It was September 9, 2020 when I began typing this blog. On the biblical calendar, that’s the 20th day of Elul. You may not realize God has his own calendar, called the Hebrew biblical calendar. He’s had this calendar since the beginning of time. Our world lives and abides by the Gregorian calendar- a calendar that was instituted by man in the year 1582. This calendar has 12 months that begin in January and end in December. There’s nothing wrong with following this calendar, but you must understand that God often uses his calendar to speak to his people. Understanding the seasons of God’s calendar helps us understand his prophetic plan for the world.
I’m not going to go into all the details of the calendar because the blog would be way too long. I want to focus on the biblical month we are in right now and explain to you why this time is crucial in our nation. I’m going to give you some background so you can understand the things I’m going to say. Stick with me because it’s important you understand the month of Elul and the significance of the Feasts of the Lord to realize the importance of this season on the calendar and why it’s a critical time of intercession for our country.
Elul is the 6th month on the biblical religious calendar, and the 12th month on the civil/fiscal calendar. There are 29 days in Elul and it falls in August or September on the Gregorian calendar. It varies from year to year on the Gregorian calendar because the Hebrew biblical calendar is a lunar/solar calendar, whereas the Gregorian is a strictly solar calendar. This year Elul began at sundown on August 21, 2020. It will last until sundown on September 18, 2020. After the sun has gone down, this will usher in the Feast of Trumpets on September 18. The biblical Hebrew day begins after sundown and ends just before sundown.
Elul is tied to PREPARATION, REPENTANCE, AND TURNING BACK TO GOD. Elul ends right before the month of Tishrei, which ushers in the Feasts of the Lord. These “feasts” are not large meals where you stuff your face with food. The Bible says they are APPOINTMENTS. The Hebrew word being used for feasts is MOED and this means an appointed time with God. These appointed times are listed in Leviticus 23. The Feast of Trumpets is one of those appointed times.
The verses below describe the Feast of Trumpets:
“The Lord said to Moses, Say to the Israelites: ‘On the first day of the seventh month you are to have a day of sabbath rest, a sacred assembly commemorated with trumpet blasts. Do no regular work, but present a food offering to the Lord.”
The first day of the seventh month is Tishrei 1 on the biblical calendar. The month of Tishrei will fall in September or October on the Gregorian calendar, depending on the year. This year, Tishrei 1 or the Feast of Trumpets occurs at sundown on September 18, 2020. This may be listed as September 19 because technically on the biblical calendar a new day/date begins after sundown.
The Feast of Trumpets (also known as Rosh Hashanah) begins after the last day of Elul on Tishrei 1. This Feast is celebrated by blowing the trumpet. In fact, on this feast (appointment) day, the trumpet will be blown 100 times! The 100th trump is called THE LAST TRUMP!
I’m sure you’re familiar with this verse from 1 Corinthians 15:51-54
“Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”
These verses are describing the Rapture of the Church. It’s a time when the Bride of Christ will be “caught up” with Jesus and taken to heaven. Those who are alive when he returns are taken right from the earth- sort of like a raptor bird who snatches its prey in the blink of an eye. Don’t worry, Jesus doesn’t have talons. This is just an illustration to show you the Bride is literally snatched from the earth. Those believers who have already died will have their spirits reunited with their resurrected bodies. Both groups will meet Jesus in the air. We don’t know exactly when this will happen but we know a trumpet blast will be sounded.
President Trump’s Name
Interestingly enough, we currently have a President with the name TRUMP! We have a Vice-President with the name PENCE. Do you know what Pence means? Well, it’s the plural form of the word penny. What is a penny? It is ONE HUNDREDTH of a dollar. So we have one hundredth Trump if you put the two together. I find that very interesting, don’t you?
On God’s biblical calendar, Elul is the month that leads to his Fall Feasts. The Feast of Trumpets (also known as Rosh Hashanah) is the first of these Fall Feasts. The reason I say HIS is because that’s what scripture says. They are HIS feasts.
During the month of Elul, the shofar or trumpet is played in the synagogue every single day. The shofar/trumpet is a reminder to WAKE UP AND TURN TO GOD. This happens in both Orthodox and Messianic synagogues. Messianic Jews know Jesus as their Savior, while Orthodox Jews do not. Nonetheless, they both know the sound of the shofar is tied to God’s Holy Feasts and prophetic times.
