Monday, January 20, 2020

Once Upon a Mountaintop -Part 1


I am adding this the day after this originally posted (today - Jan 21, 2020). I believe it fits right in with this post. Thank you Alex. It was posted in April, 2014 (almost 6 years ago)


thanks - BP2020
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Once Upon a Mountaintop

Whenever I live in country homes with tranquil settings, I have a habit of looking out the window, appreciating all the Creator made for mankind. The next day, taking in the view, I was reflecting upon the alphanumeric that I had seen on a truck [IC87]. (29th Nov. 2019)

I was also taking into consideration how things that are happening in my life seem to be quite the opposite of the personal promise/covenant that Abba had given me so long ago. As I was spiritually tossing aside seeds of doubt and with the shield of faith, deflecting the fiery darts of unbelief coursing through the channels of my mind, it was then that the Holy Spirit nudged me to look up to the top of the mountains.

As my eyes scrolled to the top ridge of the higher mountain, the Holy Spirit reminded me of the story with the prophet Elisha and his young servant. The king of Syria had come against Israel by surrounding the city of Dothan, where Elisha was residing, with an army of great magnitude.

Terror gripped the heart of the young man who served Elisha and he ran to inform him.Trembling with fear, the lad nervously asked the prophet what they should do.

And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them. And Elisha prayed and said, Lord, I pray You, open his eyes that he may see. And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha. [2 King 6:17]

As the details of that scenario in scripture flashed through my mind, simultaneously my own [spiritual] eyes were opened.  There on the ridge of the mountain I saw what appeared to be a great number of warriors; some holding what looked like spears or lances (they held something else in the other hand, but I could not see what).

To the right of the warriors, I saw a man, a king, a general or captain of the host, standing inside or immediately beside what looked like a chariot, similar to ones used in ancient Rome and Egypt. It was not afire.

There was what appeared to be a lion to the front left of the chariot. Over the man (leader) flew a banner (flag, standard). Although I did not see it, I understood that the banner was blood-stained. The word “victory” was stamped on my mind as I acknowledged the banner.

I could not see colours or characteristics, but details were sufficient enough for me to understand what I was seeing in the spiritual (open vision). For a brief moment, I could not make the connection. I am not a prophet, nor do I have a servant, a chariot or a pet lion. At this time, there is no army surrounding the area where I live, so I was not making the connection.

As the vision faded and disappeared, understanding came. I have been in a battle with my health (sometimes it has felt like a battle for my life…even my sanity), particularly the past few months. I also understood that the vision did not just pertain to me, but that it pertained to the Body of Christ (especially those going through intense battles – as though surrounded by an army [spiritual, adversarial], seeking to destroy). But I got the sense that there was more to it than just battles some are going through…but what?

Lion and the Lamb

I knew that the Lord was revealing spiritual warfare [Eph 6:12], but to dispel fear, He revealed his holy warrior angels who are ready to do battle as He gives the command (speaks the word). I also know that a horse is a symbol of “power”; chariots are a symbol of “authority”.

It is a given that it takes a horse to pull a chariot; however, I saw no horses on the mountaintop, but on that point, the Lord knew I would make the connection. Yeshua (Jesus) was the “man” (Captain of the host), who has all power and authority, and who stood either inside the chariot or immediately beside it. The lion to the front left of the chariot is symbolic of the Lion of tribe of Judah.

Christ went out as a sacrificial Lamb slain upon the tree (cross) for the sins of mankind, who was resurrected three days after his death. [1Cor 15:4] The Lamb ascended to the third heaven to sit at the right-hand side of the Father (YHWH) [Eph 1:20]. I reckon that is why the [symbolic] lion was on the front left of the chariot to acknowledge He (Lamb) who sits on Abba’s right. (God knows how each of us think.)

Messiah left us as the risen, sacrificial Lamb who sits at the right of the Father’s throne. He is returning as the warrior King, Lord and Saviour, the Lamb – He is the LION of the tribe of Judah [Rev 5:5, 6] with His holy angels, with all power and authority. [Mat 25:41]

The LORD our Banner!

