Speak! Ezekiel 11:3-12

Let’s head to the most hotly contested property on the planet. From where I sit it’s about 6,500 miles east, where missiles are flying overhead.

But let’s dial back to a time before missiles, about 2,618 years to September 17, 592 B.C. and pick up where we left off in Ezekiel’s vision with the Lord and His Cherubim Chariot hovering over the Eastern Gate of the temple in Jerusalem.

Ezekiel was physically a captive in Babylon (500 miles east), but in vision the Lord carried him back to Jerusalem.

There He showed Ezekiel twenty-five princes (political leaders), and said, these are those who devise iniquity and give wicked counsel...

³ who say, ‘The time is not near to build houses; this city is the caldron, and we are the meat.

Saying, “the time is not near to build houses...” was a perversion and inversion, of what God said through His prophet Jeremiah.

For forty years (626-586 BC) Jeremiah warned Judah that because of their wicked ways judgement was coming.

Judgement came in three sieges by Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar:

605 BC. Daniel and friends were among those taken captive.

597 BC. Ezekiel was among those taken.

586 BC. The third siege resulted in the destruction of Jerusalem. It’s the one Ezekiel repeatedly warned about.

SIDENOTE:

In my scribblings, calculating the timelines, I noticed something interesting. 

It was 47 years from 586 BC to 539 BC, when King Cyrus of Persia (modern day Iran) conquered Babylon. Then, Cyrus set the captives free.

Note: 2026 – 1979 = 47 years of Persian (Iranian) captivity, by the Islamic regime.  Currently, Epic Fury & Roaring Lion, are setting the captives free per #47 President Trump.

Previously, many compared Trump to Cyrus because he recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and moved the US Embassy there. This is just one more coincidence.

Or are we witnessing the Hand of Providence?

Okay, back to our text:

Saying, “the time is not near to build houses...” was a perversion and inversion, of what God was saying through His prophet Jeremiah.

Jeremiah said:

Jeremiah 29:4-7
Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all who were carried away captive, whom I have caused to be carried away from Jerusalem to Babylon:

⁵ Build houses and dwell in them; plant gardens and eat their fruit. ⁶ Take wives and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, so that they may bear sons and daughters—that you may be increased there, and not diminished. ⁷ And seek the peace of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray to the Lord for it; for in its peace you will have peace.

Notice that even though they were taken captive to a foreign land hundreds of miles from home, God still expected them to act right. To be productive. Build houses, plant gardens, pursue peace and pray for the place they were in.

For in its peace, you will have peace.

What? But! They’re our enemy!

Love your enemy, Jesus said, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, pray for those who spitefully use and persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven.  Matt. 5:43-45.

Besides, their enemy was their own fault. They abandoned God, so He allowed Babylon to discipline them.

However, God didn’t abandon Israel, ever. Never has, never will. 

In His mercy and compassion, He told them how they should live through the captivity.

Bloom where you’re planted. Get married, have kids, be fruitful and multiply. Do justly, love mercy, walk humbly, with your God. Micah 6:8.

We should follow their example and expect the same from others.

Home. Take care of the place you’re in, make the most of what God’s given.

Visitor. Leave the place better than you found it. That honors God and reflects well on Him to others.  

Immigrants. Be respectful and grateful, you are a visitor. If pursuing Citizenship, remember, it is a gift that involves assimilation not infiltration or invasion. You need to be a productive member of society, adding to, not a parasite stealing from. Do not listen to those who devise iniquity and give wicked counsel. They are using you as fodder for their waste, fraud and abuse.    

Increase, not decrease.

Don’t sit idle, waiting for exile to end. It’s going to be awhile, seventy years is what the Lord told them through Jeremiah (Jeremiah 29:10).

The Lord tells us, and them, through times of discipline, know I haven’t forgotten or forsaken you. Stay the course. Continue to show the integrity and character of a child of the King.

Jeremiah 29:11
For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.

