"I Am Calling My Women Out of the Caves" - Paulette Reed

August 28, 2015

"I Am Calling My Women Out of the Caves"

Paulette Reed, Surprise, AZ

The Elijah List

Intro From Julie A. Smith:

It has been prophesied by many voices that women are coming to the forefront and God is highlighting them in this hour. This word from Paulette Reed will speak to many, many women and will both touch and tug at your heart. At the beginning of this year, I spoke at a women's conference, and the Lord had me say several things to the women there. One being: "Your value is not based on any circumstance."

That truth is a hard one, I think, for men and women both. We base our value on our circumstances in the here and now, which could mean any brokenness we may be going through, lack of finances, failure, or rejection, etc. – we base our value on these types of "temporary" circumstances! Let me remind you that a circumstance is not the destination...it's just a quick stopping point on the journey. Being a runner I get this concept quickly.

While running a race, you may feel fatigued and sore, aches and pains...but you look forward to the aide stations along the way to get refueled, and then you just keep running! God too has aide stations for any temporary challenges we face on our journey so that we can get refueled, refreshed, and then you keep going...

Hear this now word from Paulette Reed: Recently, one morning, I heard Holy Spirit say to me, "I am calling My women out of the caves." As I prayed into this word from Heaven, the Lord showed me hundreds of women hiding in caves because of fear, failure, or fatigue. I then saw the women running from the caves with good news. It was clear that many had overextended their season in the caves and what was intended to be their secret place had become their hiding place. Today, God is calling you out of hiddenness and to the frontlines.

This immediately makes me think of the millions of women and children caught into slavery, poverty, and trafficking around the world...or those neglected right in our own communities. Who will reach out to them with courageous hearts of compassion and nurture them back to life? And who is God going to place on the frontlines, in positions of influence, to shift these types of challenges and many others the world is facing today?

Women are a gift from God and are simply wired with hearts of compassion and mothering, nurturing, and courageous spirits. Have you ever seen a mama bear protect her cubs in nature? Yikes, you don't want to mess with a mama bear!

As you read through this word by Paulette Reed...let me ask you – where is God calling you? Where does He need you to be?

The world needs you...come out of your cave!

Julie A. Smith, Managing Editor
The Elijah List 

http://www.elijahlist.com 

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"I Am Calling My Women Out of the Caves"

Paulette Reed, Surprise, AZ

The Women

Recently, one morning, I heard Holy Spirit say to me, "I am calling My women out of the caves." As I prayed into this word from Heaven, the Lord showed me hundreds of women hiding in caves because of fear, failure, or fatigue. I then saw the women running from the caves with good news. It was clear that many had overextended their season in the caves and what was intended to be their secret place had become their hiding place. 

Today, God is calling you out of hiddenness and to the frontlines.

In the New Testament we find that Jesus had a group of female disciples who followed Him, whom Luke called "the women" (Luke 23:55; Acts 1:14). And since Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever, then of course female disciples are still following their Savior wherever He leads. As God releases the great company of women commanded to share the good news in Psalm 68:11, we will see thousands more following Christ out of love, adoration, and devotion to Him. 

Women are being released to step into a new boldness in the Lord.

Run for Your Life

A couple memorable cave experiences can be found in the book of 1 Kings. Remember that the murderess Jezebel was going to have the prophet Elijah killed but God provided protection and provision, as He still does for His people today. 1 Kings 18:4 says, "For when Jezebel destroyed the prophets of the Lord, Obadiah took a hundred prophets and hid them by fifties in a cave, and provided them with bread and water."

Unfortunately, the spirit of Jezebel is still active in the earth today. The Body of Christ made great strides in overcoming this spirit several years ago; however, as we have relaxed following the victory, and as an Elijah company is arising, we are seeing this spirit frequently raise its ugly head once again. As we live out Acts 2:17, God pouring out His Spirit on all people, and as we prophesy, let's stay alert and remember that this spirit is out to kill the prophetic. We are never to tolerate it (Revelation 2:20).

Go!

One of the reasons that many women are in caves is because of hurts and rejections they have experienced throughout life. 

I can't even begin to count how many people have shared their stories of hurt and pain with me, and while they were wounded many inadvertently made ungodly covenants as they ran into caves. The confession usually goes something like this: "I'm so hurt. I'm just going to love the Lord and worship Him in my secret place because I sure struggle with His people right now."

