I guess most of you know that I wear my faith on my sleeve. You see, I was a child who lived traumatized and grew into a woman who was super resilient. I would let people in, on my own terms, but as soon as they let me down, as everyone eventually does, I would kick them out, or run! And I did this too with God. He first came to me when I was young. He pursued me more than once. When the fighting started, He would comfort me with His love. I remember writing poems, when I was only five. I would go into my head when I felt all alone. And I would pretend. I would imagine a world, in full color, where unicorns and rainbows would fill the land. I created my own kind of Wizard of Oz and I would skip along, through the wildflowers, with imaginary friends. I truly enjoyed my world of technicolor before the monkeys came in. The men would come. So many of them. Not for me, but for the drugs. They would hug me and smile, and tell me to call them uncle. They told me how beautiful I was. They would fumble around, with their hands, and penetrate me, with their eyes. I was just a child. All the while, I would tremble in my bones, and pray for them to leave my home. Always afraid. Never protected. Always shamed. Never loved. Unworthy. That's how I felt. Unless of course, I was distracted. I was given grace through the public school system. School was a safe place for me to go. I didn’t have to be afraid because I knew there were adults who would take care of me. Yes, some of the kids were mean, but I was able to handle them. It was my teachers' approval that made me happy. It was their compliments that I longed for. Their classrooms were inviting. Always clean and comforting. The sequence and structure helped me move through the chaotic days. Their kind words, and their calls home saved me. Literally! My mother would send me to school, when they called her. Instead of keeping me home to take care of my brothers. You see, I was the family hero of the chemically addicted family. I brought hope into a dark world, and I knew the meaning of responsible. I was the oldest child, and the only girl - hope was found, in me alone. God made me smart, but my body matured through stress. I grew up with fight or flight, running my entire life. God gave me intelligence. He gave me an inquisitive mind that loves to find out; and He gave me words to express knowledge. Reading was my escape from an unpredictable life; and writing was my way to heal myself. Fourteen schools. Lots of moves. Never stable. Never smooth. I was 12 years old when I called on God, “God, make it stop!" is what I yelled. His Spirit fell on me like a blanket. A large covering fell on me, like newly fallen snow. The fighting stopped, and the hateful sounds went away. It’s as if my life had been turned inside out, and I was no longer afraid. Peace surpassed all understanding, in that incredible moment. And it all happened in a haunted house - in Camillus, New York. I saw so many things, in the spirit realm, including a girl with patent leather shoes, who laid in the tub, beneath the water, as if she were drowned. The sounds in the attic were eerie - especially at night when I would hear objects move. The creeks were frightening. I could hear them coming down the stairs. I knew in my spirit, there was more than one evil spirit living in my home. And then there was the basement. I had to walk right through it, at 3 am, all alone, when my mother would not get out of bed to let me in. She was sleeping. She must have been drunk. She could not hear me even with the loudest of knocks. So I summoned up my courage and opened the outside door to the basement, and let myself in. I felt evil eyes, keenly observing me. I prayed to God to keep me alive. I focused, on the light that shined beneath the door at the top of the stairs. God was with me. I felt His words say, "move along, "this basement is only a shadow of death." God has always been there. I just didn’t really know Him. He was like an acquaintance who always showed up when least expected. Yet, He was there. His presence was known, even more so than my parents. I tried to get to know God when I went to college. I learned all about Him through my electives - which were mostly religion classes. I studied Native American religion, Catholicism, Hindu and Baptist. I studied Islam and Jewish and Buddhist. And when I was finally done with my liberal education, I was completely brainwashed. I had decided that God was made by humans. He was an imaginary Deity that provided humanity with morality, as a way to separate the bad from the good. This was my new religion - and it represented an ethical way for people to live because it was fully based on human love. Thank God, He did not give up on me. Holy Spirit pursued me. Once again! He chased me down and impressed upon me the need to open up His Word. At 23years old, I requested a Study Bible from my husband for Christmas. I dug in, but the words made no sense. What was I supposed to read? Where was I supposed to start? This was way too difficult for me to do alone. At my work, there was a woman, who was a Christian. I asked her to help me. She advised me to place my hand on the Bible before even opening it up, and ask God to help me understand it. So, that’s what I did. I started with Genesis. I read it over and over again. I was drawn into the history. It was like reading a really good fictional story! So much imagery! So much feeling! So much drama happening, over and over again! When I was 25, I met a Messianic Jew in graduate school. We became friends, and he invited me and my husband to his church. The First Baptist of Church of Jamesville - was on the outskirts of Nedrow. It was not far from home. Pastor Scott was a very kind man, and he is the one who baptized me, and helped me feel welcome in church. Then I got pregnant, and my husband and I separated. There was never a time in my life that I felt more alone. I died inside, while my baby grew alive, but the Lord had taught me to be strong. I mean, I had overcome so much. I was resilient! From parental divorce to my mother's mental illness; from her drug abuse to sexual perversion and promiscuity, from cocaine and all kinds of drugs candy coating my home, And I did it. I was the first one in my family to go to college. I had learned to be super strong. As a kid, I was threatened by my step-father, not to tell anyone about the drugs in our home, or else the police would take our mother from us. My brothers and I, never felt loved. We were rejected because we all we did was get in the way of the adults in our home. Anyway, it was happening all over again. My husband became another person who I could not depend on. So I lived, like I had always done. Strong and resilient - totally independent. I moved out on my own. Just me and my son - I didn't need no man! But then, my husband had a change of heart. He wanted to start over again. He said he wanted to be a better man. He said he was scared, and wasn't ready to be a dad. He was angry that I had gotten pregnant, when he was not ready to move on. So I moved back in. But the hurt was never gone. We had two more children. And our life moved right along. We lived in a quaint home, on 20 acres of land, but then we moved to Nevada after my 23 year old brother died. I was ready to take chances, because everything changes, and we only have one life to live. All this time, we attended churches. I even taught the children's ministry, and I ran a Christian Coffeehouse on Saturday nights. The Lord was good! I learned everything about Him! And yet, He still felt like an acquaintance. Why? I couldn't explain this. I studied Him intently. I learned all I could to know about Him. He had a name, and when I would call it, He would come with open arms. But after the trial was over, I would forget about Him. I would do life on my own, without Him. So then, while living in the desert, I went astray, and cheated on my husband. I was tempted to live authentically. I thought my dreams were totally up to me. So I left my husband and I waited, but he didn’t do the same. Promises were made. "Some day" became the rope that choked me. So I returned to the man who loved me. Then we moved. Escaping bankruptcy and marriage infidelity. Broken dreams. Hoping to obtain a life once again. We moved to the Greater Hills of Clermont- the closest we could find in Florida, to the mountains. We tried. My husband and I. To move on unchanged - pretending as if nothing had happened. And then the dream found me once again. He kept me on a line with lots of promises - so I waited... But then, I finally realized it was never going to happen. I repented. I went to the cross and asked God to take this temptation away. I realized it was never about the man. It was truly my own shame that I longed to escape. But the enemy would not let go. Temptation came again, but this time through my husband. My husband felt alone. He was always on the road. I barely acknowledge him. He met another woman, a friend from the past. But I did not know it. I could tell. I knew the signs well. There's a disgust that comes when lust is involved. Secrets penetrate every hidden interaction. The pain of rejection stings - and the bitterness that comes is unending. It hurts to the core of your being. Satan had his hooks in. Scales covered our eyes. Leviathan is twisted. Too many lies! Too much distrust! The hurt was more than any marriage could bear. And the words - they hurt to the core. The words that we said, brought death, not life to our marriage. Divorce. It was the only way out! But then, once again, God came in. He healed what we could not. And He went straight to the rot. He pulled the weeds out. He declared, "Not in My house, Satan!" "Get Out!" God spoke when we could not. He pulled us out of the pit, and He showed us the power of the cross. He told us to trust Him. And He did this individually, in my husband and me, while we were separated. The days were unbearable. We submitted. We waited on God to teach us how to love, and how to forgive. He explained how His blood covers our sin. And He showed us how much He love us. He taught how to love each other. You see, I wear my faith on my sleeve because my heart has been surrendered. And strengthened. It’s stronger than the defensive armor that I used to wear. It's the essence of who I am, on the inside and the outside. My faith is real. There is no doubt within me. He is the most stable home that I’ve ever had. God is no longer an acquaintance. He is my most trustworthy friend! If you don’t know Him intimately like I do, then you have no idea what your missing! If this is you, then just ask me. I would love to introduce you.