In the Bible, the shofar/trumpet is blown for many reasons: to gather people together, to gather troops for war, to signal the beginning of the Lord’s Feasts, to usher in the Sabbath, to remind people to repent, to crown kings and to warn of impending judgment.
The shofar is actually made of a ram’s horn and this reminds us of the story of Abraham and Isaac. God told Abraham to sacrifice his only promised son Isaac at Mt. Moriah. Abraham followed God’s command, but God stopped him at the last second and provided him with a ram as the sacrifice instead. This was a foreshadowing of God sending his only son JESUS to be the sacrifice for our sins. Even the spot where Abraham prepared to sacrifice Isaac points to Jesus. It happened at Mt. Moriah and this is where both Temples would one day stand. Jesus became the Living Temple and once we receive him, our bodies become a Temple of the Holy Spirit. The ram’s horn or shofar is a reminder of God’s mercy in sending his son to save us from our sins.
Thus, the ram’s horn, or shofar is tied to Jesus. Most Christian churches do not teach about the shofar. They consider it a Jewish thing. Well, It’s actually a JESUS thing. He is Jewish after all. He never stopped being Jewish. There are many things we can learn from what we call Jewish traditions. Jesus observed these traditions and many of them hold rich meaning for Christians.
Actually, the Bible is FULL of trumpets/shofars so it’s important we understand their symbolism, and how they are tied to Jesus and prophecy.
Jesus’ voice is the trumpet as we can see in these verses below:
” On the Lord’s Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet, which said: “Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea.”
I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands, and among the lampstands was someone like a son of man, dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. The hair on his head was white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, and coming out of his mouth was a sharp, double-edged sword. His face was like the sunshining in all its brilliance.” Revelation 1:10-16
“After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.” Revelation 4:1
In these verses we can clearly see the trumpet is connected to Jesus.
The shofar/trumpet is also tied to repentance because it’s during the month of Elul that one prepares for the Holy Feasts of the Lord. It’s a time to search one’s life for sin and take extra time to turn to Jesus and let him cleanse us. Instead of spring cleaning, it’s a FALL CLEANING.
Jonah and the month of Elul
The prophet Jonah went into Nineveh during the month of Elul. He preached repentance and told the city they had 40 days to repent. At the end of the 40 days it would be the Day of Atonement, which is a Feast of the Lord tied to NATIONAL ATONEMENT. From the first day of Elul to the Day of Atonement, there are 40 days. We can see Elul is tied to repentance.
Jesus and the month of Elul
Some scholars believe Jesus went into the desert to fast during the month of Elul because of the 40 day period mentioned. In the desert he fasted, prayed and prepared for his earthly ministry that would begin after he finished the 40 days. He had no sin so he did not need to repent. But, he was showing us a model of how he turned completely to the Father. He spent time praying, fasting and seeking God’s will. After his 40 days were complete, he returned to Galilee and began teaching in the synagogues. Eventually he went to his hometown of Nazareth and went into the synagogue there. He read from the scroll of Isaiah, which describes FREEDOM TO THE CAPTIVES.
Luke 4:14-20 describes what happened after his 40 days in the wilderness:
“Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside. He was teaching in their synagogues, and everyone praised him.
He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:
“The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. He began by saying to them, ‘Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.’”
The Appointed Time: The Appointed Scripture
When Jesus went to his hometown synagogue it was the appointed day for this particular scripture to be read aloud. In Jewish synagogues, readings are determined ahead of time and all synagogues would have the same reading on the same day.
This means when Jesus went to the synagogue on that day, it was Isaiah 61 that was the appointed reading. Also, he was the appointed person to read it. People were assigned particular times to be the reader of scripture on certain days. So as a member of a synagogue you would have certain days where you would be the one to read the scripture from the scroll. Jesus went to his hometown synagogue in Nazareth. This was HIS appointed day to read the scriptures. That is why he stood up and was given the scroll. The appointed scripture he reads on his appointed day is a direct reference to what he would do as the Savior of the world- he reads, “he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
Here is the full text of Isaiah 61 if you want to read.
