THE CONSOLATION OF IMMANUEL
In the Midst of Assyrian Invasion
"The Lord shall hiss for the fly that is in the uppermost part of the rivers of Egypt, and for the bee that is in the land of Assyria." (Isaiah 7:18) ..."They encompassed me about like bees; they are quenched as the fire of thorns: for in the name of the Lord I will destroy them." (Psalm 118:12)
Bees, though small; are reputed in scripture, because of
the power of their united attack. I want to share a vision in which God showed
me His church as a bee-hive, and some fore-warnings I've been given about
terrorist attack. But first let me lay a background.
In Palestine today, both wild as well as domesticated bees are found; and they are social insects; living together in groups and cooperating in foraging tasks, and care of their young.
Among bees, there are different types or castes, with one colony having two to 60,000 workers. The world around; they come in all shapes and sizes, and those originating in Yugoslavia and the Danube Valley are called Carniolan bees, and they swarm frequently. Caucasian bees come from the Caucasus Mountain area, and gum up hives with resin and beeswax; whereas African bees originated in east Africa colonizing areas of the United States. German bees came from Northern Europe to the New World, and are nervous and aggressive, building up slowly in spring.
GOD'S PROPHETIC PEOPLE IN THE END OF TIME:
The Hebrew term for "BEE,"
is DEBHORAH, DEBORAW; and
means "to speak" or "to arrange, to lead or to follow. It
can also speak of a "swarm of bees." The bible talks in various places about
prophets and prophetic manifestations, in which God speaks before-hand to His
people regarding certain events. This is a gift given to the New Testament
church, when Jesus Christ rose from the dead, following His crucifizion; and
ascended on high and gave gifts to men." (Psalm 68:18)
As I waited on God in prayer on New years Day of 2001, He gave me this, from Isaiah 8:8:
"His wings shall fill the breadth of thy land O Immanuel." Immanuel, means "God with us," and speaks of our Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ, in whom dwells all the fulness of the godhead bodily. So as I heard this in my spirit, I sensed that this was for America, because for two years or so, God had been giving me prophecies leading up to this event now spoken of.
This word came to me, and struck my soul with great urgency and alarm.
THE ASSYRIAN EMPIRE IN THE BIBLE:
The biblical derivation of the name comes from Asshur, son of Shem. Nineveh, which we read of in Genesis 10:11; was once the capital of Assyria. Assyria took it's name from the ancient capital of Assur, a district on the west bank of the Tigris River. On the north of the country are the high mountains of Kurdistan, and Armenia, located between the lower Zab and Tigris rivers.
The land of Assyria today includes northern Iraq, north-western Iran, south-eastern Turkey and north-eastern Syria. There are those who feel that there will be a symbolic powerbloc in the last days called "Assyria," which will form in the eastern former Sino-Soviet areas.
It is interesting that some time back, when Russia restricted foreign missionaries, they elevated Islam to the level of the Orthodox church. In Europe, about this time, the Italian pope was making overatures to Islam, and an Italian communist leader.
In the monthes which followed the New years day prophetic word; God has continued to speak to me from the prophetic passages of Isaiah, especially from Isaiah 7-8.
Today, I was reminded of this portion from Isaiah 7:18, in which He promises to:
"Hiss for the fly that is in the uttermost part of the rivers, and for the bee that is in the land of Assyria."
Particularly the latter portion, concerning the bees of Assyria, is on my heart.
The bee here speaks of an army, because of their number, as well as the severity of their sting. Isaiah recounts the way in which they shall come, and shall "rest all of them in the desolate valleys, and in holes of the rocks, and upon thorns, and upon all bushes." This conveys the habit pattern of these insects, which swarming, fill the land, settling down in every place.