I do understand that hiding in a cave can make a person feel safe, but in actuality it's a false security and it does not line up with the Word of God. In the Great Commission we are commanded to go into the whole world, and 1 John 4:20 says that we are to love our brothers and sisters in Christ: "If someone says, 'I love God,' and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen."So, beloved, we must love our brothers and sisters as we go and serve Christ in them.

Let's rejoice in the fact that there is always a genuine safe place for all Believers—it's in the shadow of the Almighty's wings. This true security is a supernatural act of protection, not an excuse to hide. 

We must learn to love and serve the Bride of Christ even with all of her spots and wrinkles, for our gifts are not to be hidden for ourselves but they are to be given away to others. Come out, come out, wherever you are!

Developed in the Dark Room

It's wonderful to know that the character of Christ can be formed in us, even if we're in a cave season. We can learn a lot if we remain teachable and determined to become better and not bitter:

• We learn to stay in the safe place after slaying giants (1 Samuel 24:3).
• We learn to love (1 Samuel 24:10).
• We learn not to touch God's anointed (1 Samuel 24:10).
• We learn mercy and forgiveness (1 Samuel 24:10).
• We learn of the Lord's provision (1 Kings 18:4).
• We learn when to cry aloud to the Lord (Psalm 57:1).
• We learn that miracles can be birthed in caves (Matthew 2:1; Luke 2:1–7).
• We learn humility (Matthew 2:1; Luke 2:1–7).
• We learn to delight in hiddenness and live to glorify God (Isaiah 43:7).
• We learn to hear the Lord's still small voice (1 Kings 19:9–12).
• We learn there is a season to all things (1 Kings 19:13).

What Are You Doing Here?

As the Lord releases a great company of women throughout the earth, let's take a look at 1 Kings 19:13–16 (NLT) to see what happened to Elijah as he was hiding in the cave. God asked Elijah a question as he stood at the mouth of the cave:

And a voice said, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" He replied again, "I have zealously served the Lord God Almighty. But the people of Israel have broken their covenant with You, torn down Your altars, and killed every one of Your prophets. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me, too." Then the Lord told him, "Go back the same way you came, and travel to the wilderness of Damascus. When you arrive there, anoint Hazael to be king of Aram. Then anoint Jehu grandson of Nimshi to be king of Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from the town of Abel-meholah to replace you as My prophet."

In unpacking these Scriptures, it's great to see that God didn't lose track of His elusive servant, though Elijah had been hiding in a cave for quite some time. God had been watching over him and supernaturally ministering to his needs. But the cave season was coming to an end. Elijah had been resting, giving time to get his heart and soul right, so that he could continue on in his destiny and now God calls him back to the mountain to take a stand.

His heart must have been pierced by such a searching question from the Almighty: "What are you doing here?" I believe the Lord is asking many of us that same piercing question today:"What are you doing here?" Or perhaps we need to ask ourselves, "Am I in the right place?" Are you sensing a nudge from the Lord that's making you uncomfortable? If so, let's remember that the Lord often comforts the afflicted and afflicts the comfortable. Our faith, spiritual gifts, and Christ-like character grow by being stretched, not by lying dormant in a cave.

And then, in the solitude of Mount Sinai, perhaps at the same "cleft of the rock" that Moses hid in thousands of years before as God's glory passed by (Exodus 33:22), God showed up to give direction to His prophetic servant. It is amazing that God told Elijah to go back on the same road and along the same path that led him to the cave. Oh, how different this trip would be! 

Elijah was no longer fatigued or frightened by Jezebel; rather, he left the cave anointed by God and ready to be a heavenly force to be reckoned with.

I hear the Lord saying, "Go! Get your eyes off of yourself. Here are your new marching orders: love, serve, anoint, appoint, and raise up successors."

Exchanging Grave Clothes for Bridal Armor

John 11:44–45 tells us of the raising of Lazarus from the dead: The man who had died came forth, bound hand and foot with wrappings, and his face was wrapped around with a cloth. Jesus said to them, 'Unbind him, and let him go.' Therefore, many of the Jews who came to Mary, and saw what He had done, believed in Him."

This is a season where God is exchanging your grave clothes for the armor of God. I declare to you today: "Come forth now, with boldness, with purity of devotion and passion after God. Exchange the grave clothes that held you in bondage for pure, white linens, the righteous acts of God's holy people, and declare the Good News of the Kingdom of God so that many will believe in Him!"

Just think what would have happened if Jesus had stayed in the cave. Thank goodness He arose from the dead and walked out of the tomb in resurrection power. In Romans 8:11 the apostle Paul makes it clear that the Holy Spirit, the agent of Jesus's resurrection, lives within every Believer: "But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you."

