“1Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. 2Then I, [a]John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. 4And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”5Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said [b]to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.”6And He said to me, “It[c] is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. 7He who overcomes [d]shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son.” (Revelation 21)
Today is the 8th day of God’s holy day of Tabernacles. In Scripture it is referred to as the day of a “solemn assembly” (Leviticus 23). This is the only one of God’s holidays that has an 8th day, which of course stands out because there are not eight days in the week. This is indeed significant and not to be overlooked.
It is my theory (after all, no one really knows) that this 8th day follows the Millennial reign of Christ. Thus, upon Jesus’ Second Coming when His garments are dipped in blood and Satan is thrown into prison (Revelation 20), He fulfills Tabernacles by dwelling among us physically as well as ruling and reigning. But, the 8th day of Tabernacles will not yet be fulfilled. That is a special day, a separate day. The “solemn” day of assembly will likely come in Revelation 21 when the New Heavens and the New Earth will appear, and the Holy City the New Jerusalem shall descend out of heaven. Revelation 21 states in verse 3 and 5a, “And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and god himself shall be with them, and be their God…And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new.”
Even as we can equate the fulfillment of Tabernacles as being Christ’s soon coming Millennial reign, the 8th day of Tabernacles will be fulfilled at the end of the Millennium when all is made new and God will dwell with us forever. In other words, the 8th day is the new beginning of forever, an eternity that we know nothing about except that it is spent in the presence of the Most High in perfect majesty and holiness and is unending. Oh what a day, glorious day that will be!
How incredible! May this blow your mind today and fill you with hope and joyful expectation!
“13You have a mighty arm; Strong is Your hand, and high is Your right hand. 14Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; Mercy and truth go before Your face. 15Blessed are the people who know the joyful sound! They walk, O Lord, in the light of Your countenance. 16In Your name they rejoice all day long, And in Your righteousness they are exalted. 17For You are the glory of their strength, And in Your favor our [c]horn is exalted. 18For our shield belongs to the Lord, And our king to the Holy One of Israel.” (Psalm 89:13-18)
pic from againstdoubt.com (Joshua and the Battle of Jericho)
Okay Church! We have a part to play right now, and it’s not to roll over and play dead or to be oblivious or to pretend that nothing is happening! This time right now is just like the time when the children of Israel marched around Jericho. Just as the Israelites had been commissioned to march around Jericho once a day for six days and then seven times on the seventh day followed by the blowing of the seven trumpets accompanied by great shouts, even so, we as Christians are called to warfare prayer right now. We are called to march and keep on marching, to press on and press in even when we don’t know how it’s going to help nor understand its significance. The Lord says we are wrestling against “the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Ephesians 6:12). And yet, the battle belongs to the Lord (2 Chronicles 20:15), and we are mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds (2 Corinthians 10). Jesus gave us authority in His name and said that we would trample on serpents and scorpions (Matthew 10 and Luke 10).
There is great warfare right now in America and the world. Persecution and martyrdom is dramatically on the rise from Eritrea to China to Nigeria to Ethiopia to Australia and even here in the United States of America (sources below). In California, Pastor Jack Hibbs of Calvary Chapel Chino Hills has called his congregation to a week of fasting and prayer for California and the nation. And Pastor Dana Coverstone of Kentucky has called on America’s churches to pray harder than they’ve ever prayed and in agreement in the month of September specifically (https://holylight4u.wordpress.com/2020/07/22/pastor-coverstones-dream-of-a-solemn-september-assembly-arise-my-bride/), and is co-leading a two days of prayer/fasting event beginning tonight in Austin, Texas. We are living in unprecedented times, which calls for unprecedented prayer, no matter what month we are in when you read this.
Often Christians will helplessly say, “I guess all I can do is pray.” We never seem to get it through our heads that prayer is powerful. It is our part to play, just like marching was the Israelite’s part to play. They could have said, “I guess all we can do is march;” “I guess all we can do is blow our seven trumpets even though seven is not a lot.” “I guess all we can do is shout with our weak voices.” All they could do?!!!! Do we not know how important our part to play is? Do we not understand the power of obedience? Have we believed the deception of the devil that we have nothing to give and that prayer is weak and unimportant? Did you know that when we avoid prayer or are too busy to pray, we are missing out on the important role God has for us to play and the incredible rush of victory that comes with it.
Seriously, GET UP CHRISTIAN. Get up in your spirit. Jesus said, when you see all these things begin to come to pass, to get up! Rise up, and lift up your eyes! So, arise in your spirit. This is your hour to shine. Arise and shine, for your light has come and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you! (Isaiah 60:1). Get up from your crouching, defensive position, your position of defeat and weakness, and rise to an offensive position on the battlefield of the Lord! Now is the time to charge! No weapon formed against you will prosper and every tongue that rises against you in judgement YOU shall condemn!!! (Isaiah 54:17). This is your heritage. Get your holy dander up! Pick up that sword of the Spirit and use it!!!
