September 2017
Ok, here is something for all you gifted in reading prophetic signs. As you know often a spiritual/prophetic message is extractable from a natural event. We (in Santa Clarita Valley) are under a smoke advisory from a very rare- city of Los Angeles wildfire that is greatly spreading and causing evacuations all over.
Here are your prophetic cues. The fire is in the Verdugo Mountains which are a detached segment of the San Gabriel Mountains. It is the largest fire EVER in the city of Los Angeles. No fire has been in the area in 45 years. The word Verdugo means "executioner". Coincidentally, yesterday the Los Angeles Dodgers had their top prospect make his debut. It has been long-awaited as he is expected to be a star. His name is Alex Verdugo and he is 21 years old. The name Alex means "defender".
I do have some thoughts but wanted to throw this out there for external input. Perhaps we can get some collective prophetic insight. You can add other details of significance you discover.
Can I be honest and say that all of our prayers and declarations against Hurricane Irma did not really prove we are carrying a whole lot of authority over the weather?! Same with our "accessing the courts of heaven" and ruling from those decrees? Our show of united force was remarkable in the thousands that joined in- but a bit pitiful in desired results. Are our assumptive formulas perhaps not as intact as we are stating they are? Are we willing to ask the deeper, harder questions and see if there is insight into missing pieces of the puzzle? Believe me, I was praying and declaring with the best of you- but I was also aware of other correlating matters that are hard to ignore and that we must look at. Some of those I will have out in a podcast Elizabeth and I did yesterday that will be out momentarily and that I hope many of you get to see and hear. Meanwhile grace, grace, grace to all those affected by the storms. A great good will come from all of this as our good and kind God releases redemptive plans for every single devastating story. That's just who He is.
Stunning all that is going on, with Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, Jose, Maria, Mexico earthquakes, Trump's UN speech, "peace talks" with Israel and Palestinians, healthcare bill, Rosh Hashanah 5778, etc. There is much to revisit over the next few days. For now- our prayers go out to Mexicans still in the throes of their earthquakes, Puerto Ricans in the throes of Maria (and so many Caribbean islands). Be assured, God has not lost His place on the throne and this is not "the end of days" - only "the end of days as we know it". He is coming TO us not FOR us. As He does it is a time for the righteous to be as bold as lions so that maximum redemption value for it all can take place. Among other dynamics- we are experiencing massive birthing pains from a monumental kingdom "birthing" that is taking place. Yes, it is appropriate for everyone to take personal soul and spirit inventory- then, take heart and yield to love and courage at every turn. Angels and miracles are about to be part of everyday life.
Did ALL my Facebook friends also get "left behind!?" Well, I am secretly/not-so-secretly hoping certain "prophecy experts" did get raptured... If not get used to "the rapture drill" as it will happen again soon enough- as one of them will discover yet another opportunity to extract dollars from the spiritually undiscerning/gullible. When you have a ministry built exclusively on rapture attention/exploitation, then the only way of maintaining economic viability/excess is through creating "fake raptures". Expect a forthcoming "18 Reasons the Rapture is in 2018", by some opportunistic "prophecy expert", who has been "rapturing" bucks from peoples' wallets for years. It will get him a guaranteed million in book sales- and probably much more. That is when you know you are a "prophecy expert."
Hey, church, we are not helping the reconciliatory discourse. Here is a thought- if "taking a knee" means we are not where we need to be as it relates to racial relations and racial justice matters then maybe it is not an "anti-American" sentiment. However, if "taking a knee" means "I hate the USA" and "I disrespect our military" then of course that is an undesirable negative action. Wouldn't it be perhaps best to hear why someone is "taking a knee" before judging how right or wrong it is?
I fear that especially among white leadership we continue to miss opportunities to unite rather than divide. As one who has researched in-depth on the matter, let me just point out that it has to be considered nothing short of miraculous for any black in America to not have at minimum "mixed feelings" about our "Judeo-Christian" roots and our "founding fathers" original declarations, constitutions, and anthems.
It was the partnership of both of these that declared that a black man was worth 3/5ths of a white man and that fought against the abolition of slavery. It was doctrinally defended as an extension of "predestination" (i.e. the black man was predestined BY GOD to serve the white man!). For better than 200 years in America it was "Christians" who were MOST against slaves being set free and they violently defended their right to enslave. The atheists knew that the black man shouldn't be enslaved- but the "Christians" did not.
Our revivalists "heroes" Jonathan Edwards and George Whitfield were not only slave owners but opposers to the abolition movement in America. During their "Great Awakening" tour George Whitfield is directly the reason the state of Georgia returned to slavery after having banned slavery. George Whitfield told the state that they would not be blessed economically until they returned to having black slaves - because that was the predestined lot God had assigned them in life. He intensely campaigned for the abolition of slavery to be overturned so he himself could purchase slaves for HIS plantation. You ever wonder why blacks aren't looking for the next George Whitfield or Jonathan Edwards- and if they say they are, how much they are having to overlook?
So yes blacks need to forgive our forefathers/us and quit holding grudges, but how many of you whites knew this part of your history? Furthermore, today we still have laws, ordinances, justice procedures, and sentencing guidelines that show systemic racial bias. I write about some of these in my "7 Mountain Renaissance" book. Racism of the heart is the responsibility of the individual and cannot be dealt with by-laws. However, racism that is built into the judicial system must be discovered and eradicated because it is unjust and it can be eliminated. Justice matters.
To those who "take a knee" for that- I am with you. For those of you uncomfortable that I am again talking about "black and white issues" please understand these issues will never go away by simply pretending they don't exist. It is like ignoring teeth with cavities- they don't get better. It is also not about again "feeling bad" about our history of slavery. For those who care to really research there are identifiable matters, we can actually reform today.
It is way beyond better treatment by the police and perhaps Black Lives Matters has harmed the narrative from that standpoint. Good cops don't drop 50% unemployment rates of inner cities. Good cops don't improve schools and raise illiteracy rates. Good cops don't turn prisons into the actual rehabilitation centers they are supposed to be. Good cops don't provide guaranteed competent legal defense etc. etc. Good cops, at least don't add insult to injury- but they do not fix that which is broken. I am again calling all ministers of reconciliation to arise and shine. Jesus is still saying "Blessed are the peacemakers". We don't have to keep taking the divisive bait. Reformers must also be Reconcilers. We are better than this and we can do better than this.