The waving banner (standard, flag) is a remembrance, a reminder of victory, for the Lamb whose blood was poured out for the sins of mankind had and has victory over the grave, sin, death, hell and Satan. [Rev 12:11; 1Chron 29:11] 

You have given a banner to them that fear You, that it may be displayed because of the truth. Selah. [Ps 60:4]

And Moses built an altar, and called the name of it Jehovah-Nissi: 
(Hebrew: נִסִּי יְהוָה) [Ex 17:15] 

(Jehovah-Nissi – “the Lord our banner”)  Moses built the altar with thanksgiving, to honour YHWH for Israel’s victory over the Amalekites (the adversaries).

Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is Yours; Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and You are exalted as head above all. [1Chron 29:11]

Deep within my spirit man, it is understood that the victory is already assured 
(only through Yeshua). However, it is also understood that the [spiritual] battle that ensued with mankind in the Garden of Eden shall be on-going until Messiah returns.

Spiritual Warfare

For we wrestle (war) not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. [Eph 6:12, 13]

Right now, there are individual battles within this spiritual war to stop the fulfillment of personal promises that God has given to His people, whether through a dream or vision, through prophesy, in His Word or by the Holy Spirit.

The battle is not just against me, but against countless of God’s faithful people all over the globe, who have been going through grievous hardships. They are still hanging on, waiting for their own personal promise/covenant with Abba to come to fruition.

Satan and his evil legions will do all they can to thwart God’s promises, to stop us from reaching our destiny that the Lord planned long ago and promised. But YHWH is Sovereign and Satan cannot overrule Him. We will not always understand why God allows what He allows, but we can trust that He knows what He is doing, and that it will work together for our good. [Rom 8:28]

It is written that the Lord knew Jeremiah before he was in the womb. [Jer 5:1] It is understood that God was speaking to the prophet regarding Israel. He revealed to Jeremiah at that time the negative, as well as the good (positive) that was coming for His people over the course of 70 years.

However, I absolutely believe that God (Yahweh) has plans for all of us, and knows the end result from the beginning. Yet, we can choose, just as Adam and Eve did. The Lord knows the outcome, but we are still involved in spiritual warfare with real adversaries, whether people realize it or not. 

Yeshua (Jesus) reminded me of the spiritual warfare by using an illustration from the past (Elisha – 2King 6:15-17), with an open vision on the mountaintop by my home that paralleled that story. It is true that in Elisha’s time, the holy warrior angels were commanded by God to protect the prophet, his servant and all of Israel against the flesh-and-blood king of Syria and his large army.

However, our God reigns. He protects His people right up to the appointed time of our death.

Pulling It All Together

The message for us today is a reminder that Jesus is in command of the heavenly angels. We are to remember that God is FOR us and not against. [Rom 8:31]

For He shall give His angels charge over you; to keep you in all your ways.  
[Ps 91:11]

Many scriptures reveal to us the very real spiritual world and the very real spiritual warfare we are in [Eph 6:12; 2Cor 10:3, 4: Lk 22:31, 32; 1Pet 4:12, 13], whether we like it or not.  It’s time…and God is opening spiritual eyes to see all that we should see. Jesus (Yeshua) is with us, with the blood-stained banner of VICTORY waving over Him.

He is the Great Spirit Chief, the Commander in Chief and everything obeys his command. His armies of holy angels, his warriors are standing ready to obey His command. We are being watched over, so do not fear! 

The devil wants to steal hope, kill faith and destroy the destinies of all of God’s people, but Jesus came that we might have life, and have it abundantly (in Him). [Jn 10:10] Satan and his legions do everything they can to hinder the salvation of those yet unsaved, to stop the prodigals from humbly returning and to keep captives shackled in prisons of bondages.

The adversary seeks to divide and conquer friends and families (both physical and spiritual), causing spiritual blindness and deafness to souls, he will harden the heart if he manages to lure people away from the truth with seducing temptations, to deceive beyond comprehension, murder the innocent, the author of confusion…he carries out a covert campaign to accomplish every destructive evil that he can.