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Did you know that God’s Work
is already done? That’s right! Our human story has already been written. It’s an epic tale about a Creator and His creation, humans who struggle endlessly with this concept of faith. As a way to bring disobedient children back to Him, our Father writes many trials and tribulations into our lives. Yes, He could give us a life full of constant blessings, but what good would that do if it kept us independent of him? Jacob’s trouble is also meant for us Gentiles. It’s an opportunity to remember, repent and come back home. We would be like the prodigal son - the one who went astray and squandered his inheritance. Or even worse, we could be like the good son, the one who stayed home but kept a hardened heart. We would be like the Drunkards of Ephraim, living off the souls of the oppressed and the poor. Even worse, we could be like kings and queens, living in luxury, thinking that we deserve all of God’s blessings! On our own we are foolishly bound to the curse that God spoke upon Satan, and Adam and Eve. It was a curse that is cast out through the people of every nation, race and creed - a curse based off the premise of questioning God’s authority and wanting to be like Him. But because God loves us more than life itself, He saved us through the flood that took most of humanity out. And from that the rainbow was formed, not to represent pride, but to show us the love of God. After the Days of Noah, Abraham was born. And from his seed, a faithful nation was made. And from the line of Judah, David would become King, and from his seed, Christ would be born. Christ was a man born to a virgin, and He was fully God born from Holy Spirit. It’s kind of hard to make sense of it. But I have learned to just trust and believe. Jesus came so that He could die a horrible death, so that His blood could cover our sinful selves. He paid the price to give us all a brand new life, but there is a small cost that we too must pay. All we have to do is fix the mistake, that humanity made back in the Garden of Eden. We must trust and believe the Word that comes out of God's sovereign mouth! The creation has been given a second opportunity to trust and believe God, the One who created everything. And all we have to do to reverse the eternal curse is to have a mustard seed of faith that Christ is the Son of God, and He is our Righteous King. Jesus is also called the Son of Man because He actually God in the flesh who became the second Adam. So if you are reading this, and your heart is lighting up, that probably means that you are a Child of God who hears your father’s voice. All you have to do, is follow the sound that draws you in. Get into His Word and He will lead you into light. His Holy Spirit is the Lord who makes you strong. He is the One who helps the scripture to make sense. If you are spiritually dead and falling asleep while reading this, that probably means you lack faith. Without faith, you will not experience God’s presence. Without faith, you will not have intimacy. The only way to fix this fatal mistake, is to repent and give back your life. Once you understand that you are just the creation, you will long to return to your Creator. This has to be Daniel's weirdest dream yet - a terrifying nightmare that scared him to death! But the dream was not just a dream! It did not just magically appear in Daniel’s head for absolutely no reason. No way! Not a chance! It was actually a vision, given by God, that showed Daniel what would happen in the last days on earth! Daniel. A nobleman of Judah. Brought into exile by King Nebuchadnezzar. The King of Babylon, who was sent by God, to bring His hammer of judgment down. Daniel had served Nebuchadnezzar as his Chief Magician because the Lord, our God, put him into this position. He was gifted with immeasurable wisdom, and he had the ability to interpret dreams. Daniel lasted a very long time, living under rulers who did not know God. He would serve the Chaldeans and we he would serve the Medes. He would serve Cyrus, the Great Persian King. He would serve the men who did not know God, but he never veered by denying His God. During the first year of King Belshazzar’s reign, Daniel wrote this down, “In my vision that night, I, Daniel, saw a great storm churning the surface of a great sea, with strong winds blowing from every direction. Then four huge beasts came up out of the water, each different from the others. The first beast was like a lion with eagles’ wings. As I watched, its wings were pulled off, and it was left standing with its two hind feet on the ground, like a human being. And it was given a human mind. Then I saw a second beast, and it looked like a bear. It was rearing up on one side, and it had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth. And I heard a voice saying to it, “Get up! Devour the flesh of many people!” Then the third of these strange beasts appeared, and it looked like a leopard. It had four bird’s wings on its back, and it had four heads. Great authority was given to this beast. Then in my vision that night, I saw a fourth beast—terrifying, dreadful, and very strong. It devoured and crushed its victims with huge iron teeth and trampled their remains beneath its feet. It was different from any of the other beasts, and it had ten horns. As I was looking at the horns, suddenly another small horn appeared among them. Three of the first horns were torn out by the roots to make room for it. This little horn had eyes like human eyes and a mouth that was boasting arrogantly. I watched as thrones were put in place and the Ancient One sat down to judge. His clothing was as white as snow, his hair like purest wool. He sat on a fiery throne with wheels of blazing fire, and a river of fire was pouring out, flowing from his presence. Millions of angels ministered to him; many millions stood to attend him. Then the court began its session, and the books were opened. I continued to watch because I could hear the little horn’s boastful speech. I kept watching until the fourth beast was killed and its body was destroyed by fire. The other three beasts had their authority taken from them, but they were allowed to live a while longer.” Daniel 7:1-12 Then Daniel said, “As my vision continued that night, I saw someone like a son of man coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient One and was led into his presence. He was given authority, honor, and sovereignty over all the nations of the world, so that people of every race and nation and language would obey him. His rule is eternal—it will never end. His kingdom will never be destroyed.” Daniel 7:13-14 Daniel was troubled by all he had seen, and his visions completely terrified him. I can't imagine how frightened he must have been - to see these beasts and the wrath of God. This is what Daniel did, “I approached one of those standing beside the throne and asked him what it all meant. He explained it to me like this: “These four huge beasts represent four kingdoms that will arise from the earth. But in the end, the holy people of the Most High will be given the kingdom, and they will rule forever and ever.” Then I wanted to know the true meaning of the fourth beast, the one so different from the others and so terrifying. It had devoured and crushed its victims with iron teeth and bronze claws, trampling their remains beneath its feet. I also asked about the ten horns on the fourth beast’s head and the little horn that came up afterward and destroyed three of the other horns. This horn had seemed greater than the others, and it had human eyes and a mouth that was boasting arrogantly. As I watched, this horn was waging war against God’s holy people and was defeating them, until the Ancient One—the Most High—came and judged in favor of his holy people. Then the time arrived for the holy people to take over the kingdom. Then he said to me, “This fourth beast is the fourth world power that will rule the earth. It will be different from all the others. It will devour the whole world, trampling and crushing everything in its path. Its ten horns are ten kings who will rule that empire. Then another king will arise, different from the other ten, who will subdue three of them. He will defy the Most High and oppress the holy people of the Most High. He will try to change their sacred festivals and laws, and they will be placed under his control for a time, times, and half a time. But then the court will pass judgment, and all his power will be taken away and completely destroyed. Then the sovereignty, power, and greatness of all the kingdoms under heaven will be given to the holy people of the Most High. His kingdom will last forever, and all rulers will serve and obey him.” Daniel 7:16-27 When our Discovery Daniel Study met tonight, we discussed all of Daniel’s visions and dreams. And we discussed some of our own. A couple of us have had some, while others have had none. But we all agreed that God has different ways that he speaks to us. We acknowledged that our God is alive, and that His Spirit resides inside each of us. We shared how much reverence we hold for Him, and how much we naturally bow down to God. We shared how God’s Word is always inspired, and how eating it leaves us in awe. We spoke about confident hope and everlasting faith, and how Holy Spirit continues to give us strength. And we all agreed, Daniel's dream reminded us of Revelation 13. And the "wheels of blazing fire" reminded us of Ezekiel's vision in Chapter 1 and Chapter 2. Then we remembered that Daniel in Chapter 6, retreated to his room when the King made a law against his God. Daniel went to his room, all alone, and he prayed to God while facing towards Jerusalem. The scripture says he did this three times a day, in the morning and night and mid-afternoon. And we realized this too is what King David used to do! Just read Psalm 55, verse 16-17. We all decided to make this our daily practice - to set a compass on our phones and pray three times a day facing Jerusalem. We also decided to honor God by honoring each other, and not to question or doubt how God speaks to us. Instead, we would pray for one other, and believe that we are the Body of Christ. Daniel said, "I, Daniel, was terrified by my thoughts and my face was pale with fear, but I kept these things to myself.” Daniel 7:28 We discussed in our group why he kept it to himself. Was it because He was reserved? Was it because God told him to? Was it because it was all too much to try to find words? Was it because he feared the Lord? Or is possible that he had no one to talk to? Did he have anyone who he could trust with this news? We don’t know the answer to this question. But we do know this - we are tired of doing life alone. We are tired of tryin to go rogue. We decided we would be a support to each other, and we encourage each other to be vulnerable. And we would trust God with everything that He said. We would be like the eyes on Ezekiel’s wheel - moving in step with His Holy Spirit and listening to His wings when He moves. Leadership is important