THE JUDGMENT OF EGYPT BY ASSYRIA:
In the
same day, shall the Lord shave with a razor that is hired, namely beyond the
river, by the king of Assyria, the head, and the hair of the feet: and it shall
consume the beard. This speaks of God's using Assyria to judge
"Egypt."There is a nation in Africa called Egypt. In Rev. 11, we learn
that "Egypt" is also a code name of the "ungodly world system." Please bear in
mind that it is not unusual for God to use both a literal as well as a
figurative fulfillment of prophecy. The principle is that we always hold to the
literal meaning of scripture, looking for this fulfillment to come, and do not
ever displace this. But at times God will in a prophetic way, use a word or
phrase in a symbolic way. Encoded prophecies are also like this. If this
confuses you, read Isaiah Isaiah 51:9:
"Art thou not it that hast cut Rahab and wounded the dragon?"
Thus God speaks a RHEMA or quickened word to His church for hundreds of years, but there is certainly a major way in which the prophecy is to be very literally understood. With arrows and with bows shall men come, because all the land shall become briers and thorns. (Isaiah 7:24) The bible teaches us that the way of the slothful is hedged with thorns, so there has been an accomodating of this condition through slothfulness. (Proverbs 15:19) And so "abandoned" would this country of "Egypt" become, that it would be a vast "hunting ground," for the foreign invaders.
So how does a person guard against "slothfulness?" Often times ones own "self-righteousnes" and "judgmentalism" of others, can blind them from seeing this in their lives. Jesus warns of the one with the "log" in his eye, saying to his or her brother or sister: "Let me help you get the splinter out." (Matthew 7:3) Having begun in the Spirit, we absolutely will never be "made perfect" through the flesh! (Galatians 3:3)
Especially if they are vigilent in a multitude of other areas. I can tell you that in the battle to be sober and vigilant in my own life, this can only come through the Spirit, and not the letter of the Law. It takes God's Holy Spirit watching over our lives, as we wait on Him in prayer.
As the single mother of 3 young sons, in the 1970's and early 80's; I was horrified when an intercessor gave me a prophetic word concerning "slothfulness."
BE SOBER & BE VIGILANT: (I Pet. 5:8)
As a young Christian I was involved in several prayer meetings at the church, and unable to find a baby sitter for these lengthy meetings, sometimes I'd leave the older boys at home. God visited me in this area, and it was not a pleasant revelation about myself. My first reaction was to block with a strong defence.
But in my time alone with God, I saw that while was vigilant in many areas, in this area, I was letting down my guard. But the devil who "walks about as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour," was not! I dealt with my situation, by praying after services, when I could take the boys to the altar with me, attending one prayer meeting when they were in school, and I could pray with my baby in my lap, as I had been doing.
Areas of our country that are not born again, or Pentecostal, can fall into this catagory, and give advantage to Satan to come in and to "dig with his mallet," in the fertile ground of their own slothfulness, except there is repentance.
Don't I like all denominations? I love all people and desire to see them have God's best. But we need to get off of this "live and let live thing," and to preach the full-gospel; or they will never come into the land flowing with milk and honey.
"And on all hills that shall be digged, with the mattock, there shall not come thither the fear of briers and thorns; but there shall be fort the sending forth of oxen, and for the treading of lesser cattle."
As Israel in the days of old, there are always those in the church, that do not like prophetic words with negative connotations. Jesus words to the 7 Churches of Asia, are so severe, that one wonders how anyone can view prophetic words from the Lord with such a serendipity, Pollyanna attitude, that they would only want the "bless me" that Esau desired.
True sons and daughters of the Most High God, know that it is in the wrestling, and in the overcoming that the blessing such as Jacob received comes to lit upon you.
Prophetic words are there for a warning. But people can have their "eyes opened," in the very midst of the fulfilling of one, and God will turn the situation, as in the case of the Ninevites repentance at the preaching of Jonah. Nineveh was a city in "Assyria," with a population of about 175,000 and it was filled with witchcraft and sorcery. (Jonah 3:10)
But they received the word of the Lord from the Prophet Jonah. This was not a revival that lasted forever, for 100 years later, the Prophet Nahum predicted the destruction of Nineveh, and the very stradegy that would be used by it's attackers.