Jesus was strengthened during those 40 days in the desert and he drew close to his Father. He spent time in prayer and focused on his calling. This is an example that can be followed by believers during the special season of Elul. We can also intercede for others and our nation.
The trumpet/shofar is a reminder of the Holy Spirit within us. To make a sound on the shofar you must blow air into it. Once the air goes through the shofar, a loud blast comes out. This is called the awakening blast. This air going into the shofar is likened to the wind of the Holy Spirit. Scripture shows us how the two are tied together.
“The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” John 3:8
The Holy Spirit is what wakes us up. It reminds us to repent. It’s how we connect with Jesus.
Since we have the Holy Spirit, we are to blast the truth to others! We are to be the shofars and trumpets who sound the truth!
HOW IS ELUL TIED TO OUR NATION?
Here’s where I’m going to get into current events and why Elul is so important at this time in our history.
Right now we are in the season of REPENTANCE on God’s calendar. This is a special time where he is in the field waiting for us to draw closer. Nationally, it’s a time that leads to the Day of Atonement, which is when the High Priest would plead for the forgiveness of sins for the nation of Israel. As Christians we know Jesus became our High Priest when he died on the cross and defeated death for our sins. The 40 days that begin on the first day of Elul and end on the Day of Atonement are a great window of opportunity. I’m not saying we can’t pray and be forgiven on other days. Of course, Jesus listens every day and forgives as well. But this is an appointed time on the calendar to meet with Jesus. Much of the church has forgotten these appointed times, but God has not. His appointed times do not go away just because they aren’t observed by everyone.
It’s interesting because right now there are many prayer movements going on. We see groups of Christians calling out for prayer this month. I have signed up for one on a website called city-by-city.org. Here is a link if you are interested. I am seeing prayer groups on Facebook where people are praying for our President and the nation. I wonder if they know this is all happening during the month of ELUL? It’s a great time for intercession.
9-11 and ELUL
Did you know that the tragedy of September 11, 2001-also known as 9-11 happened during the month of Elul? 9-11 occurred on the 23rd day of Elul in 2001. This tragedy set off a nationwide call to prayer. The churches of this nation were filled with people seeking God. The shofar blasted loud and clear on 9-11. It was a 911 call to God! In fact, imagine how many fire engine sirens were sounded that day! It was a siren (shofar) blasting in the ears of all those living and working in New York City, and to those who were viewing the tragedy on TV. To this day, there is a tradition of sounding a siren when a firefighter has fallen. It’s called the 555 signal. Imagine the amount of sirens that would be needed to commemorate the 343 firefighters who died on 9-11.
My point is that Elul is tied to repentance and turning to God. During 9-11 this nation realized their great need for God. But, once the smoke cleared the nation went about their business, forgetting the sirens and “shofars” they heard that fateful day.
September 11, 2020 just passed and we are in the month of Elul. Actually, the 19th anniversary of 9-11 occurred on the 22nd day of Elul this year, whereas it was on Elul 23 in 2001. Just a day apart on the Hebrew calendar. If there was ever a time to repent and draw close to Jesus IT IS NOW AMERICA! The sirens are ringing “pandemic, civil unrest, and Titanic”! It’s time to humble ourselves to the King who is in the field!
Elul means HARVEST and the numerical value of this Hebrew word is 67. All Hebrew words have number values because Hebrew letters are alphanumeric. The number 67 is tied to both God and man. Six is the number of man, while seven is God’s holy perfect number of completion. If you put the numbers together we are reminded that man is redeemed by God through Jesus. Jerusalem is tied to the number in a special way because it was on June 7, 1967 ( 6-7-67) that Israel captured East Jerusalem during the Six Days War. The entire city was under the control of Israel because they now had sovereignty over both West and East Jerusalem. The capital was unified.
Jerusalem is where Jesus will return to rule and reign. So the word ELUL reminds us that one day Jesus will return. It is possible this could happen on one of the appointed feast times! Many scholars believe it could be on the Feast of Trumpets some day in the future that Jesus fetches his Bride, and the Day of Atonement could be when he returns at the Second Coming. No one knows for sure, but the feasts are also called dress rehearsals in Hebrew -so it’s a rehearsal for something! These feasts come every single year so we wouldn’t know the day or the hour. But, I believe we should always be watching.
