wants to trick them into turning away from God and convincing them to rely on something other than the goodness of God for their healing.  Consider King ASA.  2 Chronicles 14-16.  He did great things, he tore down satanic altars, God delivered him many times.  YET when he was inflicted with sickness.. even having seen the miracle working power of God, at the close of his life this is his legacy:  "Asa was diseased in his feet, and his disease became severe. Yet even in his disease he did not seek the Lord, but sought help from physicians. ¹³ And Asa slept with his fathers, dying in the forty-first year of his reign."
He did not seek God, but the Doctors only.   I believe in Doctors. I go to them.  But my faith is in the Lord and there is a satanic oppression that some have that are devoted to doctoring to excess.  

 Remember, Jesus told us that Satan is a “murderer” and a “liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44). Satan always wants death and destruction, never healing and life.  He will lie to many saying God can't heal, only pills, drugs and potions.  Many new age "Healing" services are based on this.

Satan is also a master of illusion. “For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light” (2Corinthians 11:14).

There are ample warnings about this aspect of Satan in Scripture. “For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect” (Matt. 24:24), and “The lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders” (2 Thess. 2:9).  We have them among us now, some are quack doctors, some are new age, some are "Pop Cures" that cause people to fall into delusion.

We know from these warnings that Satan is entirely capable of fooling even the holiest among us.   It takes discernment to know when he is trying to fool us. People have more faith in the Devil's capacity to cure than God's.   This is a deception that even the very elect suffer from.  They are convinced that everything that isn't "Normal" is demonic.    The problem is that discernment is sometimes wrapped up in culture and human reason.  It sounds like this, “God would never cause a person to…” – what -- dip seven times in a dirty river to cure leprosy?  Put mud and spit in someone’s eye?  Lay on a dead child to bring him to life?  And as a person was being delivered and or healed did the demons fight to keep them from being delivered?  Many times as the devil is cast out of a person, there are strange events that follow as the casting out commences.  Writhing like a snake is common.  Foaming at the mouth.  Speaking in a strange voice.  Screaming. Convulsing.  I have seen all these and more.

Here’s what happened when a Demon was cast out of a man by Jesus:
While teaching in a synagogue in Capernaum, Jesus was interrupted by a man possessed by a demon. He cried out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!”

Jesus ordered the spirit to be quiet and to come out of the man. The man convulsed, and with a loud cry, the spirit left the man.
Mark 1:21-28; Luke 4:31-37

Note, the demon didn’t let go easily, the MAN CONVULSED

OR If a person were actually HEALED by satan.. would they stay healed?
Jesus speaks to that too:
After Jesus drove a demon out of a person who was mute, restoring their speech, He was accused of driving out demons by the power of the Beelzebul (the devil).  Jesus responded to the accusations:
“Every kingdom divided against itself will be laid waste and house will fall against house. And if Satan is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say that it is by Beelzebul that I drive out demons. If I, then, drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your own people* drive them out? Therefore they will be your judges. But if it is by the finger of God that drive out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. When a strong man fully armed guards his palace, his possessions are safe. But when one stronger than he attacks and overcomes him, he takes away the armor on which he relied and distributes the spoils. Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters. When an unclean spirit goes out of someone, it roams through arid regions searching for rest but, finding none, it says, ‘I shall return to my home from which I came.’ But upon returning, it finds it swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and brings back seven other spirits more wicked than itself who move in and dwell there, and the last condition of that person is worse than the first.”
Matthew 12:22-32; Mark 3:20-30; Luke 11:14-26

Most people who are healed by some demonic method, particularly new age, soon are worse off than ever.

EVEN APPROACHING a demon possessed person by a spirit filled person can cause satan to manifest in strange ways.
.
A man came to Jesus and told him his disciples were unable to cast out a demon from his son. Jesus asked that the boy be brought to Him. Upon approaching Jesus, the demon caused the boy to convulse. The man told Jesus that the demon had forced the boy into fire and water in an attempt to kill the boy. The father asked Him to help “if you can.”

Jesus replied, “‘If you can!’ Everything is possible to one who has faith.”
“I do believe,” the man responded. “Help my unbelief.”