He is the master of illusion, father of lies, accuser, slanderer, prince of darkness, prince of the power of the air, murderer from beginning, ancient serpent, dragon – he comes to steal, kill and destroy. [Jn 10:10] His hatred is as dark and evil as his very presence.

He can make a lie look like truth, and make truth look like a lie. He works to deceive people so that in the end they will call good evil and evil good. He will do all he can to have the children of God turn on each other and walk divided, in unforgiveness (because if we do not forgive, we will not be forgiven). A house divided against itself cannot stand. [Mk 3:25]

His desire is to take God’s place and destroy all of his creation, and especially, those who love and obey Yeshua the Christ. Satan will not win at the end of this war.  He is a defeated foe! It all has to play out according to the Word of God, whether we like it or not or whether we understand it or not, God (I AM) knows what He’s doing. He gave us the written Word, so that we too can have understanding and confidence in the outcome.

Word is Tested

As any warrior, weariness does come upon God’s people at times. We know to rest in Yeshua (Jesus), for He is our refuge. Then, once strengthened, we re-enter the spiritual battle. 

Through the many trials, testing of our faith and tribulations this earthly life presents, we must still hold fast to our faith (even if it’s as a grain of mustard seed). We learn (yes, learn) to trust and wait upon God through Yeshua/Jesus the Messiah.

We will go through unexpected and sudden trials and tribulations, but we will also have sudden and unexpected victories! The enemy has watchers that report to him (he is NOT omnipresent). He knows our weaknesses and just how to come against us.

God allows what He allows for our good, but it is rare we see or understand it in the heat of the moment, in the midst of the [spiritual] battle, trial or tribulation. Think of Joseph, hated and envied by his own brothers, betrayed, cut off from the family by being sold into slavery, his coat of many colours soaked in goat’s blood, so that Jacob [Israel], his father, believed a wild beast had killed him.

He went through much trial and tribulation, especially with Potiphar’s wife falsely accusing him of attempted rape. Then, when in prison, his hope for his prophetic dreams to come to fruition through the Pharaoh’s cupbearer (whose dream Joseph accurately interpreted), was dashed as day after day, year after year passed.

He sent a man before them, even Joseph, who was sold for a servant: Whose feet they hurt with fetters: he was laid in iron: Until the time that his word (dream) came: the word of the Lord tried (purified) him. [Ps 105:17-19]

Alexander MacLauren was a non-conformist minister who lived in England, but was born in Scotland in 1826. In an exposé that he wrote about Joseph, a man who had to wait 13 years for the fulfillment of his dreams, MacLauren encourages fellow believers who are going through trials and waiting of their own.

From his words, I understood that when our dreams or visions from God seem afar off, we learn to rely and trust in God’s strength to uphold us. We practice keeping our eyes of faith intently on what is ahead.

Jesus holds it in his hand. God will release the promise in his perfect timing. It surely will come and not miss the mark. Meanwhile, we learn how to trust Yeshua (Jesus), and to look upon the things which are not seen, for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things unseen are eternal.”  [2Cor 4:178] 

These are the words of Alexander MacLauren : “It is a blessing to have the mark far, far away, because that means that the arm that pulls the bow must draw more strongly, and the eye that sees the goal must gaze more intently.”

When Pharaoh sent for the Hebrew slave to be brought out of the prison and into his palace, as much as Joseph had anticipated and hoped for it, to him that day came suddenly and unexpectedly. He had victory at last! That is how the Lord works. We too can expect the Lord to perform his word victoriously on an unexpected and sudden day, as we abide in Christ obediently and patiently waiting. 

For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by ear, neither has the eye seen, O God, beside You, what He has prepared for him that waits for Him. [Is 64:4]

Power and Authority

And they were all amazed, and spoke among themselves, saying, What a word is this! for with authority and power He commands the unclean spirits, and they come out. [Lk 4:36]

When we are born-again, and Jesus the Messiah resides in us, it is HIS power and authority and name that we speak and move in. We have no power of our own, but Jesus in us does! We need to understand fully that He gave us power and authority over the enemy.