I speak to the battle weary, the physically weary. Rise up! Fight on! Press on! Do not be weary in well doing, for in the end you will reap a harvest if you faint not (Galatians 6:9). Persist. You can do all thingsIN Christ who strengthens you! (Philippians 4:13).
To those who are afraid of what is coming, Fear Not! Christ has overcome the world, and we have too by faith! (John 16:33; 1 John 5:4). Those who seek to save their lives will lose their lives (Luke 17:33). So, do not seek to preserve your life. Surrender all to the Savior. Choose to trust, and remember the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but are mighty through God! God has not given you a spirit of fear, but of power, love and a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7). “1 The LORD is my light and my salvation— whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life— of whom shall I be afraid? 2 When the wicked advance against me to devour me, it is my enemies and my foes who will stumble and fall. 3 Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then I will be confident” (Psalm 27:1-3).
“12 From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been subjected to violence, and violent people have been raiding it,” (Matthew 11:12). This is a passage that most read over quickly, and if they were to say a thing about its meaning they would consider it in a negative light. So, let’s briefly take a look at it.
The word for “subjected to violence” biazo (#971), is all about pressing in and “laying hold of something with positive aggressiveness” to seek it with intensity and zeal. This word is only used twice in the New Testament and is always positive. The Greek word for a “violent” person is of one who shows “positive assertiveness; used of the believer living in faith (“God’s inworked persuasions”) guiding and empowering them to act forcefully.” And what are these eagerly assertive ones putting all of their energy into? Snatching the Kingdom. They are snatching quickly and forcefully and openly. The word is harpazo (#726), which is the word for rapture.
Truly this is a powerful, overlooked passage, and it is time that we understand it. It appears that Jesus is teaching us that the Kingdom is obtained by those who pursue it eagerly, zealously, with great effort, and energetically. It is not for the timid, the distracted, the faint of heart, nor the laze fair (easy come, easy go). The way that many pursue pleasure and vacations and sports is the way we are to pursue the heavenly Kingdom.
The children of Israel who had just crossed Jordan, like Caleb and Joshua, were men and woman of zeal and energy who pursued the Promise Land in faith that God would keep His promise, that He would fight for them, that He would do what He said. The Promise Land was not free. God did not do all the work for the Israelites. He wanted them to stand in faith and in agreement with His plan to go up and take the land and visit judgment on those living in Canaan whose cup of iniquity was full (Genesis 15:16). And so Joshua, Caleb and other mighty men of valor marched in unquestioning faith.
Will we march in faith around these walls of Jericho in our lives, in our locked up churches, in our locked down states, in our crumbling, depraved nation, in the looming new world order? Are we doing our part by praying in zealous, relentless faith?
One day a great war will break out in heaven. Indeed, it could be happening as I write. It’s timing one cannot tell. Revelation 12 relates this, “7 Then war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. 8 But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. 9 The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.” Satan will finally be thrust out, and all those principalities and powers we’ve been wrestling with in spiritual hand-to-hand combat will be thrust out too. As they are being forcefully expelled, we are forcefully entering in. Can you see it? The picture is one of incredible precision and perfect timing. They are expelled; we are entering!
So, just like when watching your favorite team in the last seconds of the game when the score is tied and your team steals the ball, rise to your feet and shout!!!! For God in all His glory has risen from His throne, and the angels are clad in battle gear with flashing swords clashing. Time to shout, Bride! It’s time to arise!!! The shout of the King is among us!!!!
May we with this in mind, zealously press in to the Kingdom, pray without ceasing and with great fervor, and with every fiber of our being forcefully advance like the Israelites into the Promise Land. Our part may seem small, but do not despise small beginnings (Zechariah 4:10). Just get to marching, shout when it’s time, and see the walls come a tumbling down! This is not political. This is spiritual. We are not defeated! The war is already won! But we must march. We must shout. So, pray with me; pray in the thick of the battle; pray, pray, pray. And, remember, our God has given us the victory!!!
If we have already repented and wept between the porch and the alter (Joel 1-2), then it is time to shout! Let out a shout, Body and Bride of Christ! “…The LORD their God is with them; the shout of the King is among them,” Numbers 23:21b. Indeed, when God is for us, who can be against us? (Romans 8:35). Hallelujah!!!!!
Pastor Dana Coverstone has had countless dreams over the last few months. They all are quite dark, dismal, and extremely intense. Like an epic film on the theater screen, they unfold with action and great drama. Nearly every time he relates the scenes of his dreams, he appears very saddened and almost apologetic for the darkness of his dreams. Though they are not sinister in any way, they do contain a great deal of weighty information that is beyond potent for both the dreamer and the one hearing about the dream. He does not attempt to interpret; he merely lays out what was presented. Truly, a lot of what he dreams does not need interpretation, for it appears quite self-explanatory.