in every aspect. As the leadership goes so does the marriage, the family, the church, the society, and the government. The laws that we create are an extension from it. From what authority do our laws branch? Do we follow the Word of God or do we make up our own? Do we allow for human sacrifice like in the days of Manasseh when for 55 years he ruled with pride and evil intent? Do we drop our faith boundaries and open up our gates to Paganism? Do we let human love change God’s definition of marriage? Do we believe God created Adam and Eve to be a perfect fit? Do we believe God created a complimentary difference between woman and man? Do we tell a father he is not needed in his child’s life? Do we tell a mother that parental bonding and attachment are not important? Do we encourage a mom to choose a career over raising her children? Do we continue to apply bricks to break the family unit? Don’t we come up with all kinds of excuses! Do we value money over everything? Do we live each day praying for retirement? Do we allow education to decide what principles are taught to our kids? What if they are wrong, and go against God’s laws? Do we subside and totally give in? Do we roll over and wave the white flag? What if the king of the kingdom appears to have a good heart? What if words of peace come out of his mouth but everything he does is an abomination to God? What if God is taken out of our government? What if we are told to honor every kind of faith? What if we are told that Jesus is not the only way? What if the world king decides there is another way? Since we are called to love, how much should the Christian accept? What justifies letting go of our plumb-line faith? What should we do when our husband has gone astray? What should we do if he leads with an iron fist? What if a mom and her children live every day afraid? How much abuse are they supposed to take? And what if a wife says, “I’m doing it MY own way!” “I don’t give a shit what you have to say!” What if she dismisses everything her husband has to say. What if he is squashed under her feministic foot? What should he do? What if the children rebel and spit in their parents face? What if they insist that they WILL get their own way. How much disobedience are parents supposed to take? At what point should they say, "If you can't respect me, then get out of MY house!" How much are we to submit? When has idolatry and rebellion become too much? What do you do when your pastor says, “Well, you married him” when you go to him about domestic violence happening in the home? At what point should a member question his authority, and stop him and say, “That does not seem what God has to say." How much do we rely on humans to tell us the truth instead of going to God to tell us the answers? Shouldn’t the answer from the Pastor be, “A husband is to love his wife, like Christ loves the church.” Shouldn’t that be the very first response that comes out of his mouth? And isn’t a wife supposed to honor her man and submit herself to him? Not under his control, but under his protection. And aren’t the children supposed to respect their parents? Isn’t that how authority works? And what about the leaders who run our government aren’t they an extension of us? Aren't they supposed to be JUST representatives of the people? It certainly seems we have everything backwards, does it not? Instead of coming in, shouldn’t the Church be going out? And why do our shepherds feed the flock sugar coated messages? Well, I guess I already know the answer to that! Sugar and honey makes everything go down - even when it's not good for us. Many preachers and prophets love to tickle the ears of humans. They love to speak peace and prosperity to a dying generation. People don't like to hear about God's wrath or impending judgment, since we are rooted in God's love and He sent his son to save us. "Fear of the Lord" is not for me. It's a term of old to make men follow God's law. That is the great lie that most people believe. The truth is we must have a personal relationship with Jesus, otherwise when our body dies, he will say, "Depart from Me." Intimacy is what determines whether you have faith to believe. "Fear of the Lord" and submitting to God's authority is a natural extension from it. What will happen to people’s heart and minds if we continue to digest human thoughts and ways?” God tells us that his thoughts are not like our thoughts, and his ways are not like our own. What will we be like as a nation if we continue to abandon Father God? What will happen if we continue to twist His Word? Eventually the Body of Christ will begin to crumble and break. Is this what Daniel calls the Kingdom of Baked Clay? And all because we lack spiritual nourishment and thus we lack enduring faith. It’s like the parent who buys what’s convenient instead of filling the fridge with life-giving fruits and vegetables. Our stomach and our cells were never meant to digest such harmful chemicals. Wouldn’t we expect mutation to happen? The body eventually dies when we feed it wrong. Leadership It is where it all begins. It’s like the mind and the mouth that takes substances in. We have to come back to God’s authority! We have to digest what His Word says! It’s time to stand up and fight! We must put on our Shoes FITTED with the Gospel of Peace, and we must tighten our pants with the Belt of Truth! We must put Jesus in our hearts, and confidently wear our Breastplate of Righteousness. We must pick up our Shield of Faith to defend ourselves from the arrows the enemy sends our way. We must put on our Helmet of Salvation and remember to cry "Maranatha." I, Cherie, being a faithful servant of My Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ decree and declare that this WORD must go out - as the Sword of the Spirit extends from my mouth! How can we fight the good fight, and run with patient endurance when we twist the truth, and don't submit to God's authority? Without the Belt of Truth, our spiritual pants will surely fall down - and we will be a laughing stock - a mockery and humiliating witness to God! We must stop this abomination! We must stand for truth and be his faithful witness! Who do you serve? Is it God or is it man? Or even worse, are we serving ourselves? How do we use words
when our world is turned upside down? Do they even make sense when they escape from the depths of unconsciousness? Do they even sound right when they blurt out of our mouths - like a child first learning to play the clarinet? And what happens when words fall like rain on the page lying in front of us? Do they heal like a band-aid, and stop the pain from gushing out; or do they leave a stain that penetrates to the core of our very heart? Words - they are the author of every thought. They write a story and they express a plot. And the funny thing is this - They can be expressed from all kinds of different perspectives; and they can quickly change depending on someone’s mood, or what is reported by the news. Yet, we are still held accountable for all of them - even the ones not written that run through our heads. Every word that is thought or said; every word expressed quietly, or out loud, has an implication on our ourselves, or someone else. All of them, whether yelled or running over and over again; ruminating according to their own story lines - they all have impact on what our next action is. And it all can change - on the drop of a dime - depending on our mood, or something else that has happened, or said! Distracted, or disgusted- We can shift quickly - to a new sub-heading. At any time we can change our minds on what we focus on. Perhaps their is something more appealing to look at. Perhaps there is a different way to phrase that? We can even see in pictures if we choose to. We can create an image of how we think or how we feel. And our description can be based in both fact and fiction! The imagination is totally God-given! Creation - an extension of a thought. A branch - extending from a tree of love, or hate. Rooted in the Creators mind, and constantly evaluated. Judged whether it is good, or not. Coated with the emotion attached to it. Loved and told it is good. Hated - it has been misrepresented. Stunned - by all that has been done. Beauty promoted, waste rejected. Rested - totally settled. Peace has finally come - no more words are filling my head! Music without lyrics plays like a harp. Quenching the troubled soul - Like Saul and David. A calming to the soul after a great credenza is really all that anyone could hope for. Maranatha Lord, Come I'm a little nervous to start my study on Daniel 7 because this is where the FAI videos begin. FAI stands for Frontier Alliance International, and I found out about them when I watched their movie on YouTube called "Sheep Among Wolves." The documentary was about women in Iran who run the underground church. These women risk their lives to be followers of Christ, in a country where Shi'a Islam is the main religion, and the culture is run by men.