Jesus ordered the spirit to leave the boy. Once again, the demon made the boy convulse, and with a cry, the demon left. The boy laid on the ground motionless. His father thought he was dead, but Jesus took the boy by the hand and helped him up.  Later, the disciples asked why they were unable to drive out the demon. Jesus told them (from Mark’s account), “This kind can only come out through prayer.” In the Gospel of Matthew, He says, “Because of your little faith. Amen, I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”
Matthew 17:14-20; Mark 9:14-29; Luke 9:37-43

Many times as a demonic oppression is being driven out by the name of Jesus the manifestation is writhing, convulsing.  It would be unusual for there NOT to be such a reaction.  The devil doesn’t go quietly.


It's just that it doesn't fit our nice neat sanitized version of western Christianity. That's why in so many circles of churchianity there are so few healings.

One last thing.. Jesus didn't PRAY for the sick and possessed.  He spoke to the situation with authority.  So when we do.. don't be shocked if the person being delivered manifests, sometimes in strange ways.  In fact if they don't.. well that may be a problem.

"O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR VICTORY? O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR STING?"

Satan has caused many saints of God to allow the sting of death to return. He has influenced some into clinging to our mortal shells without any Godly reason. Yes, we want to live, we can't do much for the Kingdom when we are gone, but we will all step from time into eternity. There is no escape. It is, was and always will be appointed unto man ONCE to die.

There is a second death. It is the death of the lost. To the pagan, those lost for eternity, death does and should hold fear. I will not address those things that they fear. There is a way to enter into eternal life. I am here concerned with Christians who fear death needlessly. We need to know with confidence how that last breath happens and what it means.

What happens as we die? There is great confusion; it's the second time we go thru such a radical change in our lives. Change is confusing. All change is perceived as loss. Birth was confusing. Darkness to light, Warmth to something new and much colder.  We cried out when we were born.  It was a trauma.

We were confused in this transition. Uncertain. Scared. Frightened.

Death has the same effect on us. As we lay on our deathbed, sometimes with fear, sometimes amazement, a metaphysical roller coaster ride is taking place.

It is said that as Steve Jobs lay dying, just before he took his last breath, his eyes opened and he said, WOW!  I don't know what that means but I am sure WOW fits. Some withdraw further and further. Sleeping more and more until they never wake up. Recognizing the end and accepting it without struggle. Some struggle right up till the end in fear. It's understandable.  It’s a trauma.

Yet is there a way to understand death and overcome the fear, the sting, until we can say, “Oh Death where is your sting?”

Is there pain in death? Yes, sometimes; particularly in an unnatural death. A gunshot, stabbing, car accident, execution, torture, a painful death by drowning or a by suffocation. 

Most people imagine they are going to die on a bed with friends and family surrounding them. That is not always the case. What of these more difficult unexpected situations of dying in pain. To deny pain is to deny the reality of death. There is good news, pain is the last ditch effort our flesh wields against eventual eternity to keep us here, in time.

Those who have gone thru this and come back from the edge say the pain was momentary, brief, intense and then erased from all memory. Like having a bad tooth pulled. Pain for a moment and then no more pain. Mortality is not sloughed off easily. Our flesh doesn't want to become an empty shell to be buried, burned or abandoned. It wants to hold on as long as it can.  Something like a teenager who becomes such a pain in the neck that a parent is glad when they leave. So too our flesh will cause us more and more discomfort as we age until staying in it is no longer acceptable. It's very much the same syndrome that we can learn to accept as normal.

Not that there isn't regret and pain in the impending separation from those we love. That's part of it too. Yet to the Christian, it is those loved ones left behind that suffer. Once death happens for the Believer all pain is gone, all memories that produce grief dissolves into the dust. The sentiment then changes to “I'll see you soon”.  Our eternal perspective offers that.

If as Christians we would grasp the temporary nature of dying we might not enter into it  full of trepidation as some do. Much of the heroics we commit ourselves to in the false hope that we might live forever in our bodies (or longer anyway) are vain attempts to postpone that which will take us all. It's not a sin. Doing battle with disease is part of life.
Jesus (the great physician) healed the sick and raised the dead. Yet all He healed eventually died. It's that reality that must be recognized.   We all step from time into eternity.

We come into a new reality as a believer who dies in Christ. No pain. No grief. No fear. It is important to know what happens right AFTER we die. What it's really like on the other side of the veil.  There is a thin veil that stands between time and eternity. Most people don't understand this now but on the other side we will. If we can grasp it here, it will change us forever and we will live in victory --fearless and purposed.

What happens to us right after we die? It's the moment after we die, time has now ceased, we enter eternity, all pain is gone and our carcass is empty.  We might even see it from a distance in that moment and wonder about it all.  Body and soul are no longer one.   What do we see or experience afterwards? What is that moment like?