I speak life to dreams, marriages, businesses and families today. Come forth! You shall live and not die!

Psalm 57:1 is a beautiful tribute regarding David as he fled from Saul and hid in the cave, and it's valid for you and me today: "Be gracious to me, O God, be gracious to me, for my soul takes refuge in You; and in the shadow of Your wings I will take refuge until destruction passes by."

Destruction has passed you by, beloved, and you are commanded to arise and shine. The Lord has softened your heart and given you a breastplate of righteousness. You're a radiant Bride, soft on the inside and tough as nails on the outside. 

A heavenly, royal wedding gown covers the armor as you march in the great army of women. God is calling His women out of the caves.

Paulette Reed
Prophetic Arrow Ministries

Email: info@propheticarrow.org
Website: propheticarrow.org

Paulette Reed is a powerful preacher, prophetic minister, encourager, and author. She is a full-time revivalist/evangelist. Her passion is to share the love of Christ and unite people to the inexplicable love of our Heavenly Father, exhorting them to arise and shine! She is an extremely accurate prophetess who has been raised up to bring hope and healing to the Body of Christ. Without a vision the people perish, so the Lord is using this handmaiden as His mouthpiece to speak forth individual and corporate vision, catapulting people into their destinies. Paulette loves to see God's people awakened and proclaim the active extension of the Kingdom on earth as it is in Heaven. She ministers in the revival anointing accompanied by revelatory ministry, healing, miracles, signs and wonders.

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Holocaust Views: One Royal, One from Tinseltown

By Tzippe Barrow

CBN News Internet Producer - Jerusalem

Friday, August 28, 2015

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JERUSALEM, Israel -- More than 70 years after one-third of European Jewry perished at the hands of Germany's Third Reich, an Israeli-born American Jewish actress suggested Holocaust education no longer needs to be at the "forefront."

The following week, the reigning monarch of Monaco asked forgiveness for turning a total of 90 Jewish refugees over to the Nazi occupiers in neighboring France, nine of whom survived the genocide.

The startlingly different statements, one from Oscar-winning actress Natalie Portman, 34, whose paternal great-grandparents perished at Auschwitz, and the second from Prince Albert, 57, son of the fairytale marriage of the late Prince Rainier and American actress Grace Kelly, came within days of each other.

In a recent interview with The Independent, Portman suggested the Holocaust wasn't really so different from other genocides and perhaps the Jewish community should back off its predisposition with Holocaust education.

"I think a really big question the Jewish community needs to ask itself is how much at the forefront we put Holocaust education," she said, clarifying that it's "an important question to remember and to respect, but not over other things."

"We need to be reminded that hatred exists at all times and reminds us to be empathetic to other people that have experienced hatred also, not used as a paranoid way of thinking that we are victims," Portman said.

Not surprisingly, there were some who didn't agree with her.

In a statement posted on its website, B'nai B'rith International said the Holocaust is inseparably connected to Jewish identity.

"An emphasis on the Holocaust in a Jewish education is extremely important as it is tied to our identity. The focus does not come at the expense of learning about other tragedies, such as those in Rwanda and Bosnia."

Author Aaron Goldstein explained why her remarks are so deeply disturbing.

"The problem with this view is that the Holocaust is not a thing of the past. Anti-Semitism is the world's oldest hatred, and there are forces that wish to see the Jewish people eliminated from the face of the earth," Goldstein wrote in an op-ed in The American Spectator.

"The most prominent of these forces is Iran, and President Obama's nuclear agreement now gives them the means to destroy the State of Israel once and for all," he explained. "This is why her comments are so deeply disturbing."

Meanwhile at a ceremony Thursday evening at a cemetery in Monaco, Prince Albert asked forgiveness for what took place 73 years ago to the day, on August 27, 1942, when 66 Jewish refugees were rounded up and turned over to the Nazis in neighboring France. Later, another 24 Jews were handed over to them.

"We committed the irreparable in handing over to the neighboring authorities, women, men and a child who had taken refuge with us to escape the persecutions they had suffered in France," Albert said, standing in front of a monument with the names of the Jewish victims. "In distress, they came specifically to take shelter with us, thinking they would find neutrality."

The contrast between Portman's desire to relegate Holocaust education to a back burner and Prince Albert's better-late-than-never public apology for delivering dozens of French Jews to imprisonment and death reveal two stunningly different perceptions of memorializing the Nazi reign of terror.

She Started Praising Jesus On Jimmy Fallon, How The Crowd Reacted? WOW!

