"THE TIME IS NOW!"

I awoke one morning to the Lord saying, “The time is now.” I asked, "What time is that, Lord?" but I got no answer. Two days later rockets were hitting Tel Aviv, and then, as the Sabbath began to descend fell upon Jerusalem, so did the rockets. The Lord then gave me the following message:

What has just been unleashed in Israel is the beginning of a time of Jacob’s trouble, but it is for Esau’s trouble as well. There will be no peace in the souls of those who harbor hatred and they will seek to assuage their angst and anger with more hatred. And you will see the manifestation of the the Accuser’s lies as never before, and of the ways of the Adversary (satahn in Hebrew) of God and His people in unprecedented and calculated ways. 

Now is not a time to be preoccupied with seeking to sure up what promises prosperity. There is no value in investing in this world – its time is limited. Invest in My Kingdom – in loving one another, in meeting the needs of the needy lest you find yourself one day needy and have no stored seed to your account.   Seek now the Kingdom of heaven that the integrity and purity may be manifested on earth as it is in heaven by My people. Order your priorities, people!  

Put aside preoccupation with that which is only temporary at best and seek to invest your life in relationships and that which is of eternal value.  Shift your priorities from seeking to be entertained – and by that I mean even in church when your worship is more of a party than a seeking of My holiness in reverential fear, being more aware of Me than of yourselves and your feelings. 

What some feel is My presence is not My presence. There is the joy of My presence which comes from a deep sense of love for Me, from Me, of My love for you and through you to others. Beware of the celebrations that stir you to rejoicing that is motivated by fleshly expectations, endeavors and aspirations.  Now is a time to come to Me and to allow me to separate the precious from the worthless in your lives, individually and corporately (in your churches).   

I know this is a hard word, children, but you are about to enter into hard times and those whose hope is on things in the natural, even things you have identified as being “of Me,” when they do not come to pass, or fall away from you, many will fall away from Me because their hope is anchored in what you expect I will do for you rather than in who I AM.  

I AM about to reveal Myself and My word to the world in a way that only those with ears to hear and eyes to see in the Spirit realm will recognize as being My ways. The devil will make it seem to many as if he is the one causing what it taking place in this hour but just as I let the iniquity of the Amorites be completed so that I could judge them (Gen. 15:14, 15) when Israel was in Egypt, even so it is I who is allowing satan and his demons of darkness to complete their rebellion so that sin will be put away forever. 

Look to the Passover and see the Resurrection in it and you will gain understanding for the days ahead.

Shabbat 11/17/12 

WHAT IF THESE REALLY ARE THE LAST DAYS?

Lord, hear our prayers!

ANNOUNCEMENT: The Kingdom of God is right and true. It is invincible. It's not shaking, it's not teetering, and it's not diminished by what is happening now or will take place in the world. And neither should the people who make up the Kingdom of God!  

The Lord told me 25 years ago that the Bride He returns for will have eyes for no one and nothing (read no thing) other than Him.  Those words have stayed with me for all these years as His standard for His bride.  We are far from that; we are distracted by more things than I can number. Don't let the immediacy of the moment continue to distract you from issues of eternity.  

I'm motivated to write in response to several emails I've received lately from people being frightened or disheartened by the turn of events going on in the world. Despite being people who are exhorted by the Lord that though we are "in" the world, we are not to be "of" the world, I'm hearing some believers sounding a bit too much like their trust is in the world's system, not in King Jesus and His Kingdom.   

Do you believe we might actually be in the last days of the age?  Then why are we surprised, or frightened, or outraged when ungodly and evil things happen when Jesus told us they would?  Many Believers are taken by surprise at the way some thing appear to be going. The presidential election for some, seemed as if God wasn't answering prayer - or at least prayer the way they expected things to go. On a larger scale, most of us did not expect the spirit of anti-Christ to come from Islam but it sure does look that way. During the "cold war" years we were sure the anti-Christ would come out of Russia, because that's where our concerns were, but now we see that Biblically, the end time scenario is all about a mid-east conflict and Israel  having to deal with the same enemies she did in times past. 