There are scriptural evidences and testimonies of those who have witnessed these things and returned which help us grasp what happens.  We can construct what it will be like using these clues and Biblical support.  The song “I can only imagine”, as wonderful as it is, comes short of the mark. We can imagine and if we can grasp the vision, fear will dissolve.

The moment people who die in Christ, in that instant when you die here's what happens:

There is a shock into well being.  We suddenly feel indescribable peace beyond all understanding.  It overwhelms us.  We can hardly take it in.  There is unimaginable beauty.  It is a manifestation of the fullness of Jesus in His beauty. Every color comes alive such that we can taste them.  Music is everywhere, all at once.  Not cacophony, a symphony of all music all at once.  It will be full of joy.


In eternity everything is now.  Our experience in eternity non linear, time has ceased.  It's all now happening as if all at once.  It’s hard for those of us trapped in time to grasp, but to get a small glimpse of what that might be like, think back to a wonderful childhood memory, a good one.  Think of it.  All the color, music, joy, fun, and love you felt. Now let that emotion come over you. 

You do not experience it in linear fashion, but as one good memory, all at once.  The parts you really enjoyed come back again and again.  That's a weak imitation of what eternity is like.  Happening all at once, but able to be parceled out as experiences.

People ask what kind of music will I hear.  It will be whatever your fullness of joy is to experience... whatever fits your moment; For some hymns, for some chants, for some choruses, for some classical, for some a gospel song, or even a joyful rap.  It's your eternity and Father will speak to you in the context you understand.  You will grasp that it's all one.  Yet differentiated to you, yet we will not know of the differences others have.

You will have unspeakable joy.  No remembrances from earth that contain any regret or pain follow you into heaven ... the pain you had in life will fit into your understanding and there will be no questions.  The Idea that you are going to ask questions of Jesus when you get there will be needless.  You will have full understanding of all.  You will know who you really are.  There will be no more self doubt.

How you fit into the whole of life while on earth will make perfect sense.  That is why there is no recognized hierarchy in heaven.  One saint is as another.  Fullness and fitly joined together in unspeakable joy.  

This sudden recognition of your place in the universe will take your breath away.  The value your life contributed to the Kingdom will be revealed and add to your joy.

Your capacity for any experience will multiply a thousand times or more.  You will experience heaven as if you had 5000 senses instead of 5.  Every color, every sound, every taste, everything you hear, everything you feel, and the fragrance... it will be amazing.  You will understand what a vapid colorless place life on earth was.  You won't regret it...but wish everyone could experience what you are experiencing.

You will live without confusion. No questions. Your desire will be to worship.  It will all be so clear.  Bowing in worship, raising hands.  Singing.  The Sea of Glass experience is a desire deep inside every believer.  Eternity is hidden in the hearts of men. We want to be there in this place and out of the constraints of time. Whatever we do will make sense...in heaven. It will be automatic.  You will want to enter into who HE is so completely as to be lost in Him.  You were created for this.  The beauty of Jesus will be revealed again and again. It will be all one but eternal.  It will never be boring. Love will be overwhelming.

You will have a form.  A spirit form, that is the spirit of you will cause your form to allow others to see you as you were remembered best by them.  Known as you were known. Recognized... yet it the spirit that they see.. the rest is construct for them, not you.  In fact you are a spirit.   You always were, a spirit, with a soul living for a short time in a body.

It's hard to explain, but you will be completely a spirit being, but to those who see you in heaven, you will look as you did to them in bodily form while on earth.  

To understand, think of a child who dies young.  Her daddy is 25 years old.  She will see him thus in heaven.  His brother who dies at 50 will remember him as about his age and his wife who follows him in death will see that man thru the eyes of love. His mother who bore him and died in childbirth will see him as a young boy.  They will all know him, but all in context and construct.  Its how people who die see grandparents and such waiting for them... as they knew them.

It will not seem an unfamiliar place to be explored.  You will already know all about it.  It will seem normal, someplace you already knew.  In a strange way, heaven has always been in your heart.   You’ve have had glimpses of it.  This is why the idea of reincarnation keeps coming up in false religions.  There is a sense of going back after you die, so people try to explain life birth and death as reincarnation.   The Father started it (and you) by saying “let there be”. It's not reincarnation.  But it is a type of returning to the Father ... Remember, once there, all here is now.  Eternity.

To grasp this scripturally, “you are already seated in heavenly places with Christ Jesus” ...yet you are here. In that way you return to heaven.  It is impossible to describe so those who have had a glimpse of Heaven are lost for words.