But those wicked princes that devise iniquity and give wicked counsel perverted the words of the Lord saying that building buildings in Babylon is bogus; this city is the caldron, and we are the meat.

This city is our oyster and we are the pearl.

We’re safe and sound as stew in a cast iron kettle.

Why do you think God left us here? Because we’re the meat, the muscle, the might of Jerusalem.

Don’t worry, be happy, eat, drink and be merry. We are JerUSAlem, JerUSAlem, God shed His grace on we.

So, God sent Zeke to speak Truth to those devisers of iniquity, those wicked counsel givers.

 ⁴ Therefore prophesy against them, prophesy, O son of man!” ⁵ Then the Spirit of the Lord fell upon me, and said to me, “Speak! ‘Thus says the Lord:

Then the Spirit of the Lord fell upon me... an Old Testament version of being filled with the Holy Spirit.

Prophecy, prophecy, speak!

Back in that day, God spoke through prophets.

Hebrews 1:1-2, God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, ² has in these last days spoken to us by His Son...”

God can speak however He wants. Audibly, outwardly, inwardly, mentally, a sudden knowing or impression... through a donkey.

Since the coming of His Holy Spirit, (Acts 2) He primarily speaks Spirit to spirit. His to ours.  

He is heard with Spiritual ears, not so much flesh and blood physical ones.

Normally, only those listening hear Him. (Romans 10:17). Jesus often said, “He who has ears to hear let them hear.” He is talking about spiritual hearing.

Jesus said My sheep hear, and know, My Voice. John 10:4.

Jesus is the Word became flesh. John 1:14.

The better we know His Word, the better we will know His Voice. John 10:5.   

This week someone asked how to hear God, literally (physically).

We talked about how the woman at the well asked questions about literal physical worship. Do we worship God in the temple or here on this mountain?  

Jesus told her: "True worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” John 4:23-24.

So, communicating with God is literally communicating with Him "Spiritually".

Rarely will we hear Him with physical, flesh and blood, ears.

Because, God is Spirit, and so are we. (You are a spirit you have a soul and live in a body).

God told Zeke to speak. “Thus saith the Lord...”

Anyone speaking for the Lord must speak the Words of the Lord.

“Thus you have said, O house of Israel; for I know the things that come into your mind.

God heard not only their words, but their thoughts, and told Ezekiel about it.

Would that freak you out a little bit?

Thus, you have said O Church in the Clubhouse... And this is what you were thinking.

Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. Luke 6:45.

Lord, fill our heart with You, so our tongue will be too.

The Slain

 ⁶ You have multiplied your slain in this city, and you have filled its streets with the slain.” ⁷ Therefore thus says the Lord God: “Your slain whom you have laid in its midst, they are the meat, and this city is the caldron; but I shall bring you out of the midst of it

God announces a death sentence on Jerusalem. Because of their murderous wickedness, the city will turn into a graveyard.

The meat of a graveyard is the slain.

Notice: what they said, and thought, led to what they did.

Devising iniquity and giving wicked counsel...leads to evil deeds.

God not only heard their words and saw their deeds but also heard and answered the blood of the slain crying out to Him.

God avenges the dead.

America, don’t be arrogant, the blood of over 63 million babies cries out against you.

God’s mercy is beyond comprehension.  

We see here a prophecy of the destruction of Jerusalem by Babylon about six years before it happened, and a foreshadow of it happening again in 70 AD as prophesied by Jesus in Matthew 23:29-39:

²⁹ “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous, ³⁰ and say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.’

³¹ “Therefore you are witnesses against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. ³² Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers’ guilt. ³³ Serpents, brood of vipers! How can you escape the condemnation of hell? ³⁴ Therefore, indeed, I send you prophets, wise men, and scribes: some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from city to city, ³⁵ that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. ³⁶ Assuredly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.

