Revised1/1/2013： End Times Prophets: A watchman’s calling is to be different

The first watchman/intercessor/prophet, Abraham hearing God

The watchman’s note on 2013 1st January: The watchman opened his blog page and saw this blog post this morning. Awesome. He just ended an overnight (count-down) meeting with a small group of brethren at the end of 2012. They started from around 9pm on 31-12-2012 and finished the meeting by 1am on 1-1-2013. The meeting was led by the Lord Holy Spirit, in worship, prayers, and in reading the Bible. They also watched sections of an Abraham movie (on the calling of Abraham and the offering of Isaac as a sacrificial lamb).

The watchman did not know what to share when he was asked to have this meeting yesterday. he trusted the Lord will guide them to read the message He sent. So in the afternoon he rested for two hours. When he opened the Bible he was led to read Abraham. He then realized he had a VCD of Abraham featuring Richard Harris. He remembered the scene of him kneeling in the wild, by a stream, in awe, as God spoke to him. So the watchman found the VCD and watched those awesome and touching scenes (with equally haunting music in the background as Abraham led his own family and left his country, family, and father’s house).

The sharing of the year end’s Word therefore came from Genesis 12:1-9.

So after midnight the small gathering of friends and brethren watched those two episodes: the calling of Abraham and the offering of his most loved, Isaac. During the gathering the brethren rededicated themselves to the Lord with proclamation of the New Covenant (remembering that it was set by Jesus’ blood, as He declared in Matt.26:28). The brethren parted around 2am.

When the watchman woke this morning he turned to his travel Bible it opened to this verse, 2 Kings 13:23 (NKJV) “²³ But the Lord was gracious to them, had compassion on them, and regarded them, because of His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and would not yet destroy them or cast them from His presence.”

______________________Original Post on 7/30/2011

It is hard to explain why anyone would want to be called to be a watchman. Indeed, there is no explanation. The watchman has come to this conclusion lately.  He finds that the messages received in his spirit are increasingly difficult to pass on given his nature. Yet he has to obey. Often he has to contradict others and cause ‘unhappy’ feelings. (The reason: he ‘sees’ and they cannot. Those who see are the minority minority).

Sometimes even his own loved ones are offended and consider him without tact. Many times he has to choose between listening to man or to God. When he is certain what he hears is from God he does not hesitate anymore. He has no choice really. He has to choose God everytime.

One day he could not take it so he asked the Lord his mission on earth. Then he was shown Exodus 28:29-30 on Aaron’s duties. When he goes before the Lord he has to represent his people. When he goes in before the Lord he has to determine the Lord’s will for his people. An intercessor/prophet does these two jobs.

Can he ‘resign’ being a watchman? Can he not see into the spiritual realm’s reality and give warnings? Can he stop his ear from hearing or his eyes from seeing what others do not hear or see in the physical realm?

Can a man choose his spiritual calling?

These are the questions he is asking himself. Of course there are temporary ‘advantages’ in being ignorant of spiritual matters and matters concerning God. One can live in blissful oblivion and not knowing why things happen the way they happen and knowing what to do even when the thief comes to steal, kill and destroy. This would also mean choosing not to believe in the Bible, because the Bible is spiritual and is all about the supernatural spiritual God.

This is not a stance the watchman dares to take.

The watchman looks to the Bible for comfort and assurance of his stance. He can find a lot of examples of how those who see into the spiritual realm and obey God had suffered in the hands of men.

Jesus Himself is the number One example. His Apostles and disciples are expected to suffer the same. The godly and faithful prophets had suffered the same fate, and many were even killed when they faithfully carried out their assignments.

He has just finished reading a detailed spiritual testimony by a former medical consultant. He realized now that the reality of the spiritual realm cannot be disputed. Yet, reading the 40 pages long testimony would be like reading a science fiction to many sceptics (Christian or non-Christian). He can understand how the brethren must have felt giving the testimony.

The Lord lamented in Hosea 4:6, “My people are being destroyed for lack of knowledge (Knowledge of God)”.

Hosea 9:8 “The prophet is a watchman over Israel for my God, yet traps were laid for him wherever he goes. He faces hostility even in the house of God.”

Hosea 9:7 “Because of your great sin and hostility, you say, “the prophets are crazy and the inspired men are fools.”

The good news is, Jesus has foreseen all these and assured his followers:

Luke 6:22-23 (NLT)

“What blessings await you when people hate you and exclude you and mock you and curse you as evil because you follow the Son of Man. When that happens, be happy! Yes, leap for joy! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, their ancestors treated the ancient prophets that same way.”

Matthew 10:41
“Whoever welcomes a prophet as a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and whoever welcomes a righteous person as a righteous person will receive a righteous person’s reward.”
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Truly, the blessings and rewards for followers of Jesus and who choose to obey God are limitless and will not be shakened when the Day of the Lord comes.