FAI taught me the word "Maranatha," which in Aramaic means means "Lord, Come." According to the website "Got Questions," the early church faced much persecution. The Romans required everyone to declare that Caesar was god, and the early Christians knew that there is only one God and one Lord - Jesus Christ. Many followers of Christ were put to death for not worshipping Caesar as their King. During this time, the believers' morale was lifted by the hope of the coming of the Lord. "Maranatha!" became the common greeting of the oppressed believers, replacing the Jewish greeting "shalom" which means peace. The followers of Jesus knew there would be no peace because Jesus had told them so, as recorded in Matthew 10:34 and Luke 12:51. Yet, they knew the Lord would be returning soon, to set up His Kingdom, and from that truth they drew great comfort. In addition, Jesus declared all of this to them through several parables that spoke to the theme - "keep watching and waiting and be prepared for My return" as recorded in Matthew 25:1-13 and Luke 12:35-40. The sole mission of Frontier Alliance International is to lay the foundation where there is none, especially in places like Syria, Iraq and Iran. In essence, they follow the same desire that was given to Paul, in Romans 15:20, "It has always been my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ was not known, so that I would not be building on someone else's foundation." When I started the Daniel study, and created the Maranatha - Authentic Facebook group, I knew that Yahweh would continue to give me wisdom. His Spirit is who led me to Daniel in the first place, after following Him through the book of Luke. But like everything that He does, it was never meant for me alone. His intention was to strengthen me to prophecy over the church, and to build up the Body of Christ. I fully believe that He is stirring the hearts of His children to (1) pay attention to Jerusalem, (2) rebuild His temple and (3) shine His light into a dark world. After reading Daniel Chapter 6, and preparing my heart and my mind through thoughtful prayer, to move onto to Daniel 7, the Lord led me to look more intently at the word "Peace." In particular, "Peace and Prosperity to you" as written by Darius the Mede, "to people of every race, nation and language throughout the world." I followed the sound of the river, that was declared from Darius's mouth, and it took me to Ezra 4 verse 17. You see, I use the Blue Letter Bible as an interlinear concordance, and when I typed in Daniel 6 verse 25, it showed me that peace means "Shelam" in the Aramaic language. And Strong's number H8001 matches the Aramaic and Hebrew word, Shelam, which only occurs 4 times in 4 verses in the Hebrew concordance of the King James Version of scripture. The 4 other verses are Ezra 4:17, Ezra 5:7, Daniel 4:1, and Daniel 6:25. When I saw that the word Shelam was only used in the books of Daniel and Ezra, I immediately knew that the two, were connected in some spiritual kind of way. This seems to be the way that Holy Spirit leads me in the eating and digestion of scripture. As many people know, I was not brought up in a church. Nor did I go to a Christian college to attain a bible degree. In fact, it was just the opposite. I was truly a heathen, who had a Holy Spirit experience when I was 12 years old, that left an unforgettable impression on me. I went to a liberal college and obtained a psychology degree. I also took many courses on religion and graduated believing in "Christian Universalism" - as if there was such a thing! Obviously, it was my own mind playing tricks on me! But God was not done with me. He stirred my heart to draw in closer when I was just 23 years old. I read the Bible religiously, and gained lots of historical knowledge, but my heart did not change and I lived as a "carnal" Christian until I was 46 years old. In 2016, my marriage died from acts of adultery. My husband and I separated for a third time. I filed for divorce, and became extremely depressed, and even contemplated suicide. 2016 was a year that took me surprise. The Lord allowed me to experience his refining fire, and I finally had the opportunity to die to self. Jesus showed up, quite literally, through many visions and dreams. He extended his hand, and lifted me from the swamp, then He led me down the boardwalk to meet Father God. The experience was transformative and life-changing. During that time, the Lord healed me. Not only my heart, but my marriage, my family and my trauma history. And it all started by believing and having faith in His Word - and learning to trust Him over me. Anyway, I had forgotten the importance of Ezra, because I have been so focused on the prophet Jeremiah. Over the last year, I have felt like Jeremiah - the weeping prophet who warned Judah and Benjamin, over and over again, about the judgement that was coming. Judah had become like the Drunkards of Ephraim who worshipped false gods, including themselves, and their wealth and prosperity. Judah failed to trust God, in their national affairs. They completely removed God from their government, and instead focused on human ideals. The prophet Jeremiah has been close to my heart, because I often feel like he must have felt - the warnings were totally ignored by his friends, his family and Judean society. Like him, people don't want to hear what I have to say, in fact I believe they think I'm totally crazy. But that's okay. The Lord has helped me to not fear man, and has replaced it with His overwhelming love. There is nothing that can stop me from declaring what He has put inside my heart. And reading Ezra is a great reminder that the Lord is in charge! When He decides on a matter, it's as good as done - we can hold onto the truth that His Word is sound, and will be revealed - it's only a matter of time. The Lord certainly stirs the hearts of his people, and He stirs the hearts of great kings. He stirred the heart of Cyrus to set His people free. After 70 years of captivity, as prophesied by Jeremiah, the Lord broke the chains of bondage and set His people free. King Cyrus of Persia, who had taken over Babylon, declared that the God of Heaven had appointed him to build God his temple in Judah, in the city of Jerusalem. He said, "Wherever this Jewish remnant is found, let their neighbors contribute toward their expenses by giving them silver and gold, supplies for the journey, and livestock, as well as a voluntary offering for the Temple of God in Jerusalem." And immediately after his declaration, God "stirred the hearts of the priests and Levites and the leaders of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin to go to Jerusalem to rebuild the Temple of the Lord. And all their neighbors assisted them." Ezra 1:4-5 Ezra 4:17 says, "Then sent the king (King Artaxerxes - apparently the 4th King of the Persian Empire: Cyrus, Darius, Xerxes, Artaxerexes) an answer unto Rehum the chancellor (governor) and to Shimshai the scribe (court secretary), and to the rest of their companions that dwell in Samaria (false Jerusalem), and unto the rest beyond the river (West of Euphrates), Peace (Shalam), and at such a time." Rehum and Shimshai wrote a letter to King Artaxerxes to warn him about the situation in Jerusalem. These men, and many with them, were in opposition to what was happening in Jerusalem. The foundation of the Temple of God had been laid, and they did not want the walls to go up. They knew in their hearts, as hard as they were, that the people of the God of Israel would rebel against the culture set in place by the Persian king. The enemies of Judah and Benjamin actually approached Zerubabbel (governor of Jerusalem) and the other leaders and said, "Let us build with you, for we worship your God just as you do." It's important to know that "the enemies of Judah and Benjamin" were actually Gentiles (non-Israelites) who were placed in the northern kingdom of Israel by Assyria when they invaded them. The Gentiles said, "We have sacrificed to him (God) ever since King Esarhaddon of Assyria brought us here." You see, Samaria was like a fake Jerusalem, that the Northern Tribe of Israel created, when 10 of the tribes rejected Rehoboam and David's dynasty (1 Kings 12:16). And the Northern Kingdom was taken over by the Assyrian Empire, which occupied the northern region of Mesopotamia about 100 years before Judah and Benjamin were taken over by Babylonian Empire which occupied the southern region of Mesopotamia. Zerubbabel and the leaders kindly declined the Gentiles offer. They said, "You may have no part in this work. We alone will build the Temple for the Lord, the God of Israel, just as King Cyrus of Persia commanded us to." "Then the local residents tried to discourage and frighten the people of Judah to keep them from doing their work. They bribed agents to work against them and