³⁷ “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! ³⁸ See! Your house is left to you desolate; ³⁹ for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’ ”

The Sword

 ⁸ You have feared the sword; and I will bring a sword upon you,” says the Lord God. ⁹ “And I will bring you out of its midst, and deliver you into the hands of strangers, and execute judgments on you. ¹⁰ You shall fall by the sword.

What they feared came upon them. Job 3:25.

Live by the sword, die by the sword. Matt. 26:52.

They may not have swung the sword physically, but they did by proxy and Divine Justice lets them know they will reap what they’ve sown.

A bit like the terrorist Islamic regime and proxies are experiencing today.

Judgement at the border

I will judge you at the border of Israel. Then you shall know that I am the Lord. ¹¹ This city shall not be your caldron, nor shall you be the meat in its midst. I will judge you at the border of Israel. ¹² And you shall know that I am the Lord; for you have not walked in My statutes nor executed My judgments, but have done according to the customs of the Gentiles which are all around you.” ’ ”

Twice here we see the Lord’s favorite phrase in Ezekiel, mentioned over 70 times: “you shall know that I am the Lord.”

O how He longs for all to know Him as personal Savior and Lord.

All will know. Every knee will bow and confess, Jesus Christ is Lord. Isaiah 45:23, Philippians 2:10-11.

However, there's a huge difference between knowing He is Lord and knowing Him as Lord.

Here, these bow at the border; they’ve crossed from Promise Land to Judgement Day.

There’s a border, once crossed there’s no turning back. All who reach that point will know He is Lord, but, sadly, won’t know Him as Lord.

They will know Him as Judge.  Matt. 10:28. Hebrews 10:29-31.

Modern Day, Devising Iniquity And Giving Wicked Counsel:

Friends, in a perfect world this would be a wonderful place to pause and pray and say good until next time. However, this world is not perfect, and missiles aren’t only targeting Israel—there are fiery arrows from the wicked one flying toward us, especially our youth.

Two of the deadliest deceptions deployed lately are: 

Rejecting Sola Scriptura (the inerrancy of Scripture).

Replacement Theology.                                

WARNING: Those doing the most damage are disguised as angels of light. Wolves in sheep’s clothing. Folks like Tucker Carlson, Candace Owens, Steve Bannon, Nick Fuentes, talk about Jesus, have the Bible propped in the background of their livestreams, scroll the Apostle’s Creed, speak Christianese. But their message is divisive, deceptive, antisemitic, antichrist. If possible, even the very elect are deceived.

Thus, we closed our sermon yesterday, and are closing this blog today, by activating a Spiritual Scriptural, “Iron Dome, David’s Sling”.

We must not only know intellectually the Bible but must also hold these Truths to be self-evidence, undeniable, proof of the immutability of the Word of God.

HIStorical Accuracy:

Geographically:

The border of Israel refers to Riblah, on the Orontes River on Israel’s northern border, (Syria, today), which was King Nebuchadnezzar’s military headquarters.

It’s where King Zedekiah’s sons and seventy plus Judean officials were executed after fleeing Jerusalem. 2 Kings 25:6-7,18-21, Jeremiah 52:24-27.

Archeologically:

Tablets from Nebuchadnezzar’s reign, unearthed at Tell Nebi Mend and published in the Journal of Cuneiform Studies 64 (2012), corroborate a large military encampment at Riblah in 587–586 BC, matching Ezekiel’s timeframe. Thus, “the border” pinpoints an identifiable, archaeologically verified place of mass execution.

Babylonian ration tablets (K.-3423; K.-3400) list food allotments for captive Judean royals, confirming elite survivors reached Nebuchadnezzar’s camp.

Excavations at Tell en-Nasbeh show a burn layer from 586 BC aligning with Babylonian destruction, strengthening confidence that Ezekiel’s prophecy matched real events, not later editorial retrojection.

 

Sola Scriptura (the inerrancy of Scripture).

Scripture alone is the supreme authority for Christian faith and practice.

There is an overwhelming abundance of verifiable, documentable, archeological, geographical, historical, medical, undeniable proof, as to the authenticity and accuracy of the Bible. 