The truth about Nineveh was that they lived in fear of the demonic and occult forces they believed in. But there was a season in which God saw they were open and He called Jonah to that ministry. Nineveh was conquerored by the combined forces of the Medes and Babylonians in 612 b.c. and has lain in ruins to the present time.
SURELY THE LORD IS IN THIS PLACE:
As Christians, we sing: "Shut in with God in a secret place, gaining new power to run in this race." But if we ever get into a position to actually be shut in, we tend to go stir crazy. As I cut back on my schedule, I did not cut back on prayer. What I learned was not to "centralize" my worship as they did at the tower of Babel. Do I mean don't attend church? No...The bible teaches us the importance of Christian fellowship, saying: "Forsake not the assembling of yourselves together, and all the more as you see that day approaching." But I mean that pastor's should not be "centralizing worship at their church alone," but they should be getting meetings into as many areas of the city as possible, through small groups or cell groups. God wants Christianity "spread" over the face of the whole earth. This is the great commission.
During the years when my boys were growing up, God taught me many things. There were miracles of provision. The boys were in Christian school, and I was in bible college, and I had to arrange no less than 18 rides to church per week, for the 4 of us.
We had friends who would come to our home and pray, fellowship, or go on outings. We saw "signs and wonders" in our home as well as in church. My children saw the healing power of God bring me through a car accident, and a severe cardiac illness. More recently, Tom and I saw a man we'd prayed for who was in a wheelchair, out walking around. This man had been in a nursing home, because he was paralyzed. The children have learned to believe God for their needs, by seeing God's faithfulness to them.
Once when Anthony's pet hamster escaped, he could have been any place. God gave me a word of knowledge one day: Go in the kitchen! So I got up and I went into the kitchen, and I heard a munching sound. So I opened the stove drawer and there the critter was, feasting on the crumbs, and reminding me to clean the drawer, and not to be so accomodating.
At a time when Robbie was having problems with school, I was very distressed.
GOD OF THE HOUSE OF GOD:
One night, when I was a single parent; I was awakened from a sound sleep, and an angel stood at my shoulder, pointing toward the children's open door across the hall from my room.
There in the brilliance of God's shekinah glory, I saw a ladder over the children's room, that reached through the roof to heaven. The angels of the Lord were ascending and descending on this ladder and ministering to the boys as they slept. The angel disappeared and was gone, but this event was a great comfort to me. God used this to say to me: This is the house of God! (Beth-el) Surely the presence of the Lord is in this place. I can feel His mighty power and His grace, I can hear the brush of angel wings and see glory on each face. Surely the presence of the Lord is in this place. If you are a blood bought, born again, Spirit filled believer, your home or apartment, that place where you and God reside--is holy ground. Keep it that way!
Invite your Christian friends and neighbors over, and have "church." Wherever two or more are gathered, there is Jesus in the midst! In the story of Jacob, he returned many years later and renamed the place: "God of the house of God."Sancify that ground on which you stand. It too is "heaven's gate." God wants to meet with you there. That place where you brush your teeth and make breakfast. The living room where that tv is, or isn't. The room in which you go to sleep.
You know the old expression, "If Mohammed can't go to the mountain, then the mountain will come to Mohammed..or something like that. In the bible, mountains speak of kingdoms, and Mohammed has certainly come to the kingdom of America.
I have a friend who was raised in Pentecost. I met her by divine appointment. As we arrived at church one Sunday, and we were parking the car, she was parking her truck. So we invited her to spend an afternoon with us, and we went on a picnic. She has been in our home, and played gospel songs at the piano, and we have had some precious fellowship in the Lord.
She married a Moslem man, so he could stay in the country. One day she said to me: You should go to the mosque with me. I haven't taken her up on the offer yet, but if I find myself in the midst of a group of Moslems, I will know that "ladder I saw that reaches into heaven," is in Me in the person of Jesus Christ. Jesus said to Nathaniel, a man Jesus called "an Israelite in whom was no guile; "You will see the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man." The key here is "right relationship" with God.
