It's 2020 - and the Lord Keeps Cycling Me Back to Joash's Arrows.

 

It has happened again. I haven't been keeping a strict count, but this must be at least the fifth time in the past year that the Holy Spirit has led me back to Elisha's final prophecy to Joash, King of Israel. 

[There were two kings named Joash, one in the southern kingdom of Judah, and one in Israel to the north, which is the one referred to here. A few translations use Johoash to refer to this king of Israel.]

The story is recorded in 2 Kings 13.   

Elisha was on his deathbed. Scripture is not specific about his illness, but he was old enough that "natural causes" is a reasonable guess. Joash,  king of Israel, comes to see him.  This is somewhat extraordinary in part because under normal circumstances kings did not visit prophets- they summoned them, and also because Joash wasn't exclusively devout; he had continued the worship of calves alongside the worship of Jehovah in Israel, which definitely counts as "doing evil." Only God knows exactly where the king's heart was.

When Joash saw Elisha, he greeted him with, "My father, my father! The chariots and the horsemen of Israel!" That quote parallels what Elisha had said when Elijah was translated into heaven. At some level, whether it was subtle intuition or a full open vision, scripture is not specific, Joash was aware of the intersection of the physical and the spiritual realms there in the room with Elisha.  At least twice before, the imagery of fiery chariots and horses imagery had manifest in Elisha's life. The first time, Elisha was separated from Elijah, his mentor, by a chariot and horses of fire, and he watched as Elijah was caught up to heaven in a whirlwind. (2 Kings 2:12)  In the other recorded instance, Elisha asked the Lord to open the eyes of his fearful servant; when the servant looked up, the hills were full with horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.  (2 Kings 6:17) 

So when Joash greeted Elisha using nearly the same words that Elisha had used when Elijah was caught up to heaven, a lot was being communicated, both personally and nationally, both historically and in the moment, both in this earthly realm and the spiritual kingdom of heaven, and between the two roles of both the king and the prophet over Israel.  

In response,  Elisha told Joash to take a bow and arrows. Elisha put his hands on Joash's hand as he held the bow. And after that impartation (so that use of the bow would be of God and not man's strength alone)  Elisha said, "Open the east window." So Joash opened it. Elisha said, "Shoot!" So Joash shot.  Elisha then explains that was the Lord's arrow of victory, and that Joash is to fight until he completely destroys his enemies, the Syrians in Aphek.  

Next, Elisha tells the king to take his remaining arrows and strike the ground with them. Joash strikes the ground three times...and stopped.   And verse 19 continues: The man of God was angry with him and said, "You should have struck the ground five or six times; then you would have defeated Syria and completely destroyed it. But now you will defeat it only three times."

AND THAT RIGHT THERE is the reason that the Lord Keeps Cycling Back to Striking the Arrows.  Joash ended with a partial victory when it had been the Lord's will for him to have a complete one. 

And now, in 2020, this story is relevant.  

As I noted, Joash wasn’t exclusively devout.  He showed respect for Elisha, but... his obedience was incomplete.  I think many of us read the story and get hung up on, "How was Joash supposed to know? Elisha never told him how many times to strike the ground!"   

He should have known.  Joash knew enough to obey the prophet, but he lacked the full understanding that a close relationship with the Lord would have given him.  He lacked knowledge of how many strikes it would take to obey God because he lacked intimacy with God.  Three times seemed good to Joash's reasoning. 

To restate:  Joash's lack of a close, personal relationship with God left him vulnerable to not being able to receive ALL that God would have done for him.  Three victories was nice. Total annihilation that extended victory to the next generation would have been better.  Provision was literally in his hand when he stopped it prematurely. 

IT'S A BOOTCAMP PLANET 

As I said at the start, the Lord has brought me back to this incident with King Joash and Elisha's final prophecy several times throughout the year.  Each time, this same basic story has revealed another application to life on this Bootcamp Planet where practically everything that isn't training is a test, and where the rest, recuperation, and refreshing seem distantly spaced.  Sometimes the message has directed me about not giving up too soon, or about how to pray, or as in insight into current events...  I'll list some related scripture in the footnotes.¹  But when the story cycled back this time, it was all about the the role of the Ecclesia-Church.  