More than any other ancient writing on the planet. 

Nothing else even comes close.  

The Bible itself attests to its inerrancy and immutability.

Matthew 5:18
For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.

Matthew 24:35
Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will never pass away.

2 Timothy 3:16
All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,

Psalm 119:89
Forever, O LORD, Your word is settled in heaven.

Psalm 119:160
The entirety of Your word is truth,
And every one of Your righteous judgments endures forever.

Isaiah 40:8
The grass withers, the flower fades, But the word of our God stands forever.”

1 Peter 1:24-25
“All flesh is as grass,
And all the glory of man as the flower of the grass.
The grass withers,
And its flower falls away,
²⁵ But the word of the Lord endures forever.”

Proverbs 30:5
Every word of God is flawless; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him.

John 17:17
Sanctify them by the truth; Your word is truth.

2 Peter 1:19-21
 And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts; ²⁰ knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, ²¹ for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.

 

Replacement Theology (supersessionism)

This deception depends on the first one succeeding. If we believe the Word of God, we won't believe this demonic deception that claims the Church has taken the place of Israel. 

It claims God does not have an everlasting covenant with Israel.

Scripture clearly states otherwise.  

Genesis 12:3
I will bless those who bless you,
And I will curse him who curses you;
And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

Genesis 17:7
And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and your descendants after you.

Psalm 105:8-10
He remembers His covenant forever,
The word which He commanded, for a thousand generations,
⁹ The covenant which He made with Abraham,
And His oath to Isaac,
¹⁰ And confirmed it to Jacob for a statute,
To Israel as an everlasting covenant,

Romans 11:26-29
All Israel will be saved... for the gifts and callings of God are irrevocable.

Jeremiah 31:35-37
Thus says the Lord,
Who gives the sun for a light by day,
The ordinances of the moon and the stars for a light by night,
Who disturbs the sea,
And its waves roar
(The Lord of hosts is His name):

³⁶ “If those ordinances depart
From before Me, says the Lord,
Then the seed of Israel shall also cease
From being a nation before Me forever.”

³⁷ Thus says the Lord:

“If heaven above can be measured,
And the foundations of the earth searched out beneath,
I will also cast off all the seed of Israel
For all that they have done, says the Lord.

 

Let’s pray.

Lord Jesus, by faith, with thanksgiving, we receive Your Word planted just now in our souls. Thank You for watching over Your Word to perform it, that it will not return void, but will prosper, to the saving of souls and bearing much fruit. Please help us speak Your Word in Love, so that of all those You’ve given us, none are lost.

We love You, forever.

Amen.  

 

Prayer Requests:

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Email: pray4measap@aol.com

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Watch online:

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This was feed for you to read. Now it’s Seed for you to sow.

Thank you for sharing.

Eternal Perspective, James 1:9-11

SERVE, verse 1: James humbly opens by introducing himself, not as half-brother to God, but as a bondservant. One who willingly has no possessions of his own, but who lovingly, gives his all in service to his Lord.

Let’s get one thing straight, says James, right out of the gate, as leader of the Jerusalem Church, I am first and foremost, a servant of God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

JOY, verses 2-4: As we serve the Lord and each other, we can count on having trouble, and when we do, count it all joy. Let joy be our travel tunes, to help us smile through the trials.

WISDOM, verses 5-8: To navigate the trials, we need wisdom from above. If any lacks wisdom, ask of God who gives in abundance, but only if we ask in faith, no wavering, no doubting.

Thus, we journey humbly, serve joyfully, filled with wisdom from above.

PERSPECTIVE, verses 9-11. Which brings us to where we continue our journey through James.

James 1:9-11
Let the lowly brother glory in his exaltation, ¹⁰ but the rich in his humiliation, because as a flower of the field he will pass away. ¹¹ For no sooner has the sun risen with a burning heat than it withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beautiful appearance perishes. So the rich man also will fade away in his pursuits.

That may sound like a comparison between the rich and the poor.