End Times Witnessing: Be Baptized while there is Today!

The watchman was led to require all to say the sinners’ prayer again. He obeyed. Someone just died. He repented just in time. A lot more have not even been baptized. No one really know whether they have accepted Christ Jesus as their Savior and Lord or not. The come to church at least once weekly or fortnightly. They say they are Christians. But a number of times he noted that whenever the sermon were going to be evangelical or when the Gospel of Christ was due to be preached they happened to be absent. Yet they take Holy Communion and desire the filling and power of the Holy Spirit and all the signs and wonders and gifts of the Holy Spirit.

On one occasion he asked the Lord about such a person, he was led to read Acts 8 on the account of a sorcerer named Simon who was fascinated by the signs and great miracles Apostle Philip performed. He even offered money so he could have the power to lay hands on people so they would receive the Holy Spirit through him!

He asked the Lord what to do and he was asked to pray for their salvation. So he did for awhile. Then last night he was led to ask all to repeat the sinners’ prayer after him. After that he urged all to receive baptism as a mark of submission to the Lord Jesus who Himself went through water baptism too. he wondered if they would listen.

Today he looked up verses in the New Testament about baptism. He prayed that those who do not think they want to baptize because they do not want to commit their lives to a corporate body of Christ think twice. Baptism is for unity in the One body of Christ (See Ephesians 4 below). When taking Holy Communion you have also included yourself in the One body of Christ. How can you want to take Holy Communion and yet do not want to be baptized? (If you are not taking the Holy Communion in One Spirit and One Body of Christ with the other believers in Christ Jesus you are wasting your time here!)

His advice to those who do not want to commit to this church yet is “go today and find your church and be truly a part of the Body of Christ. There may not be tomorrow for you and/or your loved ones. Seek and you shall find!” (Hebrews 3:15 As has just been said: “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion.”)

Baptism verses from the Bible_________

Matt. 28:19

19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, (The Lord Jesus commanded baptism for those who are saved )

Mark 16:16

16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.

 (When you believe you need to show your faith by baptism)

John 3:5

5 Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit.

(It is a requirement for entrance into the kingdom of God)

John 3:22

John Testifies Again About Jesus

 22 After this, Jesus and his disciples went out into the Judean countryside, where he spent some time with them, and baptized.

(Jesus Himself and His disciples practiced baptism)

John 4:1

Jesus Talks With a Samaritan Woman

 1 Now Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that he was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John—

Acts 1:22

22 beginning from John’s baptism to the time when Jesus was taken up from us. For one of these must become a witness with us of his resurrection.”

Romans 6:4

We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.

 (Baptism is identification with Jesus’ death and resurrection)

Ephesians 4:5

one Lord, one faith, one baptism;

(Baptism is an act of unity with the Body of Christ)

Colossians 2:12

having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead.

(Baptism identified with Christ’ burial and resurrection)

1 Peter 3:21

and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also—not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a clear conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ,

(Baptism saves you!)

Ephesians 4

Unity in the Body

 ¹ Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. ² Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. ³ Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. ⁴ For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future. ⁵ There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, ⁶ and one God and Father, who is over all and in all and living through all.

End Times Witnessing: He said: “Ephphatha,” which means, “Be opened!”

The watchman heard this word today “Ephphatha!” He heard in his spirit that there are many today that need to hear this message. When he read this good news he proclaimed the words to those rows and rows of spiritually deaf people in the churches.

The Lord Jesus says, “Be opened!’ You can hear! Take authority of the Son of God, in the mighty name of Jesus, just bind and cast out the spirit of deafness in your soul. Then you can hear what the preacher is actually preaching. You will hear and discern whether he is preaching God’s words that give life to you or dead words from the flesh and the devil (see the evil spirits lurking behind the pulpit, or worse, through the eyes of the preacher).

 

Not only that, the good news (or bad news for some) is also for the dumb (preacher). “Be opened!” Henceforth you will only speak the oracles of God and preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ. If you speak anything else the spiritually woken congregation will smell the foul smell from your mouth. They will see the evil spirits or your own flesh oozing out from every pore.

 

These are very strong words. The watchman shuddered at his prayer. But time is short and he really needs to listen and obey the Lord. The blindness and deafness to the spiritual realm make Christians into sitting ducks while the enemy comes in to steal, kill and destroy. Lately many more had perished in intensity and quantity. So the message is a good news for those who want to live in the kingdom of God!

Wake up, O watchmen, watch and pray as the faithful servants of Jesus, our God, our Lord, our Savior, our Master.

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Mark 7:31-37

Jesus Heals a Deaf Man

 ³¹ Jesus left Tyre and went up to Sidon before going back to the Sea of Galilee and the region of the Ten Towns. ³²A deaf man with a speech impediment was brought to him, and the people begged Jesus to lay his hands on the man to heal him.