All this lines up with God's warnings of the last days. Read Matthew 24 and 25, for instance. We are having to adjust to the fact that we might actually be the people who go through the last days birth pains. Many believers, especially North Americans, have expected to be "raptured" out of harms way and can't imagine they'd still be here if society as we have known it ceased to be as "comfortable" as it has been for the most part. On a number of levels - let's take morally for instance - our society has radically changed in the past decade or two. And we can't blame things on our president(s) though there are concerns. We've been frogs in a pot of increasingly heated immoral water for quite a while. 

What if we are still here, even if just for a part of the days of woe the Bible speaks of? What if you are still here? What prayers would we pray then that we so much would want God to hear and respond to? What government will you pray to be made right then? The government of the Kingdom of God, or that of the world?

What would cause each individual who is of His true church, to do away with our distractions so that we are ready for His coming?  What would it take for you to give up your distractions? The mercies of God come in very strange packages sometimes. And sometimes it's persecution that sorts out one's priorities. Perhaps, by His grace, He is giving us the opportunity now to come to Him and learn to receive His love in a greater measure so that we know how to find all we need in Him.  As we give Him our focus and trust our distractions will fall away as we come to know His great love, His care and His commitment to us in greater measure.  It doesn't take much coming to Him and being with Him for His love to capture our hearts!  it's the "gettin' about it" that's the challenge.What are you distracted by?

Jesus told someone who had been to heaven and returned with messages from Him, that His people are more interested in their security in the world and their comfort than in Him coming and so we pray against the things that must happen before He returns. Now I can understand that. We are to pray for the peace of our cities, and for peace for Jerusalem, and we all want peace for ourselves and our loved ones. But even the Comcast TV guy who came to fix something today, a believer, said to me as we discussed these things, "Jesus told us these kinds of things would have to happen."  

Jesus must let sin play out its hand just as He let the sin of the Ammorites, whatever that was, play out when the children of Israel were enslaved by Egypt.  But in the midst of the darkness over Egypt, there was sunlight in Goshen. When the plagues came to Egypt, they didn't come to Goshen until the day when God brought them out of Egypt with a strong Hand.  I see prophetic pictures in that. Both as pharaoh being a type of anti-Christ and in God's provision for His people in the midst of judgment.  Since we're born again, unlike the infant nation of Israel, we will not be slaves because He has already set us free. We will never be spiritually enslaved to anyone, no matter what happens in the natural because we are free in Him.  

Our anger then must be righteous anger and our fear must be that we would offend God by fearing the enemy which would mean that our faith is more in what the enemy could do than in what God is doing or for that matter, who He is!  I understand the feelings in the natural. I would like to flee as well from what could possibly take placet. But God responds to the prayers of His people even if they are out numbered. He may not answer in the way we requested or expected, but He will answer. Is it just possible that He is in fact answering our prayers for revival by having the election go as it did, so that we continue to look to Him for revival in our nation(s) rather than to sink into being comfortable with things in the natural?  (Selah).

While we are waiting for God's answer to our heartfelt prayers, we must give consideration to how we affect those around us, especially the young ones and those weak of spirit.  We need not to be shouting doom from the housetops but instead declaring what God is whispering to us through His word and by His Spirit.  He says to us, "Fear not, little flock. I have overcome the world." That is either true or it's not. If it is true, then we can fully depend upon it manifesting in our lives.

We MUST not loose faith in the Lord, no matter what.  Christians have been suffering for 2000 years in one place or another.  We are somewhat alarmed because we are now concerned that changes might possibly happen to us that we might be still here for. He is equal to keeping those who are His. He always has been!  We must live as those who will stand before Him one day blameless with great joy and let nothing derail us from that.   

So let us each be leaders in our own sphere of influence, holding high the standard of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. A chain is only as strong as its weakest link, as we know. Let's none of us be that weak link that breaks or diminishes the chain of faith in God. but instead be those who strengthen the faith of others, looking to our first century brothers and sisters as models of Believers trusting God in times of difficulty and affecting the world with their faith in God.Our greatest hour is before us.