She Started Praising Jesus On Jimmy Fallon, How The Crowd Reacted? WOW!

I’ve been a Jimmy Fallon fan for years, but what gospel singer Yolanda Adams just did on his show will go down as the best performance in the history of The Tonight Show. This gave me chills!

A standing ovation was all that remained after Grammy award-winning gospel singer, Yolanda Adams, performed on The Tonight Show. The 53-year-old (gasp!) singer stole the show with her powerhouse performance of her hit song “Victory” and it was so good that I watched it over and over. Even Jimmy Fallon stumbled over his words after Yolanda brought the worship of a lifetime to liberal NBC!




“Oh my goodness! OH MY GOODNESS!,” Jimmy shouted when Yolanda finished. “Thank you! Oh my goodness! Look at that! Standing ovation right there and why not? Well deserved!”



Yolanda’s flawless voice, the soulful choir, the talented instrumentalists, and the touching lyrics gave me CHILLS! It was so brave of the Texas native to take a stand for Christianity on a notoriously liberal network. Check out some of the lyrics from “Victory” that left the audience cheering.


“Truly I’ve been through the storm and rain. I know everything about heartache and pain. God carried me through it all. Without His protection I’d surely fall. I've been broke without a dime to my name. But all my bills got paid because I called on Jesus name. You can’t tell me that God isn't real ’cause I’ve got the victory and that’s why I'm still here.”

Watch the breathtaking performance right now! Click below.

FLAWLESS! It’s beautiful to see Yolanda share her Christian faith so fearlessly. I can’t think of a more perfect way to glorify God with the talent He blessed her with!

Watch now: 

Yolanda Adams with Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show

Source: http://qpolitical.com/

War Room - Official Trailer - Opens Aug. 28, 2015

From the Kendrick Brothers, the award-winning creators of Fireproof and Courageous, comes a powerful new film that will inspire moviegoers to start fighting their battles the right way—through prayer. WAR ROOM, in theaters August 28. http://warroomthemovie.com/

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From the award-winning creators of Fireproof and Courageous comes WAR ROOM, a compelling drama with humor and heart that explores the power that prayer can have on marriages, parenting, careers, friendships, and every other area of our lives.

Tony and Elizabeth Jordan have it all—great jobs, a beautiful daughter, and their dream house. But appearances can be deceiving. Tony and Elizabeth Jordan’s world is actually crumbling under the strain of a failing marriage. While Tony basks in his professional success and flirts with temptation, Elizabeth resigns herself to increasing bitterness. But their lives take an unexpected turn when Elizabeth meets her newest client, Miss Clara, and is challenged to establish a “war room” and a battle plan of prayer for her family. As Elizabeth tries to fight for her family, Tony’s hidden struggles come to light. Tony must decide if he will make amends to his family and prove Miss Clara’s wisdom that victories don’t come by accident.

In theaters now and filled with more of the authentic characters loved by millions in previous Kendrick Brothers’ films, WAR ROOM is a vivid reminder that prayer is a powerful weapon.

Watch the Official Trailer

WATCH: JONATHAN CAHN Says 'Let This Produce Greatness in Your Life'

 8/27/2015 CHARISMA STAFF

While these indeed are very trying times, it's also a time of hope. Jonathan Cahn says, "this is the time that not only produces the greatest evil, but also produces the greatest good. These are the days that produce greatness." How great will you be?

Watch the entire video here:

For the month of August we are celebrating the 40th anniversary of Charisma. As a special offer, you can get 40 issues of Charisma magazine for only $40!

How do we find hope in such dark times? Some lessons from Jeremiah, the ancient Hebrew prophet - Joel Rosenberg

Joel Rosenberg

 

How do we find hope in such dark times? Some lessons from Jeremiah, the ancient Hebrew prophet. (Notes from my recent survey of the Book of Jeremiah) by joelcrosenberg

(Central Israel) -- The world is dark and getting darker.

Recently, I noted in a column that it is hard to pick up a newspaper or go online or watch TV and not see some of "the darkest headlines" I have ever read.

From mass shooters...to the genocidal acts of the Islamic State...to the unchallenged rise of a nuclear Iran...to the Planned Parenthood videos about the selling of baby hearts and lungs and livers over salad and Chardonnay...to corrupt governments and corrupt leaders....to rampant marital unfaithfulness....to an epidemic of suicide and drug use....to the persecution and slavery of people all over the world....to so many other horrifying acts, it is easy these days to feel deeply discouraged and even depressed.