I believe right now Jesus is preparing the harvest. He is calling out to our nation to repent and to bring people to a saving knowledge of Jesus. When he returns, he wants the harvest to be plentiful.
During this time of Elul there’s some things our nation must understand. We are in big trouble if we don’t get back to our roots. The media is creating a false narrative that comes from the Father of Lies- the devil himself. They are denying our christian foundation and attacking the church on all fronts. They are pulling the roots of our national tree out from under us. God planted our nation here and it began with Jesus as the foundation. I could write a very long blog to convince you of that!
Unfortunately, the tree we call America is being uprooted. We have allowed grievous sins to become part of our laws and ideals. The national sin of abortion began in 1973 with Roe vs. Wade. But the movements in the 1960’s were the catalyst for getting to that point. Free love, drugs, sex and liberalism became a revolution. After the 70’s the sins multiplied.
Fornication is everywhere you look nowadays and even young children are being sexualized. People get their ideals from Netflix and social media instead of the Word of God. We are also seeing a radical gay and transgender agenda pushed into every area of society. Even the elementary schools are required to celebrate LGBTQ month.
What is frightening is the amount of Christians who go along with these ideals! I know Christians who think abortion is ok. There are even churches flying the rainbow flag. There are Christians celebrating alternative lifestyles and declaring God is ok with it.
This is where we have to ask ourselves a question. Do we even know God? If you read the Bible you will know God is absolutely not ok with babies being murdered. He is not ok with rampant fornication. He is not ok with marriage being between a man and a man or a woman and a woman! He is not ok with men dressing like women.
This is where we must look at Romans 1:
“The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.
For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles.
Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.
Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error.
Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done. They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy. Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.”
IF THE PEOPLE OF OUR NATION DO NOT REPENT, GOD GIVES US OVER TO OUR SIN. This will lead to judgment. This will lead to the death of our nation.
Don’t get me wrong. I love all people, regardless of their sins. I do not harbor hate for anyone. But approval does not equate to love. We have a Savior who died for our sins. He asks us to turn from our sins because he loves us. He does not tell us to celebrate and accept sin. If you love your child you will discipline him/her. You don’t accept and celebrate everything he/she does. God is the same. He has standards we must follow. By the way, Jesus can redeem anyone from any sin, but it requires repentance and turning away from the sin.
This is why the month of ELUL is so important! We are about to have an election and the forces of darkness are thick. We must intercede for our nation and draw closer to Jesus to see what he would have us do. Also, we can’t just sit on our butts and pray! We need to get out there and SHARE THE GOSPEL. Christians are so afraid of sounding like a Jesus Freak. Well, guess what? WE HAVE TO TELL PEOPLE SO THEY CAN HEAR THE GOSPEL. LOOK AT THE VERSES BELOW…
“How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?” Romans 10:14
These verses tell us people need to hear the gospel. How can they hear if no one tells them? Most of these people aren’t going to church so how are they going to hear if we don’t tell them! The numbering of the verse tells you a lot. You can see 411 in the verse numbering. 411 is the number we call for information. PEOPLE NEED INFORMATION ABOUT JESUS!!!
I have been told by people that I shouldn’t talk about Jesus so openly. You know what I tell them? TOO BAD! I WILL TALK ABOUT HIM IN A BOX, I WILL TALK ABOUT HIM WITH A FOX….I WILL TALK ABOUT HIM HERE AND THERE…I WILL TALK ABOUT HIM ANYWHERE! Why? Because that’s what I’m called to do.
People, we have got to get the WORD out! Stop being afraid. This is the perfect season to tell others about him. The worst they can do is reject what you say or call you a religious nut. So what? Eternal lives are at stake right now, not to mention the fate of our nation.
Right now our nation is like my precious olive tree. Back on April 4, 2015 I planted a small olive tree in my back yard. It just happened to be the first day of Passover and there was a total lunar eclipse that evening. This was one of four total lunar eclipses that happened on the Feasts of the Lord in 2014 and 2015.
When I planted the olive tree I thought about Jesus’ plan for our nation and for Israel. I thought about what the Apostle Paul said about the olive tree in Romans 11. He said the Jew and Gentile were part of the same olive tree because Jesus brought the two groups together through his blood. I thought about the fact that Jesus prayed in the olive grove before his crucifixion.