If you don't know how to find God, you should know that the bible teaches us how in Acts 2:17-38. The Apostle Peter stood and said: In the last days says God, I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh...Repent, be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. This water baptism is by immersion, as the word "baptizo" in the original Greek text, means to "immerse." In Acts 10:46-48, we see this gift of the Holy Ghost is received with the evidence of speaking in tongues supernaturally, as the God's Holy Spirit gives the utterance. (Acts 2:1-4)
Whoever God sends me to, or even standing in the midst of my own home, I will always know that "surely the presence of the Lord is in this place," and that I can believe Him for great things.
One day as I was at home God said to me: "This is the house of God!" This transformed how I feel about my home. Does that make church no less the house of God? No. And if I find myself in jail or in a prison camp, or making a stone my pillow in a lonely place someday, the Lord will be in that place too. Years ago, a pastor I know, who was my pastor for a season by the name of Buster Culpepper (His wife called him Monroe) told me that God told him: "Wherever you build an altar, I will meet you there." He said: "Alana there's a great work for you to do." Every work of God is a great work. And I say to you: You'd better know how to pray in your office, or in your car. You'd better be instant in season and out of season, because now is the time...to know how to touch God in a moment, or in an instant wherever you are and to see miracles!
THE CONSOLATION OF IMMANUEL: Isaiah 8:5-9:6)
In the midst of this prophetic passage about Egypt and Assyria, we find a consoling word with regard to "Immanuel," meaning "God with us." There is the need for "strong consolation, and the New Testament describes Jesus as this "consolation, to whom we have fled for refuge." (Hebrews 6:18) The prophets imploring plea does not go unanswered, for in verses 9-10 we read:
"Exasperate yourselves O nations, and go to pieces; and see it, all who are afar off in the earth. Gird yourselves and go to pieces! Consult counsel, and it comes to nought; speak the word and it is not realized: for with us is God."
Verse 11 seems to come forth with an entirely different theme:
"Jehovah has spoken thus to me, over-powering me with God's hand. And instructing me not to walk in the way of the people; saying: Call ye not conspiracy all that this people calls conspiracy, and what is feared by it, fear ye not, neither think ye dreadful. But Jehovah of Hosts, sanctify Him, and let Him be your fear and your dread." It goes on to say: "I and the children God has given me are for signs and wonders."
A VISION FROM THE 1980'S
I was given a vision in prayer in the 1980's, in which I saw the body of Christ as a gigantic "bee-hive." Here was the setting: I saw the cherubim, being sent like flashes of lightning on their errands of mercy. Suddenly, in the vision, I was standing in a place, which looked like a huge pile of smoking rubble, with collapsed buildings, and in my spirit I could hear peoples cries, but could not see anyone.
As I began to dig, there were 4 classes of people, which God showed me.
1) There were bones of those such as Ezekiel speaks of, that were very dry. 2) There were starving children. 3) There were the unborn fetuses, that seemed to speak of those who were destined for the kingdom, but there was an offence which thwarted the process. The fourth, I no longer remember, as this was so long ago. But as I worked, I saw others coming and working with me, side by side. We were rescuing people from under the ruins, even as God states in His word:
"In that day, I will raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen; and close up the breaches thereof, and I will raise up his ruins, and I will build again, as in the days of old." (Amos 9:11, Acts 15:16)
Then, at this time I was shown a table, that looked as if there had been a drunken party, and the table had been vomited on, and a table cloth pulled over it, to hide the mess.
God gave me this verse: "But they have erred through wine, and through strong drink are out of the way; the priest and prophet have erred through strong drink, they are swallowed up with wine, they are out of the way through strong drink, they err in vision, they stumble in judgment."
GOD HAS NOT GIVEN YOU THE SPIRIT
OF FEAR BUT
OF SOUND JUDGMENT:
"Woe to the crown of pride, to the drunkards of Ephraim, whose glorious beauty is as a fading flower, which are on the head of the fat valleys of them that are overcome with wine!...(Isaiah 28) "
Jesus Christ warns His followers with these words: >
"And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time, your hearts be overcome with surfeiting, and drunkenness and cares of life, and so that day come upon you unawares. For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth.