The "Ecclesia Church" is defined in 1 Peter 2:9.  We are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, who are to proclaim the virtues of Him who called us. 

Here's that verse translated from the Aramaic— 

But you are God’s chosen treasure³—priests who are kings, a spiritual “nation” set apart as God’s devoted ones. He called you out of darkness to experience his marvelous light, and now he claims you as his very own. He did this so that you would broadcast his glorious wonders throughout the world.

God chose you for His own so that you would broadcast His glorious wonders throughout the world. 

 

THE PRACTICAL APPLICATION  

As I repeated in the last section, the Lord has brought me back to the King Joash and Elisha's final prophecy story several times throughout the year.  Sometimes it was for personal direction, other times it was about insight into America's media and its chaotic influence.²  But the main reason that I am putting it into blog form is because this time it has qualities of being a prophetic picture for the Ecclesia of 2020.  

Joash struck his arrows only three times. The prophet said he should have done it six. Three was partial obedience. Halfway was the lukewarm response.  It would win a couple little battles and people would celebrate in their home towns, but Joash did not stay in there to "display the virtues and perfections of Him Who called you" (AMPC) so that the world could see God at work.  God gave Joash victory, but Joash stopped before showing God's glory to the world.

Joash could not show the greatness of God consistently because he was compromised. He had not cleared the ceremonial places of idol worship from the hilltops of Israel because he'd never desperately sought or received a personal revelation of God's Holiness.  Judging by the action of going to see Elisha and his partial obedience to the prophets voice of the Lord,  Joash saw God as a divine helper.  He did not fully grasp the Holiness of God.

I'm speculating now, but it seems to me as though Joash thought of God the way people think of government assistance, sort of a mix of appreciation with entitlement. That may stop short of being  grossly disrespectful, but it is still pretty insulting and not the way a Holy God should be treated.  

Life's choices become simplified when we treat God as Holy.  It is a relationship thing. If Joash had been all-in, believing that Elisha was giving him the Word of the Lord, then he'd have beat those arrows on the ground until they were too splintered to stay together. Faith does not stop and question and analyze once it hears. When Faith has come by hearing, you just go with it.  All the way.  You ride that pony home.

 

FOOTNOTES 

¹ Stretch & Stand Scripture 

2 Chronicles 20:12   O our God, will you not execute judgment on them? For we are powerless against this great horde that is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.

Nehemiah 4:14   After I made an inspection, I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials, and the rest of the people, "Don't be afraid of them. Remember the great and awe-inspiring Lord, and fight for your countrymen, your sons and daughters, your wives and homes."

Jeremiah 12:5    If you have raced with men on foot and they have worn you out, how can you compete with horses? If you stumble in a peaceful land, how will you do in the thickets of the Jordan? 

Isaiah 40:31   But those who wait upon the LORD will renew their strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not faint.

Galatians 6:9   And we should not grow weary in well-doing. For in due time we will reap a harvest, if we do not lose heart.

James 1:4   Allow perseverance to finish its work, so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 

² 'chaotic influence' is a rather polite way of referring to intentional lying about the efficacy of wearing masks, about hydroxychloroquine, and about President Trump including lying by omission, and its gross misrepresentation of former VP Biden.  I thought 'chaotic influence' was less off-putting than calling them agents of Baal, although that term is perfectly accurate as well. 

³ This is taken from Ex. 19:5-6 and Mal. 3:17. The Hebrew word is ségulla, which means “a special treasure” (possession). It is used to describe “guarded wealth,” indicating the placement of the king’s jewels, treasures, etc., in a safe, protected place because of their extraordinary value. God says that each believer is a priest and king, his unique and special treasure of great importance—a treasure above all other treasures.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Is the Church Ready to Meet God as Judge of the Wicked?