This is why I have spent the last four months or so studying the life and times and message of the Hebrew prophet Jeremiah. In April, I began reading through this Old Testament book, intending to refresh my understanding of it and then move on to Isaiah and Ezekiel and Daniel, and so forth. But every time I tried to move on, the Lord would pull me back into the words of Jeremiah. There was more there for me to learn, so much that I was not getting on the first or second read. So study it I did, page after page, chapter after chapter, month after month.

What I found was the sobering account of a young Jewish man who also lived in very dark times. Yet I also found the remarkable story of a man who found great hope to live close to the Lord and to serve his God with great boldness and courage and stunning faithfulness despite enormous pressures and dangers.

And I read this over and over again, I began to try to discover the sources of this young man's hope.

In mid-August, I taught a survey of the Book of Jeremiah over the course of five days at the Word of Life Bible camp in the Adirondack Mountains of Upstate New York. It was the first time I began to share publicly what I'd been learning over the previous months. Then, upon returning to Israel last week, I shared some of my observations from the life of Jeremiah at the closing session of a conference of Jewish and Christian leaders in Jerusalem.

A number of people have since asked me to share my notes. Thus, on August 18th, I posted on this blog some notes, specifically those pertaining to King Josiah, the first leader Jeremiah served under, a leader who took the Word of God to heart and made bold changes in his own life and led sweeping reforms in the life of his nation.

Today, I wanted to share more of my notes, looking at seven elements of Jeremiah's hope. I pray that you find these encouraging. Please feel free to share them with others.

Let's begin by reading a passage from Jeremiah chapter one:

"Now the word of the Lord came to me saying. ^'Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I have appointed you a prophet to the nations.' Then I said, 'Alas, Lord God! Behold, I do not know how to speak, because I am a youth.' But the Lord said to me, 'Do not say, "I am a youth," because everywhere I send you, you shall go, and all that I command you, you shall speak. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you,' declares the Lord. Then the Lord stretched out His hand and touched my mouth, and the Lord said to me, 'Behold, I have put My words in your mouth. See, I have appointed you this day over the nations and over the kingdoms, to pluck up and to break down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant.'" (verses 4 through 10)

As I read these verses -- in context of all 52 chapters of this fascinating Old Testament book -- a few things struck me immediately:

First, Jeremiah had a clear call to ministry. The son of a Jewish priest, he had had grown up expecting to be a Levitical priest. But the Lord had a different plan for him. From eternity past, God had chosen Jeremiah to be one of the great Hebrew prophets, preaching and teaching the word of the Lord to a lost people desperately in need of hearing directly from the God who loved them and had a plan for their lives. Jeremiah thought he was too young to serve the Lord. But the Lord had knit him together in his mother's womb and prepared him. And God's charge to this young prophet (probably in his late teens or early twenties) -- "you will go where I tell you to go" and "you will say what I tell you to say" and "you will not be afraid" and "I will be with you to deliver you."

Second, Jeremiah truly lived in dark and volatile times. He lived in and around Jerusalem, in the southern kingdom of Judah, at a time when the Jewish people lived in a highly dangerous, volatile, and rapidly changing geopolitical environment. The powerful and wicked Assyria empire (with its evil capital in Nineveh) to the north had conquered and captured the northern kingdom of Israel, but was about to be judged and destroyed according to the prophecies of Isaiah and Nahum who had gone before Jeremiah. The powerful Egyptian kingdom to the south -- led by Pharoah Neco -- was soon going to be conquered and destroyed by a new and wicked and terrifyingly powerful empire rising to the east, that of Babylon and King Nebuchadnezzar. Yet as war and terror and evil were sweeping through the region, and the Jewish people were in deep and rising danger, the Jewish people were not listening to the word of the Lord, not obeying the Lord, not fearing or following the Lord, and living in great sin and darkness.

Third, Jeremiah was given a powerful message -- for the Jewish people, for the surrounding enemy nations, and for us today. God appointed Jeremiah "to be a prophet" to the people of "Judah and Jerusalem" and "to the nations." To the Jews, God's message through Jeremiah was: repent, turn back to the Lord, or face cataclysmic judgment for your individual and national sins. To the surrounding nations, Jeremiah also warned of sweeping, devastating national judgments because of their great sins against the Jewish people and against the Lord God of Israel and His Word. Most of Jeremiah's prophecies have already come to pass. But there are a few that are yet to be fulfilled, which means we must be ready for God to act again in great power.