to frustrate their plans." Ezra 4:2-4 And after some time, "the enemies of Judah wrote a letter of accusation against the people of Judah and Jerusalem. They greeted the king for all their colleagues - the Dinaites (Cuth'an colonists who were placed in the cities around Samaria), the Apharsathcites (Bethlehem), the Tarpelites (Assyrian colonists), the Apharsites (a transferred tribe to Northern Kingdom), the Archevites (tribe from southern Iraq placed in northern kingdom), the Babylonians, the Susanchites (Capital of Elam - southern Iran), the Dehavites (a tribe placed in northern kingdom probably from Caspian Sea area), and the Elamites (southern Iran)." NKJ Ezra 4:9 They also sent greetings from the rest of the people whom the great and noble Ashurbanipal (great Assyrian King named after the god of war, Ashur) had deported and relocated in Samaria and throughout the neighboring lands of the province west of the Euphrates River." NLT Ezra 4:10 I now see that this kind of peace was a greeting of well-being declared from the mouth of Satan. The Babylonian and Assyrian kings, and the other enemies of Judah and Jerusalem, spoke Peace and Prosperity to the people who united against the Temple of God being rebuilt. They knew that "if this city was rebuilt and its walls are complete, the Jews will refuse to pay their tribute, customs and tolls" to any other god or king, that is not the God of Israel. Ezra 5:13 The work stopped, but only for a little while. The prophets Haggai and Zechariah prophesied to the Jews in Judah and Jerusalem. The prophesied in the name of the God of Israel who was over them. The leaders responded by starting again to rebuild the Temple of God in Jerusalem. Again, many complained to the king of Persia - King Darius. But to their chagrin, Darius found the order written by King Cyrus, to give safe passage to the captives of Judah so that they could rebuild the Temple of God. And then he ordered that the government "pay the full amount for the construction costs, without delay, from the taxes collected in the province west of Euphrates so that work would not be interrupted." Ezra 6:8 I think that is good for Part One of Daniel Chapter 7. I'm prepared to learn and follow the Spirit of God for the Lord is good, and His mercies endure forever! Peace and Prosperity to the Body of Christ and the Kingdom of God! Being rooted in love, through Jesus Christ, may our branches bear fruit of His Holy Spirit. May every ear who hears this, receive the seed of Jesus, the second Adam who breaks the original curse that the Lord our God spoke upon us. May He bless you and your entire family as you wait patiently and expectantly for His second coming. Maranatha! King Belshazzar of Babylon
died the same night that a human hand appeared and wrote “Mene Mene Tekel Parsin” on a plaster wall in his royal palace. That is when Darius the Mede took over and began the process of dividing the Kingdom! Of course, to human eyes it didn’t seem that Darius was in the process of dividing - in fact, it looked just the opposite! It appeared he had added a whole kingdom to the sum of the Median Empire which today is known as the region of Iran and Turkey. I wonder... why don’t biblical scholars recognize the Median Empire as the chest of Nebuchadnezzar’s statue? Oh...I guess they do - but through the combination of the Medo-Persian Empire. In my limited mind, this doesn't quite make sense. I mean... Darius the Mede ruled before Cyrus the Great - at least this is what the Book of Daniel says. Apparently, there is minimal historical evidence about Darius the Mede, or the Median Empire. But obviously, this time period is significant to the Kingdom of God. There were 120 regions to rule over, once Darius the Mede took over. And he appointed 120 high officers to rule over each one of them. Then he assigned three men to supervise over the 120 of them. Guess what, Daniel was one of the three who proved himself more capable than the rest! Darius the Mede was ready to elevate Daniel to be like a king. Scripture says, “he made plans to place Daniel over the entire empire.” But then, the other administrators and the high officers began searching to find ways to condemn him. “They attempted to find Daniel at fault with government affairs, but they could not find anything to criticize or condemn” - so they went after his religion. They began colluding, and came up with a plan to trick the king into signing a ridiculous order into law - a law that would surely pull Daniel down. Hmmm... this sounds much like the Law of Moses, but in an opposite kind of way. God's law was given so that people could see how sinful they were - unlike the men in this story who created their own kind of law that went against worshipping the Most High God! The Law of Moses was created by God to show the human race how sinful we really are! As people sin more and more, they become aware of God's wonderful grace because they know that in their own flesh they are incapable of following it! The law the men created, in Daniel 6, was this, “For the next 30 days any person who prays to anyone - divine or human except to Darius the king, will be thrown into the den of lions.” I know... the order had a short time-frame, much like the Median Empire, before the Persians came along - but it was long enough to carry out the will of God. When Daniel heard the law had been signed, he went home and prayed. He prayed the same way, he had always done. In his upstairs room, with its window open towards Jerusalem. He prayed three times a day, always giving thanks to God. It was then, in the middle of prayer, that Satan rushed into the room. Just like he would do again, in the Garden of Gethsemane through Judas Iscariot’s betrayal kiss. Actually, it was the jealous men who pushed through the door of Daniel’s home to catch him red-handed in the act of worshipping God. When they Daniel worshipping his One True God, they immediately ran to the palace to tell the king what he had done. Darius was deeply troubled. He had an affection for Daniel. He was one of his best men, and he wondered how he could get him out of this mess? But the men of the government continued to press on the king, they would not let him have an inch to let Daniel breath. They reminded Darius that laws signed into action by the king of their nation, which at that time, consisted of both the Medes and the Persians, could not be changed. So Darius despairingly had Daniel arrested and brought straight to him to be thrown into the den of lions. King Darius said to Daniel, “May your God, whom you serve so faithfully, rescue you.” And just like the tomb of Jesus, a stone was closed over the mouth of the den of death. “And the king sealed the stone with his own royal seal, and the seals of his nobles, so that no one could rescue Daniel.” Can you see the analogy? The seal of the king was used in place of the seal of God, the Supreme Ruler of the universe! The next morning the king got up early, and hurried to the den of lions. And once again, we see the foreshadowing of what is written in Luke 24, “Very early on Sunday morning the woman went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. They found the stone had been rolled away from the entrance. So they went in, but they didn’t find the body of the Lord Jesus. And as they stood there puzzled, two men suddenly appeared to them, clothed in dazzling robes. The women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground. Then the man asked, “Why are you looking among the dead for someone who is alive? He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead! Remember what he told you back in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be betrayed into the hands of sinful men and be crucified, and that he would rise again on the third day.” Daniel was only a man, but God was able to save him! Just as He has done for us. The king asked, “Daniel, servant of the living God, was your God, whom you serve so faithfully, able to rescue you from the lion’s den? Daniel answered, “Long live the king! My God sent his angel to shut the lions’ mouths so that they would not hurt me. I have been found innocent in his sight, and I have not wronged you, your majesty.” The king was overjoyed and ordered that Daniel be lifted from the den. Not a scratch was found on him for he had trusted in his God. King Darius gave orders to arrest the men who had maliciously accused Daniel, and had them thrown into the lions den, along with their wives and children. It’s hard to think that God will do the same with people who choose not to accept Jesus as their risen Savior. Some may decide this is why they don’t need him. I’ve heard it said that if God is full of wrath, then they do not want anything to do with him. I’ve also heard it said that a God who can allow hurt to come, is not a god that they choose to