Blog

On Friday night, only a few hours from midnight, when the date became 12/12, and a prophetic time stamp was 12:00 12/12. It seems Trumps’ last hope of reversing the apparent election results were over. News broke that The Supreme Court rejected the Texas lawsuit, the one that Trump had called “the big one.”

I grew up Pentecostal. I know first-hand that Pentecostals, Charismatics, and all those who are Spirit-filled believers often feel like many people in this world—even the religious world—view us as the orphan stepchild.
We sometimes feel treated like the folks from the wrong side of the tracks. We sometimes feel looked down on and made fun of. We’re accused of being crazy, emotional, sensational, radical, tongue-talking holy rollers, and snake-handlers.

So, when a President came into office with the consult of a charismatic woman, it mattered. When spirit-filled pastors and worship leaders were regularly invited to pray at the White House, it mattered. It became more than just the religious right supporting a pro-life Republican. This President unintentionally enlisted the fiery passion and emotion of Charismatics and Pentecostals…something that had never happened before.

The euphoria of this season felt magical, or God-ordained and anointed. The orphan stepchildren stigma was lifting. We became Cinderella.

So, in thankfulness, we brought gifts. We brought prophecies to amplify the moment. We prayed prayers, sang songs, wrote books, made videos, and declared decrees to express appreciation for God’s chosen leader.

Never mind the fact he has been divorced several times. Forget the fact nearly 30 different women have accused him of rape or sexual assault. All of his bankruptcies don’t matter. His bad, abrasive, arrogant, insulting attitude doesn’t matter. His course language doesn’t matter. His rising number of legal problems doesn’t matter. He has paid off multiple accusers, but that doesn’t matter. He even paid big money to a porn star to keep quiet about their fling, but that doesn’t matter. Tens and Tens of thousands of people feel his actions and words are racist, but they’re definitely wrong…so that doesn’t matter. Being overly friendly (or fearful) of Russia doesn’t matter. The risk of impeachment doesn’t matter because we have prophecies saying he won’t be impeached. Then, he was impeached, but that doesn’t matter because those Demoncrats are evil. And, It’s ok, we have new prophecies saying he’ll win by a landslide. Wait. Ok, so he lost by over 7 million votes. We were wrong, bad wrong.

What time is it?

The magic of the Cinderella story was temporary. She was able to go to the Capitol. She felt special. But, she had to come back to reality by midnight. She had to return to the truth, to humility.

Hurry now. Your prince will be looking for the real you.

Don’t be angry. If the shoe fits…

Let go of that man. You’re engaged to Jesus. And Jesus loves you still.

Allow me to spin a prophetic tale.

* The white church. *The Pentecostal Church *The Spirit-filled Church *The Charismatic Church *The American Church

…has been a type of Cinderella. She has went to the [Republican] Party. She was given an invitation to visit the highest house in the land. This adventure was meant to be a visit. It always had a time-clock, a tick tock countdown. A curfew was always looming.

The magical moment wasn’t meant to last, not now, not on these false terms

The church is betrothed—engaged—and must only marry for love. The church must only marry in humble truth. And, the Church must remember…

A higher love awaits her devotion.

So, the most recent goings-on have been short-lived, contrived of a false portrayal. Therefore…

Hurry! The clock is about to gong. Rush! Get out of this make-believe hypocrisy, this playing of a part. Get out of this worldly party.

Run back to humility. Go back to truth.

The hand of God is coming to the ungodly party that has been going on at the highest house of the land. The writing finger from Daniel 5 is coming swiftly to address that wall. The proud-man king hasn’t softened his heart. So, he will no longer benefit from the church’s wine glasses. And the false prophets he has surrounded himself with will not have a word, nor any understanding to help him.

A spiritual sickness is about to firmly grip the heart of this unwholesome leader.

His time there is up.

As for the church, your prince is coming…to find the real you.

So, clean up your act. Get right. Believe in love. God is love. Your story isn’t over.

I never thought of myself as a preacher of judgment. Of course, I have preached and warned of Hell. But, I’ve never been someone to declare God’s judgment every-time there was a hurricane, sickness, or earthquake. Nonetheless, My spirit man has been on full alert in 2020. I’ve never really been one to panic, or quickly consider end-time scenarios. Still, I truly believe Holy Spirit has been heightening my senses. Something timely and prophetic is afoot. I believe we are seeing a form of judgment in the earth right now.