GODLY DEPENDENCE - The Low Road to the High Road

Did you ever wonder what Yeshua actually prayed after John baptized Him?  The Bible tells us, “…it came to pass that Jesus also was baptized and while he prayed, the heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended….” (John 3:21, 22).  We don’t doubt that He knew exactly what His calling was and what God expected of Him.  So I wonder, was He frightened now that He was actually stepping not only into the water of mikveh (baptism) but into His profound destiny on earth?  Was He even a tiny bit overwhelmed with a sense of being fully in touch with human weakness at the magnitude of what was before Him? 

Being fully human, did He pray out of a desperate need for God’s anointing to carry this out? Or was He overjoyed at finally entering into the ministry for which He was born?  Did He know His Father would send the Holy Spirit?  I would expect so but perhaps not so visibly. Was He surprised at His Father’s Voice coming from heaven confirming how pleased He was with Yeshua and confirming Him as His Son, saying “This is My beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.”   Mark says it as God saying it to Yeshua while John says as God saying it about Yeshua.  Either way, God is pleased and Yeshua receives the Holy Spirit and all the power and anointing that goes with His presence. 

Wondering about this, I asked the Lord what He was praying. (I ask Him a lot of questions. The answers, when they come, often turn into these articles.) Immediately what came to my mind was, “Dependence, and a passion for the fulfillment of God’s Word and His desire.”  I responded, “No fear, Lord?” And this is what I felt was God’s response to my question:  No, no fear. Fear of that kind is of the Fall. Dependence does not have to be based on fear – not on fear of failure, or rejection, of suffering, or of death. Dependence upon God is based on the awareness that He is “all” and “all” we ever need is found in Him.  

And just as it was God working through Yeshua by His Spirit and Grace, He will also work through us the same way to accomplish His will in our lives. Dependence is the awareness of our need of God. Our need to be dependent upon Him is a fact. He created us to live in tandem with Him this way. This kind of godly dependence is based on confidence in His love and faithfulness to enable us to follow through in all He has for us to do and to be.  We can rejoice in our dependency upon Him, in restful humility before Him, with full confidence that He is faithful and will keep us safe “in Him” and enable us to fulfill His will in our lives.

Godly dependence is based upon the character and nature of God in all His goodness, love and truth – which can be fully depended upon!  In our dependence upon Him, we can remain confident of His will being accomplished in each of our lives knowing that His will is always consistent with His goodness and grace. That’s the kind of faith God’s always been talking about!!    

Well, doesn’t that bring something into contrast?  When the devil tempted Eve, what he convinced her of was that she couldn’t really depend on God to act in her best interest.  He undermined her trust and therefore her dependency upon God.  We’re so used to having our “trusters” broken that full and entire dependence is hard for us. It may take a long time to find out that God is fully trustworthy and always there for us so that we completely depend upon Him. But it doesn’t have to. We can choose to put our trust and dependence upon Him now, today, even if it’s new to us. God created us to be dependent upon Him, to say it again. 

Godly dependence  is a Kingdom revelation and revelation bring transformation.   We receive the most help from God when we depend upon Him the most, and act accordingly, as in “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me” (Phil 4:13). 

Blessings come out of dependence upon Him and curses or trouble come out of independence – an “I’ll do it my way” mindset. Call it obedience or disobedience, each from the heart. This understanding has kept me pretty dependent upon Him – for everything. What a rest there is in that.  But I hadn’t thought of Yeshua having to be dependent upon Him in the same way, being sinless and all. But when God was showing me this, I saw that Yeshua, being sinless, was entirely and fully dependent upon God.  My dependence, as much as I want to give Him my full trust, is at best spotty. Every time I worry or feel rejected or want to do something to fix a relationship or situation on my own, I forget for a short while to depend upon Him for wisdom, or to do the fixin’ Himself. 

We pray for God’s will to be “done on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10) In heaven there is no need of anything because all is complete and perfect and entirely fulfilling in every way.  We’re told that “our citizenship is in heaven” (Phil.3:20).  It struck me in church this Sunday as my pastor was enthusiastically declaring the glories of God and His abounding mercies to us that I really don’t belong here. I’m not “of” here. I’m really “of” heaven.  I can declare this too as an anthem over my life: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ” (Eph. 1:3, 20; 2:6; 3:10; 6:12 – did you know it says “heavenly places” related to our lives that many times in Ephesians? Take note!). 