serve. And it is true, I’ve heard this too - that God is so good that He will not allow anyone to perish. A person can be bad to the bone, they can even die and go to hell, but God will not allow anyone to be harmed - he will swoop right down at the last minute, and save them from an eternal death. But sadly I tell you this, none of this is said in scripture - the inspired Word of God written through Holy Spirit wisdom. You see the lions leapt on the evil men, and their wives and children - the accusers of the brethren, and every branch that extended from them! The lions tore them apart, before they even hit the floor. The pit of hell, devoured them whole, until every last piece was totally gone. This is the promise of our God, the Creator of both Heaven and Earth. He is the Author of the Book that tells the story of Him and of us. And it is all written, perfectly - with no falsehood or contradiction. Everything is woven, perfectly - through the Old and the New Testament. He is the author and perfecter of our faith, and when our eyes are set on Him, so is our heart. The more you pay attention, and the more you spend time with Him, you're faith becomes less wavering and the Word starts to make more sense. I promise you this, Scripture says that God is fully love, and fully wrath! And He has set a final judgement day when all of the books will be opened. He knows the beginning to the end because He is the Alpha and Omega! He has authored several books, which are all part of the same series, "The Story of Us and God." And when He decides to unroll the scrolls, the Book of Life will be opened. And we will see, what is foretold to John, in Revelation 20, “During the time of final judgement day when all of the dead, both great and small, will stand before God‘s throne, the books will be opened and the dead will be judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books.” “The sea will give up it’s dead and death and the grave will give up their dead. All will be judged according to their deeds. Then death and the grave will be thrown into the lake of fire. This lake of fire is the second death. And anyone whose name is not found recorded in the Book of Life is thrown into the lake of fire.” Revelation 20:11-15 The good news is this, just like God sent an angel to Daniel, He sent Jesus to us! And Jesus saves everyone who believes, first the Jew then the Gentile. The blood of Christ washes us clean, and makes us right, in God's sight. And this is accomplished, from start to finish, by faith. As the scripture says, "it is through faith that a righteous person has life.” Romans 1:16-17 So hold on, Children of God! You do not belong to the Tree of Satan! You have been cut and grafted, into the Tree of the King of Righteousness. The Lord has seen your heart! He sees you from the inside out! There is nothing that can be hidden from the Eyes of God. Take his yoke. Trust and believe. The yoke of Christ is simple, it’s easy - and all it takes is to have a mustard seed of faith to believe that your story has already been written! I, like King Darius, not a king, but a humble servant, send this message into all the world - to the people of every race and every nation, Peace and prosperity to you! I believe that everyone throughout the world, on earth and in Heaven, should tremble with fear before the God of Daniel for He is the living God and he will endure forever! His Kingdom will never be destroyed and His rule will never end! He rescues and sees his people He performs miraculous signs, and wonders, in the heavens and on earth! He rescued Daniel from the power of the lions, and He has rescued us from the second death! Daniel 5 described
the Word of God coming alive through the fingers of a human hand. Mene Mene Tekel Parsin means our days are numbered, our choices are weighed, and all are measured against the plumb-line of God. Faith is the answer to our eternity. We either follow Christ faithfully, or we do not. Christ is the Advocate who stands in the courtroom of Heaven; at the right hand of God, and He makes intercession for elected - those who are written into the Book of Life. Opposing Him is our Prosecutor, Satan who has been assigned by God to point out the people who are hard-hearted - those godless and wicked "that did not see it fit to acknowledge God - so God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not be done." Romans 1:28 Satan will bring up every single sin a person committed when they were tempted by him - both sins that were known, and sins that were not! And if we stand before the Judge, without the covering of Yeshua's blood, then God will see every blemish and every stain that contaminates us, and will be but filthy rags to Him; completely an abomination - because He is pure and we are not! Yeshua will testify and bear witness to our faith. He will declare, “He knows Me, and I know him." "He is a faithful witnesses to a broken world, and he believed in all that I told." Jesus will say, “Look at his light, and see how it shines. He has been justified by faith, and sanctified - set apart for My work!” And He will say, “Look at His feet! He is not a divided man with one foot in iron and one in baked clay! No! His feet have been washed clean, and redeemed by the blood of Me!” Can’t you see, the finger in Daniel 5 is quite significant - it reminds us that God is alive and can appear at anytime! He is still writing on the wall of our hearts. He is still transforming and renewing our minds. The wall of that time was made of plaster, a pasty composition that dries when hardened. It represents the substance of our hearts. Do we let God in, or have we become hardened to Him? God's Word never returns void! Every Word that He writes surely comes to pass! And we can be assured, with a confident hope that what is written, by the lampstand, where everything hidden can be seen, will surely happen. This WORD is true, and trustworthy! “For there is nothing hidden, that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that, will not be made known - and brought to light.” Luke 8:17 I believe
the meaning behind Mene Mene Tekel Parsin that was written by human fingers in Daniel 5 is for every human to understand and gain wisdom. Mene Mene Tekel Parsin was written by the lampstand, over against the candlestick upon the plaster of the wall of the king's palace. Daniel 5:5 It was written for the king to see, and for the rest of his friends and his family. You see, "King Belshazzar was drinking his wine, and he gave orders to bring in the gold and the silver goblets that Nebuchadnezzar his father had taken from the temple in Jerusalem, so that the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines might drink from them. So they brought in the gold goblets that had been taken from the temple of God in Jerusalem, and the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines drank from them. As they drank the wine, they praised the gods of gold and silver, of bronze, iron, wood and stone." Daniel 5:2-4 "Suddenly, fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall, near the lampstand in the royal palace. The king watched the hand as it wrote. His face turned pale and he was so frightened that his legs became weak and his knees were knocking." Daniel 5:5-6 It does not surprise me - not one bit, that the Lord showed himself through writing on a wall. I mean... He is the WORD, after all! "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it." John 1:1-5 Do you remember, what Jesus said to Satan, when he was led by the Spirit into the wilderness? "It is written, Man is not to live on bread only. Man is to live by every word that God speaks.” Mark 4:4 Jesus also said, “It is written "You must not tempt the Lord your God” when the devil said, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. It is written, He has told His angels to look after You. In their hands they will hold You up. Then Your foot will not hit against a stone.” Mark 4:6-7 Everything created was done through the Word, some of it was said, and some of it was written. In fact, "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for instruction, for conviction, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, fully equipped for every good work." 2 Timothy 3:16 The psalmist said, "Let this be written for the generation to come, that a people not yet created may praise the LORD." Psalm 102:18 And Paul said, "For everything that was written in the past was written for our instruction, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures, we might have hope." Romans 15:4 So today, while I write down this poem, I am inspired by the written Word of God. The same Holy Spirit that spoke to the prophets, is the same Holy Spirit that lives inside you and me. What He told Habakkuk was not only for that time, Holy Spirit is real - and He is alive! "Write