Behold, I give you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. [Lk 10:19] (words of Yeshua/Jesus)

God (YHWH) instructs us in His word and by His Spirit. That is why I understood that Yeshua was there by the chariot, with all power and authority. It is a reminder to us, as His people that when He abides in us, and we in Him, that power and authority flows through us to accomplish God’s wills (not OUR will, but GOD’s will).

When we pray and wait upon the Lord, and find out His will for us in any given thing, we can rise up and move confidently in the power and authority of Christ in us. We speak the Word, according to God’s will, as Jesus did against Satan when he came against the Lord to tempt Him in the desert wilderness.

The blood of the Lamb is against all enemies of the cross, against Satan, the prince of the power of the air [Eph 2:2] and against all the hierarchies of his kingdom. Yeshua (Chief Commander), Lord of heavenly hosts (YHWH Sabaoth) waves the blood-stained banner, reminding His faithful ones that He is already victorious, and through Him, we are also.

Entering into 2020, we know that the day of victory approaches for the faithful. Hold fast to faith, cleaving to God through Yeshua (Jesus)! This is not the time to faint or give up!

Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us. [Rom 8:37]

All the angels are at His command. HalleluYah! The battle is already won. Christ is victorious! He is the One who was, and is, and ever shall be! Marantha…

The Silent Shofar

And it came to pass on the third day in the morning, that there were thunders and lightning, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud; so that all the people that were in the camp trembled. [Ex 19:16]

And Mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke because the Lord descended upon it in fire: and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace and the whole mount quaked greatly. And when the voice of the trumpet sounded long, and waxed louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God answered him by a voice. [vs 18, 19]

And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, Speak to the children of Israel saying, In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, you shall have a Sabbath, a memorial (reminder) of blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation. 
[Lev 23:23-24]

On December 29th this year (2019), a month after I had seen the Elisha-like open vision, I was once again looking out the kitchen window [surprise!]; (it is above my sink, and a perfect view of the lake and mountains). As I gazed over the mountains, my eyes were drawn to a large opening on the smaller mountain. There I saw a silhouette of a man. It was not the usual black silhouette, but rather a dark gray.

Although with a silhouette, the observer cannot see colour or detailing in actuality, with my spiritual eyes, the outline appeared to be an Israeli man with a robe and prayer shawl (covering) over his head. He stood in the opening between the trees, blowing a long shofar (ram’s horn).

There was no sound heard. It was just an image of what is described above. This “man” with the silent shofar was facing south.  A week or so later, two friends, a Christian couple, were visiting. My brother in Christ had an app for a compass on his phone; the direction the silhouette faced was S-SE (south-south east).

Israel is S-SE of Canada, but I believe this had to do with a personal matter, which will remain private between the Lord and I.

He also noted that considering the distance of the mountains (across from the lake) and their height that although it seemed to me that the man appeared to be of average height, in reality, he would have had to have been huge (my friend pointed out), in order for me to see him that clearly, that far away. I had not even considered that. Only God can do that, and that is why it can be so difficult to explain the spiritual realm in the natural.

When I first saw the silhouette, I blinked my eyes fast and repetitiously, just in case my imagination was playing tricks on me. The silhouette remained, with an uplifted shofar, positioned as if being blown, but I was met with silence. The shofar was silent.

After a couple of minutes of blinking and looking away and back again to see if the image would  go away (and it did not), I concluded that it was another open vision. It was then that I prayed to God to reveal the meaning and purpose behind what I was seeing.

It was as if the Lord was waiting for my acknowledgement of the fact that I was indeed seeing an open vision because immediately after I prayed, the silhouette disappeared under a cloud covering. I returned to my work, puzzled by what I saw and pondering the meaning of the…silent shofar.

 The Sudden and Unexpected Call

I do my best to keep distractions to a bare minimum when writing.  That being said, I was completely enveloped in my work on that day. It was Sunday, the 29th of December 2019, the eighth day of Hanukkah and the last night a candle would be lit for the celebration. According to tradition, the Jewish people light a candle each night for eight nights.