Fourth, Jeremiah wasn't promised health and wealth for serving the Lord -- rather, God gave him a very hard life. He was often alone. He was not allowed by the Lord to get married or have a family. He was betrayed by most of his friends. He was persecuted, mocked, ignored, attacked, arrested, beaten, imprisoned, and repeatedly sentenced to death. He saw the lost-ness of his people, and their refusal to listen to God and His Word. He saw the lost-ness of the nations, as well. Like our Savior, he was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. While a strong and courageous servant of God, he often wept over the darkness that was falling on his nation and the region and the world, and sometimes he even despaired of life itself, wishing he had never been born to see such times.

That said, it also became clear that Jeremiah had deep and true hope. What kept him going? What kept him faithfully serving the Lord, against all odds? He had hope. Let's briefly consider seven elements of Jeremiah's hope:

1. Jeremiah had a close, intimate, personal relationship with the living God of the universe, and Jeremiah loved God's Word. The Lord spoke directly to Jeremiah, and urged Jeremiah to talk directly to Him. "Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things you do not know." (Jeremiah 33:3) The Lord spoke some of the most beautiful, intimate, personal language in the whole Bible to and through Jeremiah. "I have loved you with an everlasting love." (31:3) "For I know the plans I have for you, plans for good and not for evil, plans to give you a future and a hope. Then  you will call upon Me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart." (29:11-13)
2. Jeremiah could see Biblical prophecies coming true in his lifetime, and this helped him understand that God's Word was true and trustworthy. In 612 B.C., he saw Nineveh -- the wicked capital of the wicked Assyrian empire -- destroyed, just as the prophets before him and foretold. In the years that followed, he saw the rise of the Babylonian empire and the rise of King Nebuchadnezzar, just as the Lord has foretold through him. In 586 B.C., he saw the nation of Judah and the capital of Jerusalem conquered and destroyed by the Babylonians in a judgment the Lord had foretold repeatedly through him. During this entire period, many others "smaller" prophecies came true as well. As painful as it was to live in such times and see such things come to pass, it did give Jeremiah hope in a God whose word was true and trustworthy because it meant that the good things foretold would come true in due course, as well.
3. Jeremiah was given two dear and faithful friends. Yes, most if not all of Jeremiah's friends abandoned him early on because they didn't want to hear a message of repentance and coming judgment. And this was deeply painful for Jeremiah. But I encourage you to take some time to read in the book of Jeremiah about Baruch and Seraiah -- two godly, courageous and stalwart brothers -- who because trusted aides, allies and friends to the prophet.
4. Jeremiah could see the promise of a coming King. In addition to having to preach about coming judgment to the Jewish people and to their neighbors, Jeremiah was also given the high task by God of foretelling of a coming King, a coming "Anointed One" or Messiah who would save and redeem people and bring righteousness to the world. "Behold, the days are coming," declares the Lord, "when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch; and He will reign as king and act wisely and do justice and righteousness in the land....And this is His name by which He will be called, 'The Lord our righteousness.'" (23:5-6)
5. Jeremiah could see promise of a coming New Covenant. This great prophet was deeply saddened by seeing his people refusing to obey the "old covenant" that God had made with Moses. Most were not reading, listening to or following God's word. Rather, they were disobeying God's laws, hardening their hearts, and engaging in widespread sin and violence, even killing their own babies (through child sacrifice to the false god, Molech). But to Jeremiah it was revealed that not only was judgment coming; so, too, was a "New Covenant" was coming. That is, God would initiate a new relationship -- a personal and intimate and everlasting relationship -- with lost people who desperately needed Him to save and atone for them, wash away their sins, and give them His righteousness. "Behold, days are coming," declares the Lord, "when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them....But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days....I will put My law within them and on their hearts I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people....for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more." (31:31-34)
6. Jeremiah could see the promise of a coming Kingdom. He could see the corruption endemic throughout his own country. He could also see the corruption of the kingdoms that surrounded the Jewish people. He saw the impact a godly, humble leader could make (like King Josiah). But he also served under four disastrous leaders. Yet the Lord revealed to him -- and through him -- the amazing, remarkable, joyful news that another Kingdom was coming to conquer all others. A Messianic Kingdom. An incorruptible Kingdom. A Kingdom filled with righteousness, justice and mercy. Led by a wise and righteous King, the Messiah. A Kingdom that would be inhabited by all who followed the New Covenant. (see Jeremiah 23 and33).
7. Jeremiah could also see the promise of Jews being saved by a loving, holy, powerful God. God's message to this Hebrew prophet wasn't just about judgment. It was about mercy. It was about forgiveness. It was about grace. As part of the prophecies concerning the coming of the Messiah, and His coming New Covenant, and His coming Kingdom, the Lord God of Israel specifically told Jeremiah -- not once but twice -- that "in His days Judah will be saved" (23:6) and "in those days Judah will be saved" (33:16). This promise of a future salvation of the Jewish people by a Jewish Messiah, as part of a Jewish New Covenant, leading to a coming Messianic Kingdom was a bright, warm, hopeful ray of light in times that were dark and getting darker. It gave him something that he and his people could look forward to, their future repentance and redemption.