However, considering the context, and definitions of the original text, we see the Lord is still talking about our journey.

It’s really, really, short.

So, it’s really, really, important we keep our trajectory on Eternity.

Note, in the first line, both the lowly and the rich are told to glory (rejoice). The lowly in his exaltation and the rich in his humiliation, and for some reason that is reason to celebrate, to glory in, to rejoice.

Why?

Well to see, we must uncover some hidden treasure.

Let the lowly brother...  

In the Kingdom of God, we’re brothers and sisters, family. Rich, poor, slave, free, red, yellow, black or white, we’re family.

Galatians 3:27-29
For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. ²⁸ There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. ²⁹ And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

Romans 8:16-18
The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, ¹⁷ and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together. ¹⁸ For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

⁹Let the lowly brother glory in his exaltation, ¹⁰ but the rich in his humiliation,

Lowly: tapeinos: Humble, lowly 

Humiliation: tapeinósis: lowliness, abasement.

Lowly and humiliation are basically the same word.

Matthew 28-29. Come unto Me all who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

Now look at the word in the middle where X marks the spot of a beautiful hidden treasure.

Exultation (Greek: hupsos): Height, high place, on high, exaltation.

Luke 1:78. Through the tender mercy of our God, with which the Dayspring from has visited us from on high (hupsos).

Luke 24:29. Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high” (hupsos).

Ephesians 4:8. Therefore He says: “When He ascended on high (hupsos), He led captivity captive, and gave gifts to men.”

The Dayspring (Jesus) from on high (heaven). Endued with Power from on high (heaven). He ascended on high (heaven)...

Heaven is a wonderful reason to glory.

Let the lowly brother glory in his heavenly Home.

Ephesians 2:4-6
But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, ⁵ even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), ⁶ and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus

That’s great, but what about the rich guy? He’s supposed to glory in humiliation?

James 4:10. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will exalt you.

1 Peter 5:6. Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time.

The rich rejoices that he is humbled to his heavenly Home.  

The world’s economy is opposite the Kingdom of God.

The world says the lowly should long to be rich, but the Kingdom of God says the rich should long to be lowly.

Glory in the ability to find humility.

¹⁰...because as a flower of the field he will pass away. ¹¹ For no sooner has the sun risen with a burning heat than it withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beautiful appearance perishes. So the rich man also will fade away in his pursuits.

Matthew 18:3 “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.

In the Kingdom of Heaven, the lowly are leaders, the first are last, the greatest Servant of all is King of all, and only the humble are allowed to enter.

Jesus said it’s easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 19:24.

Not impossible.

Not easy.

The camel must kneel.

We must too.

Thus, with an Eternal Perspective, we gladly glory in humility, knowing that's when and where we are exalted on high together with Him.

Let’s pray.

Lord Jesus, thank You for becoming the Way, so we can be family, together, with You, forever. Help us keep an Eternal Perspective, allowing You to use us to make an Eternal difference to all those You’ve given us, so none are lost.

Thank You.

We love You, forever.

Amen.

Prayer Requests:

Call or text: 612-554-2522

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This was feed for you to read. Now it’s Seed for you to sow.

Thank you for sharing.

 

The Divine Timing of Operation Epic Fury & Roaring Lion

   

Divine Timing

If you want to know the past or the future, look at God’s calendar—the Bible.

If you want to know what time it is, look at His clock—Israel.

Now, there’s two types of time. Chronos and Kairos.

Chronos is earth’s clock.

Kairos is Heaven’s.

God uses Heaven’s clock. He operates in the fullness of time. When the time is Right.

Galatians 4:4
 “But when the fullness of the time (kairos) had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.”

When Kairos and Chronos collide, the world calls it coincidence, but the Ekklésia, those who are listening, call it, Providence.

When it happens, pay attention, because it’s there, in the fullness of time, God moves and speaks.

He begins with a whisper, a still, small, voice, so those who are listening, won’t miss His Kairos moment.