The next day, the 30th, would end the year’s (2019) holiday at sundown. So, I was writing away when suddenly and unexpectedly, I heard a shofar sound; not audibly, not with the physical ear, but with the spiritual. There was a drawn-out blast, followed by a very short lull.

I was wondering if I was imagining it. But before I could think too hard, the sound of the ram’s horn continued. There were three quick blasts, immediately followed by several short, rapid blasts and ending in a long, steady blast.

Even though I know nothing about blowing a shofar, it did seem as if there was a pattern to the sounds. It was perplexing.  Although it sounded deep within my spirit, there was no mistaking what I heard.

Shaking my head in awe and wonder, I arose from my desk and returned to the window to check the mountain where I had first seen the silhouette of a man with a prayer shawl and a robe, blowing a long ram’s horn, but the cloud still covered the area where I had seen the vision. 

To hear a ram’s horn (shofar) deep within my spirit has been a rare occurrence, with perhaps a handful of times I’ve heard one since my commitment to the Lord in 2005. And to hear the sound of the shofar in such a distinct pattern, and so soon after seeing the [open] vision of a man blowing one, certainly was baffling.

The pattern or sequence of the shofar blasts were: a long note, followed by three short blasts, followed by several rapid, short blasts, and ending with one long note. Why did the Lord not cause me to hear the shofar at the same time that I saw the vision?

I began using my logical thinking skills, but my own understanding failed me. One more thing happened as I stood at the window, looking over the mountains and reflecting upon the open vision and the sudden sounding of the shofar in my spirit. I heard the Holy Spirit distinctly say: It’s time”

“It’s time!”

I took the message seriously, but time for what? That was the part I had to be certain of.  Now I had to wait upon the Lord for further understanding.

At the time of writing this portion (which is now the 5th draft of the chapter, which will be inserted somewhere in the body of this writing), three weeks have passed since that day. It is now January 18, 2020.

It was only yesterday that it was impressed upon me to take this excerpt from within the chapter I’ve written (which is already divided into six or seven upcoming parts, with more being added), and post this part separately, once I am done.

I am not cutting it out from the place where it is in the chapter, so when I post this chapter, those who have read this previously will come across it again and “repeated” here. (I put this in the section of the chapter waiting to be posted. It will not make much sense when I post this part the first time, only the second time.)

May the Lord be pleased to continue leading…

Knowing how the shofar (ram’s horn) sounded in my spirit, I decided to see if I could find someone on a YouTube video blowing a shofar in the pattern I heard. Imagine my pleasant, but stunned surprise when I found two separate links that match up.  

As stated, I do not know much about the blowing of the shofar, at least, not up to this point. The following links contain examples of the pattern and sequence of what I heard spiritually; second video is exact (1st 15 seconds only).

Shofar 1 (13 seconds)                                      Shofar 2 – (only first 15 seconds)

Precious Jesus (my Yeshua!)

The reason all of this was so profound to me is because I am not Messianic or Jewish. Growing up, I did not know much or even hear much about Jewish people. It has only been the last twelve or so years (about 2007), that I even learned that Jesus is a transliteration of the Hebrew name Yeshua, and that Christ is the Greek translation of the Hebrew word for Messiah.

To be clear, I am not part of the Sacred Name Movement. It is almost Pharisaical the way some slam the hammer down on people for saying the name Jesus (saying it’s a form of Zeus, which it most definitely is not), and saying Yahshua or Yahushua is the only way to spell or say the name in order to be saved.

This is all so wrong and has misled many into avoiding the name of “Jesus”, as if the name were blasphemous, or indication of the worship of a false god. That would be the work of the devil.

What other name down through history has been so hated, so maligned, so ridiculed and so rejected to this very day as the name of Jesus? I daresay you will find no other name that has been dragged through the dirt by so many, since the time He walked upon the earth, as the name of Jesus (Yeshua).