I encourage you to study through these notes and discuss them with family and friends. Read through the entire Book of Jeremiah. Many times. Take careful notes. Understand it for yourself. Then see how many times the other prophets studied and cited Jeremiah. See how often the Lord Jesus Christ cited the work of Jeremiah. The Apostles, too. They knew the words of Jeremiah had deep and profound meaning for their lives, and for ours, too.

I pray that in our times -- that are dark and getting darker -- you will find the hope that Jeremiah had, made clear to us today through the Lord Jesus Christ and His words found in both the Old and New Testament.

BACKGROUND MATERIAL:

• UN to let Iran do its own inspections of alleged nuclear weapons sites. This is insane, but true. [Christian leaders should educate & mobilize people to tell Congress to stop this deal.]
• Why is the Iran nuclear deal so dangerous? Here’s my detailed analysis of the 159-page agreement.
• Listen to podcast of speech I gave in Denver on 8/6: “Israel, Iran & ISIS: What’s Next? (including analysis of the Iran nuclear deal)
• The biggest threat now is not Radical Islam. It is “Apocalyptic Islam.” Let me explain. (Excerpts from my address to the National Religious Broadcasters Convention)
• Is ISIS now using chemical weapons? Sounds like “The Third Target,” but U.S. intelligence says the evidence shows the Islamic State now has weapons of mass destruction.

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• Pre-order your copies of THE FIRST HOSTAGE now in hardcover, e-book or audio formats — it releases on December 29, 2015
• To read the trilogy of novels I wrote about an American President pressuring an Israeli Prime Minister not to launch unilateral military strikes against Iran, but Israel feeling forced to do so anyway, please click here.
• Order The Third Target today — the New York Times best-selling novel about ISIS capturing chemical weapons in Syria and plotting genocidal attacks.
• Order Implosion: Can American Recover From Its Economic & Spiritual Challenges In Time?
• Follow on Twitter — @joelcrosenbergReceive every blog post automatically via the RSS feed.
• Invest in The Joshua Fund (www.joshuafund.net), our non-profit organization to educate and mobilize Christians to bless Israel and her neighbors in the name of Jesus, care for the poor and needy with food and other humanitarian relief, and strengthen the Church in the epicenter. Read our latest Donor Report, and make a tax deductible, secure, on-line contribution.
• There is still time to sign up for The Joshua Fund’s 2015 “Prayer & Vision Tour of the Holy Land.” Come with me and walk where Jesus, the apostles and the prophets walked. Study the Word of God. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem and all the people of the epicenter. Meet and worship with local believers. Serve the poor and needy. Discover the Lord afresh, and even be baptized in the Jordan River. This is a journey that could change your life! Here are the details.

joelcrosenberg | August 27, 2015 at 5:54 pm | Categories: Uncategorized | URL:http://wp.me/piWZ7-3l3

Christians Under Fire for Recognizing Five-Fold Apostle-Prophet

8/27/2015 ASIF AQEEL/WORLD WATCH MONITOR  charisma news

This flier invited Christians to participate in a memorial ceremony on Aug. 16 to commemorate the late Pastor Fazal Masih, referred to as the one 'who was given the title of an apostle.' The flier also carries pictures of 15 office-bearers of the "Biblical Church of God," a small, little-known Protestant group in Gujrat. (World Watch Monitor)

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Pakistani police have charged 15 Christians with blasphemy in the religiously conservative city of Gujrat for publishing a flier that described a Christian pastor, who died 20 years ago, as one "who was given the title of an apostle."

The word "apostle" is translated in the Urdu Bible as "rasool." Although the title "prophet" is usually translated into Urdu by the Arabic-root "nabi," "rasool" can also carry the same meaning.

The claim of "apostleship" or "prophet-hood" is perceived as an open insult and challenge to the Prophet of Islam, Muhammad. Muslims believe he is Allah's last and final apostle and prophet, after whom prophecy ceased. Therefore any countering claim is considered blasphemous and, according to Pakistan's blasphemy law, may be punishable with death.