Sin has consequence. And beyond the natural, logical repercussions, there are also instances of calculated renderings from the gavel of God.

Our God is a just judge.

He is certainly a God of love, grace, and mercy. Yet, The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom (Prov. 9:10a). And there’s that time that Jesus… “Making a whip of cords, he drove all of them out of the temple, both the sheep and the cattle. He also poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables.He told those who were selling the doves, ‘Take these things out of here! Stop making my Father’s house a market-place!’ – John 2:15,16

But, let’s look at judgment more personally. Jesus came here to go to the cross (suffering). And he invited us to embrace our cross.

The early church suffered, endured, experienced tribulation ( 1 Thess 1:6), were sometimes beaten, imprisoned, martyred, and exiled.

When Christ taught about the coming days, His bullet points were warnings. When John had a revelation on the isle of Patmos, God highlighted sins and shortcomings in the churches. This included warnings of judgment.

Also in Revelation, God revealed a time of coming trumpets, judgments. The New Testament speaks occasionally of coming wrath—which believers will be rescued from.

Before that, there will be an apostasy, which I believe is a turning away from the true Gospel, to a re-imagined, deconstructed, progressive gospel that exaggerates grace, removes sin, and eliminates Hell. It is here.

I also believe the man of sin, the lawless one, the chaos factor, the wrecking ball, the son of perdition…is among us.

The earth is groaning and I am convinced we have been experiencing Matt 24:8 “But all this is only the first of the birth pains, with more to come.”

The current time of judgment is a trembling in the land and on the people. Its like the temperature is rising toward a boiling point.

Many people can believe in judgment as long as it is something that will happen in tomorrow, but not ever…

However, Christ was broken and spilled out. And He called us to follow.

There is great, intentional mystery concerning the end. We are not at the end point (2 Peter 3). Nevertheless, we are accelerating toward that hour. We are in the hastening. Things are happening. Prophecies are being fulfilled.

We can probably see our moment of judgment hinted at in 2 Peter 2. Here, we see false prophets. Hence, We are reminded of when God released judgment in Heaven against His angels, and on Earth against His creation. The chapter then shows a separation happening between the godly and the unrighteous. This is speaking of our time.

It is similar to the parable of the sheep and goats in Matt 25. Judgment sifts and separates. We are in this kind of judgment right now. The separating.

Matt 3:12 His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will thoroughly cleanse his threshing floor. He will gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn up with unquenchable fire.”

The harvest is ripe. The separation is becoming clear. Amidst deception, strong delusion, false prophets, and false versions of everything holy, there is a tension in the air.

We are not in control. This is God’s hour. We would be wise to draw as near to Him as we possibly can.

Amos 8 happened around the time of harvest. The vision was a bowl of ripe harvest fruit. Yet, there was a famine in the land for hearing the true word of the Lord.

In Judges 6-8 the Midianites would attack at harvest time, pilfering all of Israel’s goods. Their is a tension related to harvest. That’s what you’re feeling.

The harvest is a time of judgment. The good is brought into the barn. The bad is tossed out. The tension and warfare surrounding the hour of harvest and judgment is upon us. The sifting and separating is underway.

I believe God has been giving me a prophetic word concerning our time.

As we moved into the second half of this year God began making me aware that there has been a shortage of significant, accurate revelations. Accordingly, I was reminded of Amos’ prophecy about a famine for the word.

This chapter of Amos begins with a vision and vision test (“what do you see?”)

Interestingly, we are in the year 2020, which has made for an oft-mentioned reference to 20/20 vision.

This chapter of Amos is a judgment against God’s people. Therefore, let me be clear…I fully see our times as an overlay of Amos 8. I believe God’s people are under judgment. America, the Christian nation, is under judgment. The church has embraced nationalism and wrongly married itself to politics. Thus, the judgment against America is also a judgment against the American church.

The first judgment in this chapter is on their songs. Mourning, death, and silence is prophesied.

Of note, America has been the hardest hit country this year by a so-called plague. More than 250,000 are dead. No live music, no music festivals, even the church has sometimes been asked not to sing.

The second part of judgment is specified to come on the palace. This is likely the Bethel temple of idolatry.

I think it’s no coincidence that the first half of this year God moved upon me to cry out against America (and the church) for its pride and political idolatry.

Then, I was shook as the President and his family were struck with the sickness. Next, the sickness infested his staff and many who are connected with the White House (palace).