It may look something like this:

A week ago, Saturday night I felt the Lord wanted us to pray for rain at the start of the Sunday morning service. I immediately thought of the Highland’s County drought post and added it to our PowerPoint presentation.

Sunday morning we read James 5:17-18.

Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.

Then, we prayed something like this:

Lord Jesus, according to Your Word, we have a nature like Elijah. According to Your Word, he prayed, and it rained. According to Your Word, we're to bring our requests to You. Therefore, according to Your Word, like Elijah, we pray for rain. We pray, not only for physical rain that waters fields, but an outpouring of Your Spirit, that waters souls, bearing fruit to an Eternal Harvest.

Thank You Lord, for hearing and healing our thirsty land.

We trust and love You forever.

Amen.

After the service, as folks were leaving, I said: "Don't forget your umbrella.”

Then about an hour or so after Church... it rained.

Kairos

God prompted us to pray.

We did.

It rained.

Divine Timing.

From that day to this it’s rained multiple times, it looks like it’s fixin’ to rain right now.

The world calls it coincidence, those who hear His Voice, call it Providence.

His lesson continues for those who are listening.

Friday, I woke up wondering about the glasses Roxy and I ordered some weeks ago. I kept thinking about it. Asked Roxy about it. Finally, I called the Eye Doctor. Perfect timing. They just came in that very morning.

We picked up the glasses and walked outside to...pouring down rain.

Saturday, around 2:30 a.m. I woke to the sound of a soft soaking rain.

I went out to the living room, sat in the old wooden rocker, and simply, silently, prayed, “Thank You, Lord.”

After a few moments I noticed my phone repeatedly lighting up.

Bam! War with Iran began.

Timing.

Finally, after a forty-seven year reign of terror, the forty-seventh president of the U.S. takes a stand to confront this horrific evil.

2/11/26 marked the 47^th anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Since then, that murderous regime has shed the innocent blood of multiplied thousands around the world.

Parshat Zachor.

That day, (Sabbath) all around the world, in all the synagogues, Jews read Deuteronomy 25:17-19, it’s called the "Parshat Zachor" (it means remember). It is the second of four special readings read during or immediately before the month of Adar.

“Remember what Amalek did to you on the way as you were coming out of Egypt, ¹⁸ how he met you on the way and attacked your rear ranks, all the stragglers at your rear, when you were tired and weary; and he did not fear God. ¹⁹ Therefore it shall be, when the Lord your God has given you rest from your enemies all around, in the land which the Lord your God is giving you to possess as an inheritance, that you will blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven. You shall not forget.

The reading fulfills the Biblical commandment to remember Amalek’s attack on Israel — a surprise assault against the weak and vulnerable in the wilderness. (Reminds me of hamas attack from Gaza, Oct 7, 2023). 

In Jewish tradition, this underscores:

   •   The moral duty to remember evil

   •   The obligation to confront existential threats

   •   The connection between Amalek and the events of Purim. (Haman being identified as an Agagite, descendant of Amalek)

We’ll talk about the Jewish celebration of Purim, in a moment.

But first consider an Islamic celebration happening simultaneously:

Night of Dreams, also called, Night of Power.

One of last 10 days of Ramadan.  It is considered the holiest night of the year, where Muslims believe the Quran was first revealed to Prophet Muhammad.

A "Night Better than 1000 Months." The Quran states that worship on this specific night is more rewarding than 83 years and 4 months of prayer (a thousand months).

They say it’s a Night of Decree/Destiny: It is believed that on this night, Allah decrees the fate of individuals for the coming year.

Divine Forgiveness: Muslims believe that sincere prayer and repentance on this night result in the forgiveness of past sins.

Spiritual Reflection: Many spend the night in deep prayer, reciting the Quran, and making heartfelt supplications, thinking, hoping, praying for a vision or dream from Allah. 

Instead, many report having dreams from the One and only True God, Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! Resulting in glorious, eternal, salvation, hallelujah!

Purim.