 ³³ Jesus led him away from the crowd so they could be alone. He put his fingers into the man’s ears. Then, spitting on his own fingers, he touched the man’s tongue. ³⁴ Looking up to heaven, he sighed and said, “Ephphatha,” which means, “Be opened!” ³⁵Instantly the man could hear perfectly, and his tongue was freed so he could speak plainly!

 ³⁶ Jesus told the crowd not to tell anyone, but the more he told them not to, the more they spread the news. ³⁷ They were completely amazed and said again and again, “Everything he does is wonderful. He even makes the deaf to hear and gives speech to those who cannot speak.”

End Times witnessing: God forgives the Repentant

One elderly but apparently healthy man just passed away peacefully. He turned up one Sunday suddenly to hear the words of God and was convicted by the Holy Spirit as he listened to the preaching on “Thy Kingdom Comes” from morning to late afternoon without break. He came for deliverance a Saturday later. He repented in tears, asked his wife for forgiveness and reconciled with her. On the following Sunday he listened to the words of God with further conviction. He decided to spend one solid days repenting in the House of Prayer. He was delivered from a list of sins listed in Galatians 5:19-21. At the end of the day he was filled with great joy and the peace of Yeshua (Jesus). he passed away praising God and smiling.

Like all men, he had an appointed time with death. But he did two important reconciliations before his death. During the first wake service his own church’s pastor remarked that as many had died without forgiving or reconciling with their loved ones, this man had done the right thing. (He omitted to say that indeed many had perished without repentance)

1. He reconciled with God (by repenting and renouncing all his ties and allegiance to idols, sorceries, and the whole list of sins as in Gal.5:19-21). The daughter-in-law testified on the second wake night that the man confessed that only God is the Healer, not the things he used to believe in (e.g. a healing bed, or a bunch of healing chrystal etc). He repented and withdrew his previous testimony given to the promoter of the sale of the healing bed, giving glory to it. He wanted to give God the glory now!

2. He reconciled with his wife (who was touched by the Spirit and the Word too and agreed to forgive him). He repented and asked for her forgiveness for getting angry with her and hitting her previously.

This man was truly blessed.

Two days after the man’s death, the watchman received this following passage today when he asked the Lord what to pray.

 

God Forgives the Repentant

Isaiah 57: ¹⁴ God says, “Rebuild the road!
      Clear away the rocks and stones
      so my people can return from captivity.”

(The above verse is for the Prayer House and other servants of God who serve the Lord and minister to bring many lost, hurt and enslaved souls to healing, deliverance and righteousness)

 ¹⁵ The high and lofty one who lives in eternity,
      the Holy One, says this:
   “I live in the high and holy place
      with those whose spirits are contrite and humble.
   I restore the crushed spirit of the humble
      and revive the courage of those with repentant hearts.
 ¹⁶ For I will not fight against you forever;
      I will not always be angry.
   If I were, all people would pass away—
      all the souls I have made.
 ¹⁷ I was angry,
      so I punished these greedy people.
   I withdrew from them,
      but they kept going on their own stubborn way.
 ¹⁸ I have seen what they do,
      but I will heal them anyway!
      I will lead them.
   I will comfort those who mourn,
    ¹⁹ bringing words of praise to their lips.
   May they have abundant peace, both near and far,”
      says the Lord, who heals them.
 ²⁰ “But those who still reject me are like the restless sea,
      which is never still
      but continually churns up mud and dirt.
 ²¹ There is no peace for the wicked,”
      says my God.

_________________________

On the day of this man;s death, the watchman received the following verses when he asked the Lord about his sudden appearance and death. The man was turned away from wickedness to seek the life giving God, his Savior instead. He repented for having previously sought wickedness to save him. He repented in the nick of time! God is merciful.

Ecclesiastes 8:7-8 (NLT)

 ⁷ Indeed, how can people avoid what they don’t know is going to happen? ⁸ None of us can hold back our spirit from departing. None of us has the power to prevent the day of our death. There is no escaping that obligation, that dark battle. And in the face of death, wickedness will certainly not rescue the wicked.

End Times Witnessing: the faith that raises the dead

The watchman has been quiet for sometime. The July month events had been like a mighty torrent that swept through the spiritual realm and he was overwhelmed. Indeed, he went through the season swimming in the tides of the Spirit and has been led to enter another level of spiritual realm. The evangelical and healing rally has brought him to deeper waters. The message of the book that he was asked to assist editing brought the reality of spiritual warfare to him. The reality became real in his daily living and he is now confronted with the moment of truth.

The big question is: is he going to trust God 100%?

If his answer is affirmative, he has to let go of all medicine. He now begins to understand how others must have felt when they came for divine healing. How to have faith if they perceive physical symptoms being different from those of a healed person? On the other hand, faith means just believe what the words of God say (including the reality of spiritual realm).