Continuing on in this Amos chapter, a judgment is even released on their mourning…speaking of corpses and casting them forth in silence.

Likewise, this year and this plague have caused extra grief (grief on top of grief) because the sick haven’t been allowed to have visitors during their suffering, and funerals (grieving) have had to limit who /how many could attend, as well as limitations to physical touch in regards to consoling, comforting.

Another judgment is spoken because of the wealthy, unsympathetic abusers of the poor. Alas, the land will tremble and render grief.

And, as Tom Stolz pointed out to me, a corrupt materialistic lifestyle is seen in the people being judged in Amos 8.

I’m afraid this characteristic is also very-much true of America and the church. So…

is our land being judged?

Consider these concerning 2020:

1. Most named storms ever.

2. Most Tropical storms ever.

3. Most Hurricanes ever

4. Record Wildfires

5. Record flooding in MI

6. Record heat in Phoenix

7. Record # of natural disasters

Another judgment in this chapter speaks of days with shortened sun, and extended darkness. In Bible times, the sun represented working hours. It was a judgment on their work, economy, and business.

Meanwhile, this year America’s economy, businesses, and jobs have terribly suffered. Countless businesses have had to close down, no longer able to operate/work.

Lastly this Amos chapter speaks a judgment against idolatry, idolatry and worship of a golden calf was notorious in the mentioned regions of Samaria, Dan, Beersheba.

Hmm…

Anyway, I felt after this year’s election that my burden from crying out against idolatry was finally over and we could begin to move forward. Mind you, for four years, God has had me playing a song. I felt led one day to play this Johnny Cash song on my phone. And, as strange as it may sound, God has spoken to me over and over again to…play it again. Out of obedience, and as a prophetic act, I’ve been playing this foreboding American folk song. Recently I thought my task of playing the song was complete.

I was wrong about that. I have awakened (wide awake; alert) at 8am for seven days in a row. That’s an early (odd) time for me since I live on a night-shift schedule. Then, understanding hit me. Through the prophetic language of God repeating Himself, I realized He was trying to get my attention. He was simply, yet emphatically, urging me to read Amos 8 again.

And Yes, the song has started playing in my head…again.

Throughout this year, a sweeping force of judgment against pride and idolatry has blown back and forth through the land. Statues/idols, have been toppled, removed, destroyed. Likewise, influential real-life leaders in the church community and conservative right have fallen. Many associates connected to the President have been arrested:

1. Steve Bannon

2. Roger Stone

3. Michael Flynn

4. Paul Manafort

5. Rick Gates

6. Michael Cohen

7. George Papadopoulos

8. George Nader

God’s Gonna Cut You Down 🎼.

Concerning the idolatry and golden-calf-people: the last phrase of the Amos chapter says, “they will fall and not rise again.”

I’m praying in holy reverence concerning this. I deeply feel—and yes…prophesy— that God’s judgment on America is not finished. God’s judgment on the church is not complete.

Make America Great Again Read Amos 8 Again

Timely wisdom can be gleaned from recent teachings by Joe Rigney and Jonathan Boegl who have been trying to help the church to trust, embrace, and even joy in God’s judgments.

But, for those who harden their hearts, those who don’t find repentance, those who evade humility, those who double-down in their devotion to political idolatry…God is going to cut them down. Shame is coming. Great shame. I see a Cinderella comparison where many, especially the spirit-filled and charismatics, are going to run out of time being in lofty places with lofty people. As shame and conviction brings the Cinderella wanderers back to humility, the love-hungry Prince will come and save.

God doesn’t stay angry forever.

2 Chronicles 7:14 contains principles found throughout Scripture showing us what God is looking for.

Humility

Repentance

Seeking His Face

Then…healing can begin

Revival comes to the humble, hungry, desperate, broken, contrite, repentant ones.

God’s judgment is helping us to get to that place where we re-discover our first love.

In 2019, I spent the whole year with the minor prophets. I read them. I re-read them. I made notes, underlined, and highlighted. I meditated and sat with their words for the entire year.

I have been asking people for the best message or sermon they’ve heard in 2020. And I keep getting blank answers in response.

So, its understandable that I’m being pulled back to that prophetic wellspring for right-now relevance.

Allow me to share with you what I believe the Word of God wishes to reveal:

“Behold, days are coming,” declares the Lord GOD, “When I will send a famine on the land, Not a famine for bread or a thirst for water, But rather for hearing the words of the LORD. Amos 8:11

I believe we are living out a moment of famine. There are probably sparse amounts of real bread to be found. Likewise, so many are thirsty and needy for heavenly nourishment and refreshment.