down this vision and clearly inscribe it on tablets, so that a herald may run with it." Habakkuk 2:2 You see, it is also written that we are to be Ambassadors for Christ - "All this is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, not counting men’s trespasses against them. And He has committed to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making His appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ: Be reconciled to God." 2 Corinthians 5:20 The Holy Spirit is the Paraclete, our Advocate who gives us strength. He is the same Spirit who picked Ezekiel up and He is the same Spirit who strengthened his prophets. God’s Spirit divided the light from the dark, and He is the One who separated heaven and earth. He is the Spirit who gave man his life, and Holy Spirit is the One who takes away breath. Holy Spirit watches over us and He decides when His servants prophecy. Holy Spirit is the Sword of God who extends from a man’s tongue when he has been called to defend the faith. "For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart." Hebrews 4:12 Holy Spirit resurrects the dead, and Holy Spirit gives us revelation and wisdom. Holy Spirit teaches us the Word, and helps us to understand the Holy Scripture. Holy Spirit can make fingers appear, apparently, out of nowhere. Holy Spirit brings reverential fear to those who are proud; and Holy Spirit guides us into all truth. Holy Spirit thinks, creates, speaks, and evaluates every thought that He has; He decides what is good and what is bad, and He chooses what is kept, what is replaced or what is erased. The Paraclete is our Comforter, but even more than that He is our Advocate who gives us gracious strength. He lives in the hearts and minds of men, who have been justified by Yeshua's blood. I don't believe that Mene Mene Tekel Parsin was just written for Daniel’s time. I believe this Word is still very much alive! And I don't believe it was written just for a king who was sinning through pride and idolatry. I believe Daniel's prophecy can be equally understood today - for we appear to be living in the end of the age. Mene Mene Tekel Parsin is meant for every man to see; it's a Word that can teach us great humility. It's a Word that must be displayed in the light! It's a Word that can not be understood in the dark. For all that have eyes to see, look closely to the meaning - each man has numbered days, and each man will take a final breath; each man will stand and be judged, and each man will want an Advocate! Each man will give an account for the choices they have made, in the courtroom of God. And Satan will be there to point his finger and accuse you of your sin - He will be waiting to take you down with him. But for those who chose Jesus, He will be your Advocate ready to testify to His blood that covers you. He is the plumb-line that will is used for measurement; He will be looking for a witness who has faith to believe in Him. He acquits every man that He defends, for He sits at the right hand of our father, God. "Everyone will have to give an account on the day of Judgment for every empty word they have spoken." Matthew 12:36 We will either stand whole again, through the royal bloodline of Christ, and enter in to the Kingdom of Heaven; or we will be a divided man who is not justified through the blood of Christ. And in this case, we will experience a second death through the lake of fire. "And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire." Revelation 20:12-15 On November 5th of 2020, this is what the Lord said to me,
“Babylon is coming, from the North. You will be surprised by what is unearthed. The United Nations will stake their claim by building their house upon sand. Monies exchanged will influence men, and greed and gore will rip open the land. Watch and see, what will come to be. Carnality will succeed. Humans will profane My great name, and false prophecy will be exclaimed. I will be taken out of government, while the Tower of Babel is being rebuilt. This time, I will allow men to destroy themselves, and this time I will be bringing My judgment down. You know me as the Lamb - the Son of Man who came to redeem the world. But you will see that I am King - the Lion of Judah who will soon stake My claim! You will have a time and a half to do My work, and reconcile the hearts of men. My ROAR will be heard all over the earth, look and listen for My voice. I am speaking in reverse. The scroll is being unrolled, to bring My Kingdom down from Heaven to earth. No one knows the day or the hour - Only the Father. The harvest is ripe. The workers are few. Now get up and walk - and do My work!” (Get Up and Pick Up Your Mat) I asked my Pastor what a time and half meant and he said, “One and a half years is 18 months. The number 18 in Hebrew is Chai and it means "To Come Alive". Not sure if that helps.” So today on November 28th, 2020, I am writing this down to remind myself to look again in 1 and 1/2 years, during the month of May, 2022. What could possibly happen then? It doesn’t seem possible that we could be near the end. I often wonder if my mind is playing tricks on me? Could my imagination be telling its own story? Maybe it’s possible that my addiction to scripture is creating a mirage of what is to come. But it seems so real when I’m spending time conversing with the Lord. It’s as if He is whispering in my ear while leading me to understand his parables and revelation. The year of 2020 brought so much clarity to who I am as a spirit being. At first it came as drops of rain, and then it expanding into a hail storm. Words began in December of 2019 right before The Year of Clarity. They came in the morning and dropped without warning, into my pen and onto my notepad. Then I remember, in March of 2020, I asked the Lord to take His words away, right after Covid hit. At first it was cool to hear from Him, but then I realized that I would need to exhibit great submission. What would the world think of me writing His warnings? What would people say when they heard me proclaiming the truth in love? They would certainly think that I was crazy. I even thought I was! And how would this affect my counseling business, or my job in the school district? What would they think if they saw my posts? Would they think I had gone off the deep end? And what about my friends, or my family? Would they hate me? Would they disown me? So the Lord honored my request, and for a short time, I did not hear from Him. But then - I felt all alone. My world became quiet, and I broke down. What had I done by choosing the fear of man over the fear of the Lord? I repented and asked for God to forgive me. And I asked for even more humility. Help me Jesus to not worry about man. Help me Jesus to speak the truth in love. The Lord immediately started to speak again, and I submitted myself fully under Him. Before the morning, His words were back, so I continued to write my blog, Breaking Strongholds. At that time, lawlessness broke out, when a cop from Minnesota kneeled on George Floyd’s neck. An organization called BLM took the opportunity to raise their fist. They began dividing black and white people across America with a hidden mission to pursue sexual perversion, an assault on men, and a social governance of Marxism. We soon saw peaceful protests in the streets, turning into violent mobs who demanded justice. Shortly after, we saw another violent outbreak, when the mob took over Portland. They issued an attack on the police, and once again, all in the name of social justice. It didn’t matter if it was black or white on the blue, the sole intent was to defund cops. Yes it is true we still have racism, where one color of skin seems to hate another. I just wish humans could stop looking at skin, and instead pay attention to the blood that runs through all of us. At this time, the Lord gave me three poems that titled "Hanging in the Balance," "Magnetic Movement" and "Centrifuge." I’m still trying to figure them out, but I believe it has something to do with the center of the earth. Oh my God! Holy Spirit - You did it again! I just looked up what this could mean. Wikipedia says, “In 1973, Andrew J. Woods, a physicist with Gulf Energy and Environmental Systems in San Diego, California, used a digital global map and calculated the coordinates on a mainframe system as 39°00′N 34°00′E, in modern-day Turkey, near the district of Kırşehir, Kırşehir Province, approx. 