He was led to read Romans this morning. He sat at the attic window, facing the line of beautiful trees basked in golden sunshine outside, used a mike and amplifier with speakers and read God’s words treating them as medicine. Indeed, as he persisted, the symptoms on his body became more and more bearable! Before he realised it, he read through nearly all of Romans.

After that he went downstairs and ate a hearty sandwich with mozzarella cheese! In his New Living Translation Bible the following passage has brightened his day:

Romans 14:6-9 New Living Translation (NLT)

⁶ Those who worship the Lord on a special day do it to honor him. Those who eat any kind of food do so to honor the Lord, since they give thanks to God before eating. And those who refuse to eat certain foods also want to please the Lord and give thanks to God. ⁷ For we don’t live for ourselves or die for ourselves. ⁸ If we live, it’s to honor the Lord. And if we die, it’s to honor the Lord. So whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. ⁹ Christ died and rose again for this very purpose—to be Lord both of the living and of the dead.

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The following speaks to the watchman about what true faith is. The faith that is required is a faith that persists against all odds in the physical realm. What can a 100 year old man do? Yet Abraham persists in believing God and His words. Abraham has seen into the spiritual realm, the unseen reality that many other men have overlooked. He believed in the Creator. He did not limit his sight to the fallen creatures (including human beings).

This is the first of the watchman’s role models. Abraham, the father of the people of faith. Read this chapter. Proclaim it loud. speak into the spiritual realm. Let your faith rise too.

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 Romans 4 New Living Translation (NLT)

The Faith of Abraham

   Abraham was, humanly speaking, the founder of our Jewish nation. What did he discover about being made right with God? ² If his good deeds had made him acceptable to God, he would have had something to boast about. But that was not God’s way. ³For the Scriptures tell us, “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.”

 ⁴ When people work, their wages are not a gift, but something they have earned. ⁵ But people are counted as righteous, not because of their work, but because of their faith in God who forgives sinners. ⁶David also spoke of this when he described the happiness of those who are declared righteous without working for it:

 ⁷ “Oh, what joy for those
      whose disobedience is forgiven,
      whose sins are put out of sight.
 ⁸ Yes, what joy for those
      whose record the Lord has cleared of sin.”

 ⁹ Now, is this blessing only for the Jews, or is it also for uncircumcised Gentiles? Well, we have been saying that Abraham was counted as righteous by God because of his faith. ¹⁰But how did this happen? Was he counted as righteous only after he was circumcised, or was it before he was circumcised? Clearly, God accepted Abraham before he was circumcised!

 ¹¹ Circumcision was a sign that Abraham already had faith and that God had already accepted him and declared him to be righteous—even before he was circumcised. So Abraham is the spiritual father of those who have faith but have not been circumcised. They are counted as righteous because of their faith. ¹²And Abraham is also the spiritual father of those who have been circumcised, but only if they have the same kind of faith Abraham had before he was circumcised.

 ¹³ Clearly, God’s promise to give the whole earth to Abraham and his descendants was based not on his obedience to God’s law, but on a right relationship with God that comes by faith. ¹⁴ If God’s promise is only for those who obey the law, then faith is not necessary and the promise is pointless. ¹⁵For the law always brings punishment on those who try to obey it. (The only way to avoid breaking the law is to have no law to break!)

 ¹⁶ So the promise is received by faith. It is given as a free gift. And we are all certain to receive it, whether or not we live according to the law of Moses, if we have faith like Abraham’s. For Abraham is the father of all who believe. ¹⁷ That is what the Scriptures mean when God told him, “I have made you the father of many nations.”This happened because Abraham believed in the God who brings the dead back to life and who creates new things out of nothing.

 ¹⁸ Even when there was no reason for hope, Abraham kept hoping—believing that he would become the father of many nations. For God had said to him, “That’s how many descendants you will have!” ¹⁹And Abraham’s faith did not weaken, even though, at about 100 years of age, he figured his body was as good as dead—and so was Sarah’s womb.

 ²⁰ Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God. ²¹ He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever he promises. ²² And because of Abraham’s faith, God counted him as righteous. ²³ And when God counted him as righteous, it wasn’t just for Abraham’s benefit. It was recorded ²⁴ for our benefit, too, assuring us that God will also count us as righteous if we believe in him, the one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. ²⁵ He was handed over to die because of our sins, and he was raised to life to make us right with God.

Footnotes:

1. Romans 4:3 Gen 15:6.
2. Romans 4:8 Ps 32:1-2 (Greek version).
3. Romans 4:9 Greek is this blessing only for the circumcised, or is it also for the uncircumcised?
4. Romans 4:17 Gen 17:5.
5. Romans 4:18 Gen 15:5.