This little olive tree grew to be tall and robust. In fact, it was getting so tall I realized I should have picked a better spot to plant it. I planted the olive tree in an area where a nearby tree loomed above. This tree was taking all the sun and my olive tree was bending to get the sun. My husband decided it was time to move the tree. This meant he had to UPROOT THE TREE. This worried me because when you uproot a tree you don’t know if it will survive. There’s a high probability it could die from the stress.
Well, my husband straightened and trimmed the tree. Then, he uprooted the olive tree. He was very careful with the roots, but it was tricky. He could tell some of the roots were torn away when he lifted the tree. He replanted it in a sunny spot near the house.
At first, the tree looked great. The leaves were green and fresh. I was feeling hopeful.
But after a week, the tree showed signs of distress. The leaves of the olive tree were becoming brown and dry. They started falling off. My once vibrant tree wasn’t looking good at all.
I did a little research and found out my tree was likely going through TRANSPLANT SHOCK. This meant the tree was under severe stress. If I wanted the tree to recover I would have to water the tree two times a day for at least 5-15 minutes, depending on the daily rainfall. It’s possible the tree would recover if I was vigilant about this.
So each day I’ve been watering the tree. When I water the tree I pray to Jesus and ask him to help the tree recover. I’ve found myself praying for America each time I go to water the tree. Why? Because I realize our nation’s biblical roots are being pulled up. The lies of the left are stressing our nation and threatening to damage our roots forever. The Left wants to plant our tree somewhere else, but that somewhere else isn’t with God!
The brown leaves on my olive tree reminded me of what can happen to America if we don’t turn back to Jesus NOW! We may not survive the transplant shock that can happen if the Left gets their way.
It’s time to water our tree with the LIVING WATER- JESUS CHRIST. It’s the month of Elul right now so it’s the perfect time to pursue this Living Water and generously draw from the well. The time is NOW if we want our olive tree to survive.
Right now we are very close to the election.
You have two choices. You can vote for Donald Trump or you can vote for Joe Biden. If you are a Christian the choice should be obvious. Trump is not a saint, but he does not support the things the Democratic Party does. The Democratic agenda aligns itself with abortion, gay rights, illegal immigration, climate change, Islam, socialism, and they are antagonistic to Israel. President Trump has stood up for the rights of the unborn. He has allowed prayer in the White House and also supported religious freedom. He does not push the gay liberal agenda. He supports our military and businesses. He does not support the One World Agenda and crooked organizations like the World Economic Forum and the United Nations. He also recognized Jerusalem as the eternal capital of Israel. Trump”s name means awakening blast or alarm. On December 6, 2017 he sounded the trump by recognizing Jerusalem in the Jubilee year. No one claims he’s perfect, but he’s being used for a purpose. God used all sorts of rulers in the Bible to do his will. Some were even pagans! Some were loud, unorthodox people. God sets all rulers in place to fulfill his purposes. You have to look at the whole picture, as well as the policies of the ruler from a biblical perspective.
You may not like how Trump acts, but as I heard one preacher say, “We lost our right to a soft leader years ago. God has given us a bold unconventional leader- so deal with it.”
The truth is that America is so steeped in sin that God needed to bring in a leader that was not the usual politician. Does he make mistakes? Of course. I have yet to find a squeaky clean politician. But, I have never seen a President attacked more than Trump. I don’t know how he does it other than through the prayers of others. During the month of Elul, I am praying for President Trump and his staff, as well as his family. We should be praying for God’s will to be done for Trump and for him to have the strength to fulfill his assignment. I don’t know what God’s will is for Trump from this point forward. I don’t know what the future holds. But, up to this point Trump has stood by many of the principles Christians hold dear. So, one of my prayers is, “Lord, your kingdom come, your will be done in President Trump’s life. Help him do YOUR WILL.”
The Narrative
It’s easy for people to believe a narrative that’s constantly repeated by the media. I heard a great sermon recently which talked about Moses and Pharaoh. Even though Moses kept telling Pharaoh to let the Hebrew slaves go, Pharaoh would not listen.