JESUS (Yeshua) said:  Whosoever therefore shall confess Me before men, him will I confess also before My Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall DENY Me before men, him I also will deny before My Father which is in heaven.

Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. [Mat 10:32-34]

The truth (which is Jesus/Yeshua, the Word of God) divides the true from the false, the precious from the vile [Jer 15:9] the clean from the unclean, and the holy from the profane. [Ezek 44:23]

All the fuss that some folks are making down here and He’s coming back with a name that not even one of us knows; only He does. And besides, what did God say to Moses when he asked what His name was?

And Moses said to God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say to them, The God of your fathers has sent me to you; and they shall say to me, What is His name? what shall I say to them?

And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and He said, Thus shall you say to the children of Israel, I AM has sent me unto you.  [Ex 3:13, 14]

Since the Lord God is the beginning and the end (Alpha and Omega), He knew all this would take place. I wonder if that is the reason why He is returning with a name none of us knows… to hush all the religious tongues and show the foolishness of it all. We are not worshipping another God; we worship the God of Israel, the living God, who sent Jesus (Yeshua) His Son to redeem us, setting us free from the bondage of our sins.

And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he does judge and make war.

His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns, and he had a name written, that no man knew, but He himself. And He was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and His name is called The Word of God. 
[Rev 19:11-13]

So, if we really want to get technical, perhaps we should be calling the LORD GOD, our heavenly Father, “I AM” or “I AM that I AM”? And maybe we should call Yeshua/Jesus , the  Word of God  because that is what the Holy Scriptures call Him, and that’s who He is.

I leave you with this. Take a moment to carefully read the words Messiah’s words.

Jesus therefore, knowing all things that should come upon Him, went forth, and said unto them, Whom seek you? They answered Him, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus said unto them, I AM.

And Judas also, which betrayed Him stood with them. As soon then as he had said unto them, I AM, they went backward and fell to the ground. Then He asked them again, Whom seek you? And they said, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus (Yeshua) answered, I have told you that I AM: if therefore you seek Me, let these go their way:  [Jn 18:4-8]  (Emphasis mine)

Three times Yeshua said: I AM Interestingly, Peter denied Christ three times…and wept bitterly.

God Knows – Bless the Lord for Grafting In

Is God omniscient (all-knowing) or not? Is He the living God who knows the heart or not? Does He know the difference between people worshipping him or bowing to some pagan ‘god’ or idol? “Yes” is the definitive answer to all those questions.

Let us rejoice as English-speaking people that the God (YHWH) of Israel who sees the heart, knows we worship Him through His precious and only begotten Son, Jesus (English), Yeshua (Hebrew, Aramaic) or Iesous (Greek).

What name were you saved under? I was saved by Jesus, whom I at times call Yeshua because I love the sound of it, and it is his proper name in his language. Jesus is Yeshua, etymologically related to (derived from) Joshua, the son of Nun, who was the protégé of Moses.

Is there a special reward in heaven if we pronunciate (pronounce) or spell Yeshua or YHWH correctly? Seeing as we all have accents according to each other, then, we are all in trouble! Are we going to have a special seat beside the God of all creation because we held God’s name in so much esteem that we dared not to allow it to pass over our unclean lips? 

Are we calling on the living God of the Bible, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of Israel? Do we recognize His only begotten Son that He sent to die in our place so that our sins could be forgiven, and acknowledge that Jesus/Yeshua is the ONLY way to be reconciled back to YHWH (God)?

Do we know Jesus is the Word of God who comes in the flesh? Do we believe He was crucified, buried, resurrected, ascended to heaven and is making His journey back to us; we wait eagerly for His return?

We believe, we receive Jesus (Yeshua) as Lord and Saviour, we repent, and we are filled with (baptized in) the Holy Spirit. I am quite sure the God who created all things knows what God we worship. That is why I won’t go down this rabbit trail, but it helps the reader to know where I stand. I can rest in the LORD.