The term here which is translated as "surfeiting," comes from the Greek root KRANION, meaning "the Skull," or Calvary. (In Aramaic "Golgotha")
This was the biblical place outside of Jerusalem where criminals were put to death, for by law public executions had to take place outside of the city. It's the location in which our Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ was crucified. In Luke's gospel, this word "surfeiting, or KRAIPALE; speaks of "a headache." It's the kind of pain in one's head which accompanies "drunkenness."
In this verse in Luke 21, it can denote physical or mental drunkenness, in which people may unwisely fail to walk in God's word, and live and move and have their being in Him.
Jesus died for the sin, and spiritual drunkenness and debachery of the whole world, for all have sinned the bible says, and come short of the glory of God. And through Jesus atoning blood, and the indwelling power of His Holy Spirit, we are given grace to live in sobriety of spirit. For this is what the grace of God teaches:
"For the grace of God that brings salvation, has appeared unto all men, teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, in this present world; looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ."
Thus Jesus warned of the end of the age saying:
"Watch you therefore and pray always, that you may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass and to stand before the Son of Man." (Luke 21)
In this present hour, we need a river of prayer, and not just a trickle, to turn the tide. And in this vision given to me in the 80's, as I saw this strategical rescue effort in motion, I saw what appeared to be a bee hive. Inside were the body of Christ, busy for God. On the outside of the hive, I saw being sent forth, beams of light all over the world.
Today, I was reminded of a prophetic word from the pen of a man named Glen Clarke's, and it's recorded in his book on the Lord's Prayer. It's called the "The Parable of the Fanner Bees." And here it is:
There arose from the bee-hive a sibilant note...not unlike the sound of the sea waves. They are "fanner-bees," whispered the old bee keeper.
It's their job to keep the hive sweet and fresh. They're standing with their heads lowered, turned toward the center of the hive. Their wings are moving so rapidly, that if you saw them, you would think that you were looking at a fray mist. They are drawing the bad air out through one side of the entrance, while the pure air is being sucked in on the other side.
The old bee-keeper stepped to the hive, holding a lighted candle in his hand. Instantly the light was extinguished by the strong current. The old man said: The fanners draw out the bad air and let in the fresh. Isn't that how people who call themselves Christians ought to act?
Then Glenn Clarke said: "America has all the worker bees she needs. She does not have enough fanner bees. The greatest need in America today is for prayer!
THE MORE NECESSARY MEMBERS:
George Whitefield, who achieved the most wonderful results in evangelism, always took with him a little crippled man who believed in prayer. The great army of shut-ins, the old people who think their lives are completed, the great army of invalids longing for opportunity to make their lives worth while, HERE ARE THE GREATEST UNUSED RESOURCES OF AMERICA--THESE PEOPLE WHO THINK THEIR LIVES ARE OF LEAST ACCOUNT!
"The stones which the builders rejected shall become the head of the corner."
If you are a shut in, won't you join me in the greatest crusade ever under-taken in America? We want to keep it humble and invisible; that of recruiting all of the shut-ins...into a great silent army of "fanner bees." An army that shall conquer the world.
The author, Glenn Clarke; felt at that time the crucial need for "a cleansing of God's house," reminiscient of Jesus cleansing of the temple. New Testament believers are called "the temple of the Lord." In 1 Peter 2:9, we read:
"But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood; an holy nation, a peculiar people; that you should show forth the praises of God who has called you out of darkness, into His marvellous light."
In Christ, we are "a habitation of God through the Spirit." (Eph. 2:22)
Jesus Himself, saw the need for an abundance of workers for the harvest field, saying: "The harvest is ripe and the laborers are few;" and "Pray that the Lord of the Harvest will send forth laborers. God will do both of these things, as we seek His face, in prayer