“After this, Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, “The Lord, the God of Israel, says this: ‘Let My people go, that they may have a special supper to honor Me in the desert.’” But Pharaoh said, “Who is the Lord, that I should obey Him and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord. And I will not let Israel go.”
Pharaoh had his own narrative. He had his own gods he believed in and he was not going to listen to the God of Moses. So, God had to change his narrative.
God sent the Ten Plagues. He sent plagues of blood, frogs, lice, flies, dying livestock, boils, hail (with lightning), locusts, and darkness. You would think these plagues would change Pharoah’s narrative! Nope! Each time he hardened his heart and would not let the Hebrew slaves go.
So, God sent the worst plague of all. THE DEATH OF THE FIRSTBORN.
“The Lord says this: ‘About midnight I will go through Egypt. And all the first-born in the land of Egypt will die, from the first-born of Pharaoh who sits on his throne to the first-born of the servant girl grinding the grain, and even the first-born of the cattle. There will be loud crying in all the land of Egypt, more than has ever been heard before or will ever be heard again,” Exodus 11:4-6.
The last plague came and Pharaoh saw the death and devastation. He decided to change his narrative.
” Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron at night. He said, “Get up and go away from my people, both you and the people of Israel. Go and worship the Lord, as you have said. Take your flocks and your cattle, as you have said, and go. And pray that good will come to me also.”
So, he let the Israelites go. They celebrated the First Passover and began their journey into the desert.
THE ONE WORLD NARRATIVE
There’s a narrative being pushed right now but it’s not of God. The only way to know the truth from lies is to know Jesus and His Word. Elul is the perfect time to get to know him better and take the time to study and reflect. Many Christians do not even understand that the social justice narrative and even the COVID-19 pandemic is fraught with lies. They are just listening to the government, the media and man- instead of seeking Jesus for answers. For more info about this agenda just check out my other blog posts called The Tower of Babel and Behind the Mask on this website.
Right now our nation is in the middle of a pandemic and we are not seeking Jesus with all our heart. Many in this nation have been given over to idolatry and pagan practices. This is why they cannot see what’s really going on.
In Matthew 16, Jesus asked Peter this question.
“Who do you say that I am?”
Peter replies, “You are the Messiah, the son of the Living God.”
To this Jesus replies, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hell will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”
A lot of people do not realize where Jesus and Peter had this conversation.
This event took place in Caesarea Philippi at the base of Mount Hermon. Caesarea Philipi was a pagan land full of evil practices. The god who was worshipped there at the time was the Roman god PAN. This fake god was half man, half goat and was called the god of chaos. This fake god PAN should sound familiar! We get the words panic, pandemic and panacea from this word!
This fake god PAN was known by the name Baal-Gad as well. Worshipping PAN meant offering sacrifices to him. This was the only way to get chaos to stop and earn favor. Do you want to know how the people appeased PAN (Baal-Gad)? They threw their own innocent babies off a cliff! This cliff is what Jesus was referring to when he described the Gates of Hell.
These people were sacrificing their own innocent children to a satanic god. The area where they sacrificed children was called the Gates of Hell because they actually believed the gate to the underworld was in that location!
How can anyone in our nation say that abortion is ok? We are essentially throwing our children off a cliff. We are worshipping PAN and Baal when we do this! People will say “that’s not the same thing.” Oh yes it is. We are sacrificing children to reduce our own inconveniences and to appease an idol. Who is that idol? OURSELVES!
During this PANdemic you would think people would turn from their sins and seek God. Actually many are seeking a PANACEA for their troubles. Do you know interest in witchcraft and the occult has skyrocketed during the pandemic? That is sad! People need Jesus, not the devil. We must intercede and spread the gospel NOW!
THE GATES OF HELL SHALL NOT PREVAIL! As my friend pointed out, there are some humans called the Gates out there right now and their agenda WILL NOT PREVAIL either.
There is a way to change people’s hearts and narratives, and it’s found in Acts 16: 22-34 NLT
“A mob quickly formed against Paul and Silas, and the city officials ordered them stripped and beaten with wooden rods. They were severely beaten, and then they were thrown into prison. The jailer was ordered to make sure they didn’t escape. So the jailer put them into the inner dungeon and clamped their feet in the stocks.