That being said, I have found myself very tentative about the near future because of his dreams. After all, they either have or are coming to pass. And though I hope that the Lord will take His bride home soon—for is that not our blessed hope?–He may also allow His bride to go through some tumultuous times. I felt suddenly very uncertain. Not fearful. Actually, yes. Fearful. I get so sick and tired of people saying they are not afraid when everything they say and do means they are indeed afraid. So, yes, I was almost panicked at first. But that transitioned to uncertainty and being deeply troubled.
However, I must share that TODAY God shed His light over Pastor Coverstone’s dreams, and when He did so, I saw them very and incredibly differently. Things became clearer, and color flooded the black and white picture I’d seen before the light. What did I see? Here it is as succinctly as I can put it: Psalm 9.
“(To the chief Musician upon Muthlabben, A Psalm of David.) I will praise thee, O LORD, with my whole heart; I will shew forth all thy marvellous works.2 I will be glad and rejoice in thee: I will sing praise to thy name, O thou most High.3 When mine enemies are turned back, they shall fall and perish at thy presence.4 For thou hast maintained my right and my cause; thou satest in the throne judging right.5 Thou hast rebuked the heathen, thou hast destroyed the wicked, thou hast put out their name for ever and ever.6 O thou enemy, destructions are come to a perpetual end: and thou hast destroyed cities; their memorial is perished with them.7 But the LORD shall endure for ever: he hath prepared his throne for judgment.8 And he shall judge the world in righteousness, he shall minister judgment to the people in uprightness.9 The LORD also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble.10 And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, LORD, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.11 Sing praises to the LORD, which dwelleth in Zion: declare among the people his doings.12 When he maketh inquisition for blood, he remembereth them: he forgetteth not the cry of the humble.13 Have mercy upon me, O LORD; consider my trouble which I suffer of them that hate me, thou that liftest me up from the gates of death:14 That I may shew forth all thy praise in the gates of the daughter of Zion: I will rejoice in thy salvation.15 The heathen are sunk down in the pit that they made: in the net which they hid is their own foot taken.16 The LORD is known by the judgment which he executeth: the wicked is snared in the work of his own hands. Higgaion. Selah.17 The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God.18 For the needy shall not alway be forgotten: the expectation of the poor shall not perish for ever.19 Arise, O LORD; let not man prevail: let the heathen be judged in thy sight.20 Put them in fear, O LORD: that the nations may know themselves to be but men. Selah.”
God has prepared His throne for judgment. What is about to take place in America is God’s judgment. The enemy may think he’s in charge of this, and his puppet secret societies may think they are pulling their own strings, but God is sovereign over all. And via Pastor Coverstone’s dreams, He has revealed that He is “sifting out the hearts of men before His judgment seat” (Lyrics from “the Battle Hymn of the Republic”). He is remembering the blood of the unborn that has been crying out like the blood of Abel. And those reprobates who think they are invincible and that God has not seen their grave sin, are about to sink into the very pit that they dug for others and are about to fall prey to the trap that they set for the innocent and unsuspecting. They will be snared by the work of their own hands.
This is about to happen to the Democrat party that is drenched in the blood of the unborn, stained by the sex slave trade and pedophilia, and drenched in the foul debauchery of unjust scales, to the violent, godless BLM that does not care at all about the African American community but instead has been all about murder and mayhem and destruction for years, to those leaders who are legally and financially persecuting the churches in America right now, to ministers who have shamed the body of Christ through false doctrine and false prophecies and have blasphemed the name of Christ through word and action. It is these who will soon be judged according to Pastor Coverstone’s dreams. It is these who will fall into their own traps, sink into their own pits, and fall prey to their own schemes.
Does this sound harsh? Please, re-read Psalm 9. For that matter, re-read Psalm 18, Psalm 96, Psalm 98 and Psalm 27, and how about Malachi and Jeremiah and Daniel and Jude and Revelation. Let’s make sure we keep all of this in perspective – A Biblical perspective – God’s perspective.
And right now, God is calling His people to pray for the harvest, for the body of Christ to have a backbone, and for corruption in government and corruption in the Church to be exposed. He wants us to pray in agreement with Him. He does not want us confused; He does not want us questioning what is happening. He wants us informed, empowered and in agreement with what He is about to do. He wants our lights burning and for us to have extra oil so that they do not go out.
Is Jesus coming soon? Yes.
Is His return immanent? Yes.
Will we be going through what Pastor Coverstone saw in his dreams through January? I have no idea!
But again, in keeping our perspective Biblical, if we are here for the unveiling of those dreams, then we will get to stand back and see the judgment of the Lord poured out on putrid, blood-guilty politicians, lying false prophets, deceptive false teachers, and demonically-inspired protestors.