The Catholic news agency, Fides, reported that during the recent Ramadan, in early July, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif approved a summary prohibiting the English translation of Islamic terms. Sacred Arabic names and words like "Allah," "masjid," "sala'at" and "rasool," it reported, "are now forbidden to be translated into English as 'God,' 'mosque,' 'prayer' and 'prophet' ... The Prime Minister's announcement came a day before the anniversary of the coup of General Zia ul Haq in 1977, when a number of laws were issued to Islamize the country."

In Gujrat, which is in the Punjab region, the flier, an invitation to Christians to participate in a memorial ceremony on Aug. 16 to commemorate the late Pastor Fazal Masih, carried pictures of 15 office-bearers of the "Biblical Church of God," a small, little-known Protestant group working in Gujrat city.

A Pakistani commentator explained to World Watch Monitor: "The flier's language looks like it's been copied from the Internet. It's language that may be more acceptable in countries where Christianity has more freedom. It suggests that the late pastor practiced the gifts of the Holy Spirit and had a prophetic gift. However this is a concept that does not translate easily in an Islamic context."

The flyers were placed across the city in the areas where Christians are in a higher number, such as Mughal Colony, where the dead man's son, Younatan Fazal Gill, lived. He was one of the organizers of the program.

"There are about 200 households of Christians who have reasonable means of earning, and also have their own houses," Mukhtar Mughal Khan, a Christian political leader and former local councilor, told World Watch Monitor.

"Only three days before the announced date of the program, first a Muslim woman and then Umar Butt, a shopkeeper, noticed that the flier used the word 'apostle' for a Christian.

"There are people who say Umar Butt enquired of Younatan's brother-in-law, Imran Masih, about the title of 'apostle.' Imran told him that Christians could use this "biblical" description, after which the situation escalated.

"On Aug. 15, it was announced from the loudspeaker of a local mosque that all Muslims should gather to discuss this issue. The police of the Civil Lines were also called in.

"After the meeting, the police searched Christian neighbourhoods and removed all the fliers. And when the organizers of the program were preparing to gather the next day, the police arrested some of them."

The police of Civil Lines registered a case (numbered 972/15) under the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2001. This was an unusual move because it did not allow for a local citizen to lodge the application, nor was the case registered under the blasphemy laws of Pakistan.

"The situation got tense, even though there was no untoward incident, so Christians started to leave the area," said Khan.

A Christian health visitor, Roseanna Masih, told World Watch Monitor that two women living across the street from her started name-calling: "They said Christians had blasphemed the Holy Prophet and that they should be punished for it. I told them that anyone who had done wrong should be punished, but why should all of us be treated with contempt?"

"On Friday, Aug. 21, Christians were expecting that after Friday prayers extremist Muslims would attack their houses, so almost all their women and children were sent away while only men were left their to guard their houses," said Khan. He said that there were about 500 houses in the Mughal Colony and about 200 households were of Christians.

"The police cordoned off the area and the Deputy Police Officer, Ghulam Mustafa, and Civil Lines Police Station House Officer, Shahid Tanveer, played a wonderful role and did not let any unpleasant incident take place," said Khan.

Police Officer Tanveer later told World Watch Monitor that the situation was under control and that there was no law and order situation in the area.

"However, the police arrested Pastor Aftab Gill, another son of the deceased pastor, and three others, while Younatan has obtained bail," said Khan.

Similar Cases

This is not the first time a Christian has been accused of blasphemy because of biblical interpretation or translation. Almost exactly a year ago, on Aug. 23 in Bahawalpur, about 450 kilometres from Lahore, 60-year-old Naja Masih was sitting outside his home with his neighbour, Shahid Mehmood, discussing similarities between the Bible and the Quran, after which Masih was charged and immediately handed to the police.

In his First Information Report (FIR), submitted in the Civil Lines Police Station, Mehmood stated that Masih told him "God Himself took human form—God forbid—and appeared to Lot, and told him to leave his village." Mehmood further alleged that Masih had injured his religious feelings, by saying that when Lot had fled Sodom along with his daughters, his daughters "intoxicated" him and slept with him to continue their father's lineage.

In another case, a Christian man named Anwar Kenneth was arrested and charged under the blasphemy law. He claimed he was one of the two promised witnesses to Jesus (interpreted as Elijah and Moses) in the last book of the Bible (Rev. 11) but was believed to be mentally ill. However, he was sentenced to death in 2002 and since then his appeal has not been heard by the Supreme Court.