Today and tomorrow, Purim is celebrated. The Jewish holiday every year on the 14th of the Hebrew month of Adar. This year it falls on March 2-3.

 It commemorates the Divinely orchestrated salvation of the Jews in ancient Persia (Iran) from Jew hating Haman, “to destroy, kill and annihilate all the Jews, young and old, infants and women, in a single day... and to plunder their possessions.” (The same demonic hatred in the Iranian regime today).

Purim literally means “lot”, since Haman cast lots to decide the date, he’d slaughter all Jews.

It all began in Iran, 2,383 years ago (357 BC).

The king of Persia (modern day Iran) selected beautiful Esther to be his queen.

Mordecai was Esther’s cousin, but he had raised her as his daughter, because her parents had died. For her own safety, he told Esther to not reveal that she was Jewish.

 One day Mordecai, uncovered a plot to kill the king. He told Esther. She told the king. The bad guys were killed instead of the king.

In place of the bad guys the king promoted Haman (he was worse, but of course the king didn’t know—yet).

Haman was arrogant, loved when everybody bowed before him.

So, when Mordecai wouldn’t bow, it made Haman hotter than Nebuchadnezzar’s fiery furnace. When he found out Mordecai’s Jewish faith forbade him from bowing to any but to the one and only True God, Haman’s hatred spread to all Jews. He wanted them all dead, dead, dead.

So, he cooked a plan straight from the fiery furnace of hell.

“Dear king, there are a certain people who refuse to keep the laws of the king. It is not fitting for them to live. Please let a decree be written so that they all be destroyed.”

The king trusted Haman and granted his request.

So, in the name of the king, to the entire kingdom, Haman sent a decree, to destroy, to kill, and to annihilate all the Jews, both young and old, little children and women, in one day, on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar, and to plunder their possessions. Esther 3:13.

Upon hearing the decree Mordecai was mortified. He tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and ashes. Esther 4:1-2.

Esther sent to find out what was wrong with Mordecai.

He showed her the horrible decree and told her to go to the king on behalf of the Jews.

She said no one could go to the king uninvited, not even the queen.

Mordecai told her: “Do not think in your heart that you will escape in the king’s palace any more than all the other Jews. For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” Esther 4:13-14.

She said, “Okay, let’s fast and pray for three days, then, I’ll go and if I perish, I perish!” Esther 4:16.

On the third day she went and found favor in the sight of the Lord and the king.

“What do you wish my queen.”

“That you and Haman come to the feast I have prepared.”

They did. At the feast, the king asked again, “What do you wish my queen, up to half my kingdom it will be granted.”

She said, “If it pleases the king, will you and Haman come again tomorrow to a feast, and then, I will tell my request.”

Everything seemed to be so great for Haman. But thoughts of Mordecai made him miserable. So, his wife told him to build a gallows to hang Mordecai, then cheer up and go to the banquet with the king and queen.

That night the king couldn’t sleep. So, he had the court records read to him.

By Divine timing (kairos) and orchestration, they read about Mordecai uncovering the plot to kill the king.

The king asked what had been done to honor Mordecai.

They told him that nothing had been done.

Then king asked who was available to discuss this with.

“What amazing timing, Haman just walked into the court.”

“Haman, what should the king do for a man he wishes to honor?”

Haman thought, he must be thinking about me. So, he said: “Let the man be clothed in one of the king’s royal robes and crowns and place him on one of the king’s horses, then have the king’s most noble prince parade him on horseback through the city proclaiming, ‘Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delights to honor!’ ” Esther 6:6-9.

Then the king said to Haman, “Hurry, take the robe and the horse, as you have suggested, and do so for Mordecai the Jew who sits within the king’s gate! Leave nothing undone of all that you have spoken.” Esther 6:10.

After Mordecai’s honor, Haman ran home humiliated. Before he finished whining to his wife, the king’s men showed up and said, “Let’s go, you’re late for a date with the king and queen.”