There’s nothing but blissful dependence upon God in heaven. No one ever works for or worries about anything. Even though we must “do” here on earth, our hearts are trusting in God in whom we depend to provide all things, even if He uses what we “do” to do it. His will is being done on earth as it is in heaven in our lives when we trust Him fully and completely.

Back to Yeshua and His dependency, if He was entirely dependent upon His Father, doesn’t that mean there was nothing of Him trying to work to gain God’s acceptance or His approval or His commitment to take care of Him? Sounds ridiculous, doesn’t it, to think of Yeshua involved in ‘works’ to earn His Father’s favor?  If we are “in Him,” then the same relationship applies between us and God.  We cannot be “in” the one in Whom God was well pleased and still have to work to please Him? We’d be trying to get to where we already are. But we can depend upon God that what Yeshua did has already placed us in His favor by removing the curses of sin which previously separated us.

Let’s take this just one step further.  Yeshua in His dependence was the quintessential absolutely perfect follower of Torah. Every part of His life was aligned with the Word of God, right?  It was through His life as well as His obedient death that He fulfilled all of Torah, that is to say He filled every requirement entirely. And He did so as He lived a fully dependent life before God.  He was still a man and still had to deal with human frailties on certain levels. Torah defines just about every aspect of life. In every one of those areas, Yeshua never once violated the covenant which God gave to Israel through Moses. 

Now, consider this: If He walked out His life in perfect accord with Torah, and there were no “works” that He did in His life to gain God’s favor, doesn’t it stand to reason that Torah was not designed for mankind to work or to do to earn God's favor, but to live according to Torah in confident dependence upon Him, doing His will with joy and His grace?  A common misunderstanding of the church is that Torah is about works and the Jews were constantly trying to earn God’s favor.  Neither is the truth.  Jews were already chosen by God, they didn’t (and don’t) think they had to work to gain His favor.  The “instructions” or “teachings” of Torah (“law” is an unfortunate mistranslation) were to aid Israel to live according to the “chosenness” that was already theirs as the people of God on the earth. When Israel remained dependent upon God they enjoyed His safekeeping, prosperity and blessings. When they drifted or stampeded into independence, they came out from under the umbrella of His protection and safety.  And also with us! 

The worldly self-defined, self-sufficient, self-seeking generation in which we live detests the idea of dependence upon God. They see it as the low road, but in God, the low road is the high road. Nothing could have looked lower than Yeshua on the Cross. But it was the highest achievement of both God and one Man to lift the world high above the devastating entrapment of sin. The low road of dependence leads to the high places of joy, rest and strength for God's  people. I invite you to give much thought to this issue of dependence upon our loving all powerful God and see if there are places of independence in your life that needs to be brought under His lordship, for your good and for the good of those whom you will affect for good in your life.  There is much work to "do" before He returns.   

THE LORD'S STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS

 
As we enter the second term of Obama's presidency, it seemed good to remember that we who are Yeshua's are of another Kingdom. For this reason, I thought it might be good to come above for a few moments to see what the condition of the Kingdom is at this time. So imagine that the Lord is holding a State of the Union address in order to give an account of what is happening in the Kingdom of God presently. While this painting above is of Yeshua holding court when He was on earth, in heaven the glory and power of His presence would be far above all we who are also on earth can begin to imagine. But let's try, shall we, and see what He might be saying if we were there. Listen! 

From all over the heavens those who are the Lord's excitedly gather together in a huge chamber large enough for multitudes upon multitudes. Levels upon levels of balconies rise high into the heavens. As this is a governmental meeting, only those who have been elected – those who are of “the elect” (Matthew 24:31; Romans 8:33) may attend, except for the angels, some interspersed throughout the crowd, while other stand in poised attention as aides along the walls. The place is alive with activity as we greet one another with rejoicing. Then suddenly, a trumpet is blown and Gabriel (Luke 1:19) comes through the enormous chamber doors that open automatically as he approaches them. All attention turns toward him as he steps into the chamber. Expectant silence fills the chamber. Then with a thunderous rumble that rolls up the balconies he announces, “BEHOLD THE LORD OF HEAVEN AND EARTH!” (Daniel 5:23; Matthew 11:25; Luke 10:21; Acts 17:24). All immediately stand to their feet.