So, let’s not be disheartened at the details of these dreams, for they reveal the judgment and power of God against unrighteousness in various groups of people. He has let us in on His plan just as He always does (Amos 3:7). Therefore, we as Christians are not to be afraid. He is not coming to judge Christians nor will He abandon them. He is the Christian’s refuge! However, through these dreams He is stirring Christians to be prepared. No, not with food and water, although that is not a bad thing to do. I mean to be prepared spiritually, prayerfully, in all holiness and godliness, that we might shine forth like stars to this godless and crooked generation (Philippians 2:15) and that we might be ready for the trumpet of the Lord to sound! (1 Thessalonians 4-5).
I will close with these verses of Psalm 9, “I will praise thee, O LORD, with my whole heart; I will shew forth all thy marvellous works.2 I will be glad and rejoice in thee: I will sing praise to thy name, O thou most High…8 And he shall judge the world in righteousness, he shall minister judgment to the people in uprightness.9 The LORD also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble.10 And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, LORD, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.11 Sing praises to the LORD, which dwelleth in Zion: declare among the people his doings.”
Rest in this, and keep on singing. And just like Peter when he walked upon the water, as long as he looked at Jesus he was fine (Matthew 14:23-33). As soon as he looked down at the waves tossed about by hostile winds he began to sink. Those waves were there when he wasn’t looking; they are very real waves, very scary waves, very choppy waves, and the wind was very contrary. The same holds true for the dreams of Coverstone; they are real; they are dark and dismal; they have come and are coming to pass. But, when Peter kept his eyes on Jesus all was well. This was not denial. This was all about Peter keeping his eyes on the Ruler of the wind and waves, the very Maker of the sea, on the only One who mattered. And indeed, the same holds true for us now regarding what is coming. We must keep our eyes on Jesus, our coming King, and all will be well. These bad things will not go away, just like the waves didn’t, but Jesus is still the only One who matters, the One who provides for our every need, the One who is our strength, the One who will never leave us nor forsake us (Deuteronomy 31:6; Hebrews 13:5). And when God is for us, who can be against us? (Romans 8:31). Truly, our God reigns! His Kingdom come! His will be done on earth as it is in heaven! So be it! Come quickly, Lord Jesus! The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come!”
Incredibly we are in the days of the “counting of the omer” on God’s biblical calendar. The counting of the omer begins on Resurrection Sunday and counts up to the number 50, thus landing on Pentecost. It was in that time that Jesus appeared unto many of His disciples and revealed the Scripture to them and how He as the Word had fulfilled the word. They were often behind closed doors, hiding for fear of the Jews, and it was during that time of “self-isolation” that Jesus visited them. Then on day 40, Jesus ascended. For 10 days the disciples closed themselves completely away and gathered together in prayer, set their affairs in order and sought God’s face. They knew that Pentecost was coming, and that something special was just around the corner.
We are in those days right now. We too are in self-isolation. We too are behind closed doors. We too are to be reading God’s word, seeking His face, and be agreeing in prayer with one another for Pentecost that is soon to come. We are in the counting up of the omer. We are on day 5 today with 45 more to go. In spite of the Enemy’s plans, we are called to remember that something good is about to happen. It is imperative that we seriously humble ourselves before our great God and Savior, and prepare our hearts before Him, for He is coming SOON.
It is interesting to note that once the Jewish bride’s dress was made, she always slept in it, for she never knew exactly when her Bridegroom might appear suddenly. She would know the signs of his return to her, but not the when. So, even when she went to bed at night, she would be ready. Thus, Paul writes in Ephesians 5, that we are to be without spot and without wrinkle. Since the Bride always wore her dress, it was important that she keep it clean and wrinkle free. She did not want to look unkempt when her bridegroom arrived! Even so, we as the Bride of Christ must keep our spiritual dress white and wrinkle free, as we eagerly anticipate the coming of our Bridegroom!And the way we do this is via the washing of the Word!
God is calling us to repentance and preparation as the Church, to use this time of quarantine and isolation as a time to seek God’s face, to read God’s word, to get our hearts right before Him; the time is NOW!
Be blessed as you view the video links below. God is moving around the world. Time now for Americans/Canadians to not “protest” but pray in the streets like these!!! Time to rend our hearts and not our garments, to blow the trumpet in Zion, to sound the alarm in God’s holy mountain, to assemble ourselves in prayer (Joel 2). Time to get ready, for even as the Enemy is setting in place his new world order, one world economy, globalist system, with military strategically being placed around the country, and the mark of the beast waiting in the wings, Jesus is calling His people to repent and be prepared for His soon return!! Come Quickly LORD Jesus!!!!! The Spirit and the Bride say COME!!!!
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Oh that we of the West would look like this as the body of Christ, humble, broken, and desperate for God’s touch!!! God is moving in Brazil!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfGWFxL6ZSc