So, during dinner the king asked again. “Okay dear queen, what do you wish, whatever it is will be granted up to half my kingdom.”

Esther said, “Oh king, if I have found favor in your sight, I only ask for my life, the life of my people. For we have been sold, my people and I, to be destroyed, to be killed, and to be annihilated. Had we been sold as male and female slaves, I would have held my tongue, although the enemy could never compensate for the king’s loss.” Esther 7:1-4.

“Who would do such a thing?” said the king.

And Esther said, “The adversary and enemy is this wicked Haman!”

Haman was terrified.

The king was so angry he walked to the garden to cool and clear his head.

When he returned, he saw Haman fallen across the couch where Esther was.

“Will you assault the queen while I’m in the house!!!”

One of the king’s men told of the gallows Haman built for Mordecai.

“Hang him on it!” said the king.

So, Haman was hung from his own gallows.

Justice.

The tables were turned. The Jews were not slaughtered but by the king’s decree avenged themselves against those who planned them harm, including Haman’s ten sons.

Queen Esther was given Haman’s estate.

She put Mordecai in charge.

And they all lived happily ever after.

Well, not really, because the Bible is no fairytale.

But the date is still remembered and celebrated by Jews, year after year.

Consider the timing.

One day before Purim, the modern-day Haman, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was hung from his own gallows in a sense. Killed the same way he wanted to kill all Jews. As well as the regime leaders. Their navy is largely destroyed as is much of their arsenal.

Kairos.

Ø Parshat Zachor.

Ø  Night of Dreams.

Ø Purim.

Ø Operation Epic Fury and Roaring Lion.

If you want to know the past or the future, look at God’s calendar—the Bible.

If you want to know what time it is, look at His clock—Israel.

When Kairos and Chronos collide, the world calls it coincidence, but the Ekklésia, those who are listening, call it, Providence.

When it happens, pay attention, because it’s there, in the fullness of time, God moves and speaks.

Today, Operation Epic Fury and Roaring Lion are turning the tables.

Justice is rising, judgement is falling on those who planned to kill, and to annihilate all the Jews, both young and old, little children and women, in one day, and to plunder their possessions.

Are we witnessing a sneak peak, an object lesson, a foreshadow of the kairos moment when the Lord will fight for Israel and bring a swift end to the Ezekiel 38-39 war?

Have we just crossed a threshold into the opening throes of that war?

Israel has been battling proxy terrorists. Now, she’s at war with nations. Just as in the Ezekiel war.

Iran is committed to the nations listed in the Ezekiel 38-39 war including, Russia, Turkey, Sudan, Libya.

America is committed to Israel against Iran.

Will China think America is overextended and vulnerable back home?

Will this trigger unexpected aggression from folks like, China, N. Korea, Russia?

Will left wing lunatics and crazy congress demand we pull out?

Will this draw America home and escalate into the Ezekiel war?  

Ezekiel 38-39 describes a war that will take place near the starting gate of Daniel’s 70^th Week, (the seven year Tribulation).

During that war, Israel stands alone. America is conspicuously absent.

Today it may be political suicide for President Trump to step into this fight.

Yet who knows whether he has come to the kingdom for such a time as this?

The righteous must do rightly.  If I perish, I perish.

If America is absent let it be by being caught up (1 Thessalonians 4:17), or by standing and swinging against God's enemies until the bitter end.

God will fight for Israel with earthquake, torrential rain, great hailstones, fire and brimstone. He will save them in such a powerful way that it will take seven months to bury the dead, and seven years to dispose of the weapons. Ezekiel 39:9, 12.

 “Then they shall know that I am the Lord.” Ezekiel 38:18-23.

Let’s pray.

Lord Jesus, we may not know the day or hour, but certainly sense the season. Help us hear and see and act, that when You come calling You’ll find us faithful, soul winners and disciple makers, redeeming chronos, longing for kairos, ever ready to see Your face.

We love You, forever.

Amen.

Prayer Requests:

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Thank you for sharing.