One thing is certain, once you have been there and come back the fear of death, even the fear of the pain of death is gone.  I have known people like that who after such a transformation don’t fear death at all.  They received a gift.  We can learn from them.

People don't GO to heaven.  They enter heaven.  Heaven is infinite in proximity.  Right here. Right there.  Just there.  The other side of the veil. It is easier to think of it a long away somehow out there, but it's right here. Not on earth as such, dimensionally proximate.

When people die they step from the cloak of time into the uncloaking of eternity.  We are locked in a box called time and enter into an unlimited vista called NOW..  Eternity.

That day comes sooner for some than others, but the Word says,   “Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope.”

You have hope.. His name is JESUS.. and it’s more appropriate for those who must leave early to say, “See you soon”.

Confusion in the Body of Christ over Identity. Christian Schizophrenia

There is a lot of buzz about identity, particularly among Christians.  People want to know their purpose.  Who God wants them to be.  What they should be doing. 

Some of this comes because we thing our identity is something we are in Him.  That we live doing or being what He wants us to do or be.  That is upside down.  Our identity is best described as who HE is in US. 

Colossians 2 has much to say about this issue.  You can read it here in the NLT.

Here are a few TRUTHS that will help people figure this out.  It's not about you, It's about HIM in YOU.  The hope of Glory.  Italics are mine:

2:2 I want them to have complete confidence that they understand God’s mysterious plan, which is Christ himself. 3 In him lie hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.  You already have access to all the hidden treasures, they are there for the taking.  Don't reach out, reach in.

7 Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.  Knowing who He is will help you know who you are.  Learn to probe the depth of His attributes.  There are over 100.  Dig deep as a tree does in fertile soil

8 Don’t let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers  of this world, rather than from Christ. 9 For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body.  10 So you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority.  So much of what passes for theology is in reality psychobabble recast.  Your union with Christ is not You and Christ in you, that's true, but more accurately you IN CHRIST.  The father sees Jesus when he looks at you.

13God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins. 14 He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross. 15 In this way, he disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross.  Jesus made fun of your accusers by the victory at the cross.  He neutered them.  We only give them validity if we buy into the lies. 

16 So don’t let anyone condemn you for what you eat or drink, or for not celebrating certain holy days or new moon ceremonies or Sabbaths. 17 For these rules are only shadows of the reality yet to come. And Christ himself is that reality. 18 Don’t let anyone condemn you by insisting on pious self-denial or the worship of angels,  saying they have had visions about these things. Their sinful minds have made them proud, 19 and they are not connected to Christ, the head of the body. For he holds the whole body together with its joints and ligaments, and it grows as God nourishes it.  Even among evangelicals we find ourselves doing self denial. We find ourselves navel gazing.  We suffer in a way Jesus didn't expect us to.  It is up to us to look to Him, Who he is, don't get tangled up in fake theologies.  He loves you, even likes you and wants to do good for you.  Live in expectation of good.

20 You have died with Christ, and he has set you free from the spiritual powers of this world. So why do you keep on following the rules of the world, such as, 21 “Don’t handle! Don’t taste! Don’t touch!”? 22 Such rules are mere human teachings about things that deteriorate as we use them. 23 These rules may seem wise because they require strong devotion, pious self-denial, and severe bodily discipline. But they provide no help in conquering a person’s evil desires.   We all have evil desires.  We all have things we suffer with and from.  BUT.. we don't have to.  We can live above them.  IF we know our position.  It's not a quest, it's a fact.  You are free..even if you don't feel like it all the time.
 Chap 3: Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. 2 Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. 3 For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory.  Here's where the real rub comes in.  And it's a tough one.  We are busy trying to fit in here on earth and don't see our real position in heaven.  We are seated in heaven already (think eternity) at the right hand of the Father.  A  place of authority.  A place of power.  A place that is far above anything we can think of on this earth.

Eph 2: 6  God raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7in order that in the coming ages He might display the surpassing riches of His grace, demonstrated by His kindness to us in Christ Jesus  So if you are wondering about your earthy identity, first get a handle on your true identity and it will all come into focus.  You are what HE is, you sit where HE sits, you carry the authority HE carries.  There's your purpose.

A Dream of Being Lost and Yet Not

A recurring dream of mine is being lost.  Most of the time it's in the city.  I guess as a country boy I'm pretty good in the wild.  I think I can find my way well.  No, it's nearly always in a city.  Taking a wrong turn, ending up in a place I didn't want to be.  Losing time. In danger sometimes.  Sometimes in a trap.