I believe that so many of America’s prominent preachers have aligned themselves with politics. Accordingly, their messages have become earthly, intertwined with governmental bantering.

Our religious experience has meshed with 1. idolatry of a pompous god, and 2. nationalism. Worldly strategy has married a political party to a mostly white church.

Conservatism has replaced godliness.

Hence, these values are supposedly the evidence of true Christianity:

A.Thou shalt not commit abortion seems to be the greatest commanding

B. Thou shalt hate gays and sexually confused people. This is the message the world is hearing.

C. Thou shalt not be too caring or helpful to illegals, immigrants, or refugees. This too is what the world is clearly hearing from the actions and words of the church.

Instead of having fresh manna, we have mostly settled for a variety of political messages to choose from.

Option 1: Hail Trump

Option 2: Republicanism

Option 3: Rebellion

Option 4: Pro Life

Option 1 has been a best seller…literally. Some ministers have written books or made videos about Trump being God’s man for the job and time. Certain Ministers have weekly gushed with affection for Trump. There are Prophets who have likely made plenty of money by writing books about the wondrous Trump. There are Ministries that have devoted their focus to heralding the Trump Train movements. Some Preachers have found a fresh surge in popularity by defending and openly praying for Trump.

Another message that’s been easy for white evangelicals to rally around is Republicanism. It’s likely you know of someone that makes this seem like the most important spiritual thing you can do/be. I just watched a video where a minister placed great spiritual importance in being on the Republican side of things. He even suggested that believers prepare to take up arms, prophesying an impending civil war.

For others, Rebellion is the more trendy message. That’s not the title they give it, but…it is what it is. Even the church has justified rebellion against governmental recommendations or temporary mandates. People have been angry at HAVING TO wear masks. People have been upset at limits put on public gatherings, including church services. Many in the church have claimed to be suffering persecution and targeted attacks, seemingly not realizing that everyone else is suffering and hurting as well. Furthermore, Christians were furious over recommendations or (in a very few places) mandates, that singing be halted in in-person meetings for at least a week or two during the worst peaks of the pandemic. A few well-known leaders rebelled and opened their mega churches back up to limitless meetings. And, thousands of believers felt it was opportune to break city ordinances and join together in their city streets for massive worship rallies. A movement of church songs and open fearless concerts in the time of a pandemic where thousands would sometimes gather with no masks to sing loudly and proudly.

The other political message has been a mainstay since the late 70’s. The Pro Life message is still pertinent and valid. Unfortunately though, many use this message to bully other believers into joining a particular party or vote. To those who embrace this message, nothing else matters.

Sadly, many would-be champions have been spending their gifts and energies on a socio-political message. Nevertheless, these renderings certainly tickle the ears of a particular niche.

Yes, I’m finding a message from the words of Amos. I may expound on it later, but for now…chapter 8 of this minor prophet is a thunder we should notice.

Amos 8 is headlined with—“seeing.” Interestingly, 2020 is a year that is obviously headlined with seeing. Amos 8 speaks of the end. And 2020 has made a lot of people cognizant and talkative about the end. Amos 8 speaks much about a loss of songs. 2020 has certainly challenged and limited our songs. There have been no music festivals and no live concerts. Amos 8 mentions death being all-over and in every place. Meanwhile, 2020 has been a worldwide deadly pandemic. Amos 8 mentions shortened sun and extended darkness. Almost a direct interpretation, 2020 has seen business shut downs, and loss of jobs.

To ponder Amos 8 in 2020 is quite sobering. We are in an hour where we need to hear a word from Heaven. But where can we find it?

In such times, minor prophets often have genuine, legit, weighty messages. You might have to seek them out, though.

Such voices might be found in a * common local pastor. * director of a house of prayer * an Apostle doing virtual mtgs. * someone that’s unplugged

They probably aren’t on TV, they don’t pastor thousands, they aren’t building their brand, they don’t have a million followers, and you may have never heard of them.

They pray and they’re humble. It’s a beautiful, powerful thing. Such authenticity is lovely to come across.

Their message is no different than the message of Jesus. The teachings of Christ are revolutionary. You’ll know you’re hearing from a wild, radical, firebrand, minor prophet when they open their mouth…and you hear Jesus.