1,800 km north of Giza.” I can’t even begin to understand why the Lord continues to show me Turkey, and the possibility of a rising Caliphate. So then, after writing these poems, we saw America divided in half, into the republicans and the democrats. I felt a demonic presence coming through the Media, Education and the Government, and it was real thick in the Democratic Party. This is when the Lord showed me "The Jezebel Cake" that I recorded in my blog on 9/16. I also heard his "Roar" as he surveyed our land, and I heard him cry, “Oh, how the blood cries out!” Then he gave me a vision of the land, and I saw innocent blood shed from end to end. Then I saw a Return event that happened in Washington, and it reminded me of what God said about the remnant. God gave me a vision in 2018 of the woman with blood who grabbed the hem of Jesus's robe. I heard him say, “I am wringing out my remnant for one drop of my blood covers a multitude of sin.” So many Christians are rising up, ready to speak the truth in love as defenders of the faith. This was another call that I heard, in December of 2019. I heard you call your five-fold ministry instead of the church operating as a man of one. On March 11, 2020 the Lord gave me the poem, The World is MY Pulpit, and this is part of what he said, "Once again, they have made themselves a King! "One guy and his pulpit" has become the center of everything! Oh, how I grieve! Where is My body? (Where is my five-fold ministry?) Where are My apostles? Where are My prophets? Where are My pastors? Where are My teachers? Where are My evangelists? The work of the ministry is not done by one. To edify the body and bring unity of faith everyone must come! Then Jesus asked me to walk with him by writing poetic sermons as I followed him through the Book of Luke. During that time he showed me the East and said “this is the location from which I will come.” When I was done with Luke 24, you told me to prepare to open my mind. Then you directed me to the Book of Daniel through the prompting of a teaching by my pastor. And this reminded me of Luke 12:49-59 that you gave me in March of 2020. "You can tell the weather patterns but you can’t tell the season of when the Lord is coming back” - “Do you not know I endured a terrible baptism?” “Don’t you see the division happening - between hard hearted men and the children of God?” Then you reminded me of the warning you gave that described China, Italy and America. These three were given to me in March 2020, right before I asked you to stop giving me visions and dreams. You can read more about them in the blog entry titled, "The Wrath of God." Two of the countries were drowning in pride, but both came from two different kinds. China was following a communist dictator, while America had chosen a narcissistic ruler. Both were given authority to rule because of the culture and the people they served. America, in particular, was described as "division of the dead who choose their pride instead of God" and Italy was described as "the land of the statutes of statues and the walking blind." It wasn’t until the Summer of 2020 that I learned that Trump would find humility during the 2020 election. All men who turn to God’s sovereignty, through a heart of humility, will be restored and forgiven. And thank you Jesus for forgiving me, it only took a moment to become sober-minded. I will no longer be afraid of man. I will pick up your cross and be long-suffering. And I will hold my sword and be a defender of the faith. If I lose every person, then so be it. I choose to follow Jesus, the author and perfecter of my faith. In October of 2020, I decided not to move forward alone in my faith. I made a Facebook Maranatha page that was based in Authentic faith through the Words, "Lord Come." Believers who pursue the Word of God through solo scripture, would help me stay accountable; and just maybe I could be a blessing to them, by spurring on their faith, and encouraging them to walk boldly and confidently in their God-given gifts. In the first chapter of Daniel 1, God spoke to me about the North. “Pay attention to the north, this is an area that Abraham did not set up an altar, but he did so from the East, west and south." You can learn more about what I wrote in the blog post called Daniel 1: The North. Then, on November 1st, the Lord gave me vision of a rectangle of green that took the shape of a flag. And as if I blinked my eyes, the next scene was filled with a crescent moon with a single star. I almost forgot about the vision, but later on in the day, the Lord brought it right back. I asked a friend, another Woman of God, what she thought. Later that evening, she called me back. She said, “green with a white crescent moon and a star represented the original Ottoman Empire. Then, not too long right after that, another woman in the group sent me the very same thing. Then I saw a podcast on the Caliphate, and I immediately knew that I had to watch it. Then yesterday, I learned even more about the last Imam - who is believed to be in hiding, which is called “occultation.” This is when the Lord reminded me of a time and a half, and I wondered, “Will May of 2022 be the time of the rising caliphate?” Is this when the 12th Imam will try to create his global kingdom? Will we see a rebirth of the Ottoman Empire and the Islamic nation? Then I saw an image of a giant statue, but this time it was a giant shadow. Is the twelver state actually an occult, that stands between the background and the foreground? Have the 12 sons of Ishmael, and the 12 Imams, attempted to block the light that only comes from God? Has Satan devised a plan for them to stand between God and the sons of Jacob? Has the truth been intricately twisted, so that it almost looks the same? I believe we will see the Muslim nation growing in size, right before our very own eyes. The beheading we saw in France is just a small taste of what people of the Christian faith can expect. We will see persecution rising up, even from the ones who call themselves Christians of love. I believe we will see something resurrecting out of Turkey, and I believe they will be aided by the country of Iran. The North and the East of Jerusalem is where the Lord is telling me to look. I also believe the United Nations will add powder to the Islamic gun. I keep hearing in my ear, “Do not trust them." And all the while, America will proudly sit on their hands and smile, because they lack spiritual discernment. And if they speak, many will make it about American pride, instead of paying attention to the Middle East and the Land of Jacob. The Lord says, “pay attention to magnetic magnitude and centrifuge. There is something churning and turning at the center of the earth.” And it feels like radiation or radioactivity is seeping out.” The Lord took me back to the poems that I wrote but did not understand. In June 4th and June 6th of 2020, he gave me substance that I knew had meaning. It is only now that I see what the center of the earth actually means. I also now get what he meant when I said, “The outer spinner rotates around the inner spinner, but in the opposite direction. It opposes the first and is full of objection. The second is stubbornly slower than the first, but it is driven by ambitious thirst. It's mission is to oppose the inside light, and it does this by highlighting humanity’s plight. I see spinning wheels and the clicking of heels, and witchcraft veiling the truth revealed. I see confusion and illusion all around. I see stories being twisted by those who are allowed. I see denial and demise, and penetrating lies. I see hate and crime, and suspicious spies.” “I see friction in prediction, and contra indication. I see weak conviction and intense adulteration. I see redefinition and rationalization. I see magnetic pulls and devastation. I see bending down to iniquities, but I also see millions of hearts being set free. I see a dividing of souls, a plum line of sorts. A boundary that is divided by what it exhorts. I hear “Hemoglobin” and see crimson and white. I see gasping for breath, and oxygen taken from life. I see the bending of waves putting people in graves. I hear a crying generation wondering how it became enslaved. I see the angel telling Joseph to take Jesus and go, I hear “hide in Egypt until the blowing over of smoke.” “For the one who is opposed is coming for him, and he’s doing it through people like Herod the king.” “When all is safe, he will bring you back, to expose the truth and shout victorious!” “But in the midst of the twisted-ness, he is growing up the bold and courageous.” I see Satan stepping in with a big grin, firmly committed to suffocating men. I see super smart, slippery schemes playing off the loftiness of men’s dreams. In an effort to grab onto hope, the oppressed and possessed will reach out to grab Satan's rope. But when they pull, the truth will be revealed. He will laugh in their face and say, “Look at how easily you yield.” He will then look at Jesus and point down at you, and say, “This man is a fraud! He never knew you!” Jesus will know just what to say, when the accuser of the brethren makes his final play. In the heavenly court, where all are people are judged, Jesus will ask you, “How much did you trust?” "How much faith did you have?" |