Sometimes these dreams have me going down a road a long way to find my destination.  Most of the time on foot.  Sometimes in a building or in a hotel can't find where I supposed to be.  Lots of variations on this dream.  Too many to talk about.


The wrong turn lost feeling comes because I set out without a clear direction. I have stumbled and ended up where I didn't want to be.  This is a sinking feeling.  There is almost never somewhere to find and rescue me.  I don't die or am not injured, just lost and not where I want to be.

I have wondered what this means.  I believe I know.  I am now convinced that this comes from not fitting in and knowing my place in the WORLD.  I know my place in the grand scheme but in the world I am a stranger in strange land.  My mastery is not of worldly things, but of other.

I feel like the old Hymn:

I’m But a Stranger Here
By: Thomas R. Taylor
I’m but a stranger here,
Heaven is my home;
Earth is a desert drear,
Heaven is my home;
Danger and sorrow stand
Round me on every hand;
Heaven is my fatherland,
Heaven is my home.
What though the tempest rage,
Heaven is my home;
Short is my pilgrimage,
Heaven is my home;
And time’s wintry blast
Soon shall be over past;
I shall reach home at last,
Heaven is my home.
Therefore I murmur not,
Heaven is my home;
Whatever my earthly lot,
Heaven is my home;
And I shall surely stand
There at my Lord’s right hand.
Heaven is my fatherland,
Heaven is my home.

So I will finish the race even if I don't get where I think on this earth, My home is elsewhere

Knowing the End from the Beginning is the Key to Peace With God

In many Westerns when a person is about to be killed, hung or somehow dispatched the person doing the dispatching will ask or say "Make your peace with your maker".  

Some think that is about heaven.  Some think that is about saying a prayer.  It's not actually.  I have seen what it is to be at peace with God.  Being at peace with God is knowing he knows the end from the beginning. 

If there is a movie you enjoy that you have seen several times, you watch it because you love the story, but you don't get upset like you did the first time when you watched it without knowing the end.  You became un-peaced.  Then the movie finished up.

I just watched the Superbowl Rerun from last Sunday.  Watched if from beginning to end, commercials and all.  I knew how the game came out.  I cheered and feared when it was in real time.  In rerun, I had no fear or cheer to offer since I knew the end from the beginning.  That's how God sees us.  He sees the end from the beginning.  It's a wild ride, but since we know He loves us and since we know we can trust Him no matter what, we can have peace. 

You see, when you entered into salvation, you were already sealed. Eternal life began.  Formerly dead, you came to life.  Your expected end was already achieved.  And it can't be lost unless you decide to reject it.  Some do not preach this well.  They have believers hanging over hell on a rotten stick.  They play the Superbowl rerun and tell you this time the Patriots might win.  No Game Over. 

Knowing your end from the beginning brings PEACE.  Live in it.

A Dream of Clown Christ

I have been having dreams of late.  Some are even disturbing.  I know Apostle Eckhardt is involved in Dream Interpretation.  I don't engage in it much.  Too many strange translations.  I have done so and will if asked, but usually as a prompt to a word from the Lord.

I had a dream a few days ago that bothered me.  One was of a play, a stage.  On it were characters of various types.  One strange character was gaudy and clown-like.  I asked someone what that was supposed to be, he said "That is the Christ". 

He didn't look like it and I knew at once it was a mockery of Jesus.  Yet why?  Then I got the impression from the Holy Ghost that this is how the world sees the Body of Christ on the earth.  We look like a clown show to them.  Some of the shenanigans we see in the Church of Jesus reinforces this idea.  They don't take us seriously any more.  We have lost our power and influence by becoming clowns in the world.  Dancing and jigging to the worlds tune.

How did we get here I asked?  "By not representing who I really am" was the answer I got. Do we not understand who HE is and who we are in Him?  I don't think we do. 

There is going to be a presentation of Jesus Christ Superstar on TV on Easter Sunday.  It stars John Legend, Alice Cooper and Sara Bareilles.   I don't know where they come from spiritually.  It doesn't matter, even though I enjoy the Music from JCSS, it may contribute to the clown Christ.

I have had this dream more than once.  Sometimes in a courtroom with the defendant being lame and then identified as Christ.

As this has persisted I thought it's time to say to the Body of Christ, Take off the clown hat, lose the red nose, be yourself and take your place.  It's not about being respectable, it is about being salt, light, hope, encouragement and freedom to a lost and dying world.