One last point…

I just wanted to clear things up. We (Gentiles) were once branches of the wild olive tree, but now because of Jesus (Yeshua) we are GRAFTED IN to the original olive tree. Why I heard a shofar and saw what I saw has nothing to do with me loving Israel and its people (which I absolutely do).

I have had other visions where the Lord shows me angels as natives, Indians – He is Creator of all. I do not order visions or dreams; I am humbled when I get one. God loves all of His creation and He promises that in the last days He would pour out His Spirit, and sons and daughters would prophesy, dream dreams and have visions.

I love the different people of the world, and yes, Israel is special to me because of what the Word of God teaches us.  Because of Israel’s rebellion and disobedience to God, and rejection of Yeshua the Messiah, the Gentiles can be drafted in. They are the bloodline of our Messiah (Christ - Anointed One).

But I say, Did Israel not know? First Moses said, I will provoke you to jealousy by them that are no people, and by a foolish nation I will anger you. But Esaias (Isaiah) is very bold, and says, I was found of them that sought me not; I was made manifest unto them that asked not of Me. But to Israel He says, All day long I have stretched forth My hands unto a disobedient and gainsaying people. [Rom 10:19-21]

Do you see? Do you understand? This was done only to provoke God’s people to jealousy so that they would return to him…and at the right time, they will! HalleluYah. BUT (and it’s a big but), the Israelites are STILL God’s chosen people. Israel is still very important to YHWH.

In the end, they shall be restored and saved! God never breaks His covenants – ever! He made promises to Israel; He will keep them! And my Saviour (Messiah) Jesus (my darling Yeshua) came through the bloodline of the tribe of Judah, one of the Israelite tribes, which are twelve. Yes, I love God’s ways! They are indeed far above our ways!

We, who are not Jewish (or of Hebrew descent – we Gentiles) are adopted children in a manner of speaking, but we are now part of the family of God. We are accepted as the children of God through Jesus the Christ. AND (notice carefully) adopted children do NOT replace the biological children. They all blend together to become ONE family! Replacement theology is a false doctrine. The church has NOT replaced Israel.

William Ewer and T.E. Brown are known for their famous quote: “How odd of God to choose the Jews; But not so odd as those who choose the Jewish God, but spurn the Jews.”

I just had to say that, but this isn’t about that. If you would like to read a well put-together article on the subject (in PDF), brilliantly explained and written by Rev. Ed Smelser, Regional Director of Bridges for Peace Israel, read here: Replacement Theology   The website is: https://www.bridgesforpeace.com

Grace Anchored in Christ (Messiah)

There is a definite message and it will all come together at the end. I found a few different meanings for the sounding of the shofar. Slowly, the Holy Spirit was piecing it together, leading me step by step, methodically making clear what the message that the Lord was giving.

To the Jewish people, at the beginning of Yom Kippur (this year, September 2020) the poignant cry of the shofar will sound at the onset of the feast, and yet again, at the conclusion. The Jews have a saying that speaks of commitment: na’aseh venishma (we will do and we will listen [obey]).

(May it be so, Lord – Pray for Israel (the people) as a whole to return to YHWH through the Messiah Yeshua, so they will not be deceived by the Antichrist at the building of the third temple, for right now, there is only a remnant that recognize that Yeshua (God-sent Son, who came as one of their own, yet rejected by most in that time, just as now)…Yeshua (Jesus), is indeed the true Messiah who will be returning soon. All the signs point to it, according to prophecies in the Holy Scriptures.

O Lord Jesus (Yeshua), awaken your people, all of us, from the spirit of slumber! Open eyes to see truth, and grant a spirit of repentance, so forgiveness will be followed by healing. [2Chron 7:14, 15] BP2020)

The first time a ram’s horn trumpet was ever sounded was by God (YHWH) Himself on Mount Sinai. [Ex 19:18, 19] The sounding of the shofar was to remind Moses and the children of Israel about how YHWH (God) provided a ram for Abraham to sacrifice, instead of his son Isaac.  
[Gen 22:9-13]

All believers are being called…now, in 2020.

for His glory alone

Bonita              dovesofthevalleys4@gmail.com