As Messiah Yeshua comes through the doors, He is majestic in splendor! (Psalm 8:1). Thunderous applause erupts, causing vibrations throughout creation as praise leaps from every heart in grateful adoration of this One in Whom all things “exist” and “hold together” (1 Cor. 11:18; Colossians. 1:17). He walks purposefully through the crowd of thousands upon thousands, looking into the eyes of each one and calling everyone He touches by name (John 10:3). Time does not matter in His presence so there is no schedule to keep, except what He sets.

He ascends to the podium, “high and lifted up” (Isaiah 52:13), yet we each see Him as being “near” (Phil.4:5) to us, even to the farthest balcony. He begins to speak. To the members of the elect “His voice is like the sound of many waters” (Rev. 1:15), like a mighty waterfall, or a pounding surf. Yet, it is the voice which each of us has known so intimately, so personally, even while commanding the utmost respect and honor. His words are those of exquisitely tender love laced with unchallengeable authority, neither without the other. Every human and angel listens with rapt attention, nothing else dares to vie for their attention.  

"As this is a State of the Union address, the first issue is that of union, first with Him, and then with each other."

One by one, He addresses the issues. As this is a State of the Union address, the first issue is that of union, first with Him, and then with each other. He affirms that we all may “draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith” (Hebrews 10:22) to the Father. We have been given one mind (Acts 2:46; Phil 1:27) to know His Mind, and pure hearts (Psalm 24:4; 1 Tim 1:5), so that we are able to fulfill the will of God, in obedience to Him, by the power of the Holy Spirit. We have been given the “mind of Messiah” (1 Cor 2:16), He goes on to tell us, so that He can share with us His inner most thoughts and desires for His people. This causes us to lean slightly forward in anticipation of what He will yet share with us, not wanting to miss a word He says, intent on being conformed to His every intention for us. He sweeps His arm through the air to emphasize He means all who are His without exception and a celestial shower of stars shoot out from His hand. We can feel the anointing He’s just sent to us that enables us to now understand as He tells us of “secret things that belong to the Lord our God” which now “belong to us…forever” (Deut. 29:29).

His words penetrate our very being so that we are changed more into His image in our inner most being by His Words. He goes on to tell us of how the Torah and the Prophets speak of Him (Luke 24:44) in ways we had not seen before. This is a season of great promise, He affirms to us. This is a time when great revelation will come forth and things that have been hidden until now will be revealed to those “who have ears to hear” (Matthew 11:15; Luke 8:8) and who stay alert to what the Spirit is doing in this time of God's redemptive history. Our experiential union with Him will increase as we have eyes for Him and no one or nothing else.

He then goes on to speak of how we are entirely in union with one another. He states that “He has made us all into one” (Eph. 2:14) by faith so that “we have fellowship with one another as His Blood cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7) It is sin that separates, He emphasizes. But we have been made to live in a loving, fully accepting relationship with one another, in which we “bear all things, believe all things, hope all things, endure all things” (1 Cor. 13:7) of one another, even to protecting the honor of one another. His eyes flash with light, His voice ringing with joy as He says, “The glory which…I have given you” makes you one, “even as the Father and I are one” (John 17:22).

A moment passes and He is quiet. A change comes over Him. He drops His head for a moment, eyes looking down. His Body language sends a shock of alertness through the body of people. Then He speaks and there is sadness in His voice. There are still divisions among you, He says. Do you not know yet that “every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand?” (Matthew 12:25) He pauses for a moment while each of us in stunned silence becomes aware of where we have contributed to dishonoring other persons, not regarding them with the same love He has for them as He has for us. Then He continues. We are entering days in which “the love of most will grow cold” (Matthew 24:12). It shall not be so for those who are Mine, He says emphatically. “Whoever keeps (My) word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected”(1 John 2:5). Remember, dear ones, He says, joy returning to His face, that you are to be servants of one another, even of those who are outside the Kingdom as I have served you. Do not be as those who endeavor to be served or to be known. Be content in the place I have put you. Aspire to do all things unto Me and you will receive your just rewards in time. Keep in mind that “indeed, some (who) are last who will be first and some (who) are first who will be last." (Luke 13:30). 