Around midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening. Suddenly, there was a massive earthquake, and the prison was shaken to its foundations. All the doors immediately flew open, and the chains of every prisoner fell off! The jailer woke up to see the prison doors wide open. He assumed the prisoners had escaped, so he drew his sword to kill himself. But Paul shouted to him, “Stop! Don’t kill yourself! We are all here!”
The jailer called for lights and ran to the dungeon and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. Then he brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, along with everyone in your household.” And they shared the word of the Lord with him and with all who lived in his household. Even at that hour of the night, the jailer cared for them and washed their wounds. Then he and everyone in his household were immediately baptized. He brought them into his house and set a meal before them, and he and his entire household rejoiced because they all believed in God.”
There is something critical in this passage that WE ALL MUST DO! We must SHARE THE GOSPEL. Paul and Silas shared with the jailer. They told him exactly what he had to do! HE MUST BELIEVE IN THE Lord Jesus.
Prior to this, the chains of Paul and Silas and the rest of the prisoners FELL OFF. This was the power of God! Don’t you know that Jesus can break the chains of every prisoner in this nation? I’m talking about all those who are prisoners to sin! But, those chains cannot be broken if we don’t share the gospel.
An earthquake is coming! A shaking is on it’s way. Are we ready America? Like Paul and Silas we may take a beating when we share the gospel- likely not a physical one but who knows these days! Either way, there will be a price to pay, but I’m willing to pay it. Actually it’s already been paid by Jesus. But I have to walk in faith and share as I’m called to do.
ELUL AND MOSES
Moses returned to Mount Sinai during the month of Elul and remained there for 40 days to plead with God about the nation of Israel. They had committed idolatry with the golden calf. (Exodus 32 and 34). God listened to Moses as he interceded for Israel. At the end of the 40 days, God showed mercy. Moses came down with a second set of tablets.
America has worshipped the golden calf and many other things.
Elul is here. It’s time to pray, intercede and turn from our personal and national sins.
As we approach the High Holy Days (The Feast of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement and the Feast of Tabernacles) we need to make ourselves available to Jesus to USE US. This is going to be a year where we will really need to be close to Jesus. We may be facing rough waters and we need a lifeboat. Jesus is it!
Hear the trumpet blast! Turn to the Lord now before it’s too late.
The picture I used for the header of this blog is from Niagara Falls. When I was there, I heard the sound of RUSHING WATERS. Not only is Jesus’ voice described as a trumpet, but it’s also described as the sound of rushing waters. America needs the rushing waters of the Living Water.
Also, check out Psalm 27 if you have a chance. This psalm is read during morning and afternoon prayers during in the month of Elul. This part always stands out to me from the psalm: (verses 4,5)
“One thing I ask from the Lord,
this only do I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life,
to gaze on the beauty of the Lord
and to seek him in his temple.
For in the day of trouble
he will keep me safe in his dwelling;
he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent
and set me high upon a rock.”
I love that it says he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent. It reminds me of the wedding chamber- which is also called a tabernacle. One day the Bride of Christ will be taken to the “hidden place” in heaven to be with the Groom. To me, it’s interesting that this psalm is read everyday during the month of Elul, which leads to the Feast of Trumpets.
Below are two scriptures that remind us that God restores all who repent, both individuals and nations.
“…….and when you and your children return to the Lord your God and obey him with all your heart and with all your soul according to everything I command you today, then the Lord your God will restore your fortunes and have compassion on you…” Deuteronomy 30:2,3.
“Go, proclaim this message toward the north: “‘Return, faithless Israel,’ declares the LORD, ‘I will frown on you no longer, for I am faithful,’ declares the LORD, ‘I will not be angry forever.'” Jeremiah 3:12.
RETURN TO HIM AND HE WILL RETURN TO YOU!
KEEP PRAYING AMERICA!
THE MONTH OF ELUL ENDS AT SUNDOWN ON SEPTEMBER 18, 2020. THIS WILL USHER IN THE FEAST OF TRUMPETS WHICH TECHNICALLY BEGINS AT SUNDOWN ON SEPTEMBER 18, 2020. IT WILL LAST FOR TWO DAYS UNTIL SUNDOWN ON SEPTEMBER 20.
Revelations About Israel and the United States 