"There is no dichotomy of perspectives in His presence, there is only Him; there is only His truth."

There is a mixture of joy, hopeful expectation and sobriety in the chamber. There are no divisions now in the room before Him, such as in the world’s State of the Union addresses, where people with differing views on either side of a wide aisle stand and applaud while the others sit silent in obvious disagreement. There is no dichotomy of perspectives in His presence, there is only Him; there is only His truth, His will, and His way. We are to remember, He exhorts us, that we are to love one another so the world will recognize us as His, even when the world turns against us. Even your enemies are to be given water in My name, He tell us with intensity. “I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matt. 5:44), He says. “Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God…has forgiven you” (Eph. 4:32). We are called, He reminds us, to be as He is, even to the laying down of our lives for our friends (John 15:13).

Then He smiles and light bounces from His eyes and showers each person with His love as He says, “Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another” (1 Peter 4:8). His own love for us saturates the chamber, even to the furthest point, so that every person and every angel now bows before Him, and on their lips they whisper together, like the hush of a Holy rushing Wind, “Yeshua, Atah Adonai -- You are Lord” (1Cor. 12:3).

His own eyes are now closed, enjoying the love poured out toward Him in response to His own for us. Then He begins again. Person and angel resume their listening position. The well-being, the shalom of the kingdom, He declares, is sound and “immovable” (1 Cor 15:58). We are invincible in Him! Even “the gates of Hell will not overpower” (Matthew 16:18) the people of God, He assures us. We need only to obey what He has told us to do, to keep the attitudes of our hearts clean and to trust Him with all else. Be careful not to allow “your minds (to) be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion” to Me (2 Cor. 11:3), He says, gazing around the room, catching the eyes of each person for a moment throughout the multitude, looking into each heart. Some slump to the floor, or cover their heads with their arms, unable to bear His holiness even though they are His. 

In this coming season, He continues, Kingdom influence will expand as you move in tandem with the Spirit Who rests upon each one of you, just as He rested upon Me “ — the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord” (Isaiah 11:2) are yours. Use this power I have given you in My name for godly and Kingdom purposes so that the Kingdom of God will fill the earth with “righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Romans 14:17). Applause bursts forth spontaneously. We rise to our feet in joyous confirmation of His will being accomplished.

Just a few words, He says, about the economy in the Kingdom. I have overheard rumors that there is cause for fear of lack for My people. As you love one another and trust in Me, it will be “done unto you as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10) and I assure you there is no lack in heaven. As you receive, give! (Matthew 10:8). There is only abundance in the Kingdom. “Your Father knows what you need before you ask Him” (Matthew 6:8). So ask believing! (Matthew 21:22) “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5) when the world tries to give you reasons not to trust me. They are lies from the evil one. Look into My Word and see what I am doing. I will tell you. “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom” (Luke 12:32). And there is nothing you really need outside the Kingdom.

As for plans for this coming season, we will be exporting the goods and services of the Kingdom to those in need of them elsewhere. The fruit of the Spirit is much needed in many places where it is too dark for people to grow their own. We will be sending people with gifts of the Spirit to people in need of healing and freedom. Keys are going to be distributed that will unlock prison doors so that multitudes will be set free. And for those who dwell in darkness, lamp stands and lamps will be distributed for people to gather around until they are capable of carrying the light themselves which they will then take to others. This coming season promises to be our finest hour. 

The time is approaching. The Kingdom is at hand when “I will vindicate the holiness of My great name which has been profaned among the nations…. Then the nations will know that I am the Lord…when I prove Myself holy among you in their sight” (Ezekiel 36:23). 
Applause and praise reverberates once again throughout the chamber, even throughout the furthest heavens. The State of the Kingdom Union is completed. Yeshua lifts His Hands, which still bare the marks of His death, where we are “inscribed on the palms of His hands” (Isaiah 49:16), as He releases the blessing His Father gave to Aaron upon us: The LORD bless thee, and keep thee. The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee; The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace (Numbers 6:24-26). And for the first time, the revelation of what it truly means that “His Name is upon us” brings everything else He has ever said to us into holy reality. In unison we all say, “Amen.”

 This article was first published on Messianic Vision, www.sidroth.org, 2010.