 

America has entered a season when the Wicked are to be Judged. 

I say Hallelujah!   And if you think I have a "mean" attitude, then you need to shut up now so that you won't look like a fool later.   

I say "Hallelujah!" because I am in full agreement with God. I am not saying it from any sense of of schadenfreude where I am delighting in another human being's failure. I am not saying it to be unkind.   I say "Hallelujah!" because I want God to show Himself strong in Justice!

I'm pretty sure that Judgment isn't going to look anything like what we were led to expect. (I explain that later.)  And I am positive that these unrealistic expectations will cause segments (I said segments;  not all, but some sectors) of the church to be so upset that they will find themselves opposing God.  An opportunistic devil-enemy will take advantage of those who get offended to try and either divide the church, suppress her into silence, or both.  

We Are In A Season When The Wicked Are Being Judged

Notice that the section heading says "The Wicked." It does not say "America."  God is preparing to judge the wicked, not take down the United States. Throughout the past couple decades, and particularly throughout the Obama years, I kept running into people who were convinced that America was doomed. They'd point to abortion. They'd point to homosexuality. They liked to quote Ruth (Mrs. Billy) Graham's 1965 observation, "If God doesn't judge America, he owes Sodom and Gomorrah an apology." And they were ready to line up to get smacked.  I don't think pedophilia among the elite was on their radar or they've have wanted to be smacked even harder. 

I never really got that. America has always had a right-to-life voice that included compassionate resources for healing women who had come to regret their choice. A lot of people had supported DOMA¹ and lost friends and jobs/income over after Obama lit up the White House with a pilfered rainbow. It never settled with me why—if God would spare Sodom for 12, and since America certainly exceeded that ratio—these "church people" were so gun-ho on God judging America AND AT THE SAME TIME, the SAME PEOPLE would be the first to attempt to shame me for calling people who were sinning on purpose "bad."  Perhaps they will find some comfort in knowing that I no longer do that. I have graduated to calling those who intentionally choose to repeat sins "wicked." 

It took a long while, but it now seems that God honored the petitions and repentance of those minority voices:  that Judgment will be selective on the wicked and America will be saved. 

 The Role of The Church

The main role of the church, the role that applies to every individual in the body, is the Exodus 14:13 mandate. That is when  Moses said to the people, "Do not fear! Stand firm and see the salvation of the Lord."  There are three dynamic/action verbs in that assignment.  1. Don't fear. Just don't. 2. Stand firm. As opposed to lazy lounging, standing requires use of the backbone. 3. See the Salvation. God wants witnesses. It appears simple, but this third one may be a challenge for intermittent and lukewarm believers who are largely unaware of happenings in the spirit realm. For example, have you *seen* that allowing Joe Biden to be named president-elect without any proof has reduced much of the planned riots?  If an arctic cold front blows through the day that the courts decide that President Trump was reelected, will you *see* that as the Lord's providential hand in slowing the rioters?  On on the other side of the spirit-coin, did you *see* the pictures of Democrats meeting in the Capitol last June to release demons? The news stations probably told you that was a memorial to George Floyd, but it was an occult ritual to those who could see it.  

Additionally, some individuals will be called to report evidence of election fraud—to officials if they witnesses it, but also to share the evidence that the media suppresses so that the people they care about will not remain ignorant. Some Christian soldiers may be called to organize a fast for protection of whistle blowers, inspire others to steadfastness with psalms of worship, lead a communion service with prayer for the justices and officers of the court, or to speak out in some manner, possibly as a witness,  maybe as a teacher,  or any number of ways that God would use a person's talent and position. 

When truth come out, it is often blunt. It tends to rankle people. But the church, God's voice on Earth, must not keep silent; she must speak.  Are the Christians who prefer Jesus as the shepherd who cuddles lambs and goes off to rescue lost sheep going to get offended when the Judge seems uncaring and unkind?  I mean, shouldn't we just show mercy to liars and cheats and all of us try to get along?  No. That would be defiantly opposing God in the name of being nice.  Scripture calls such rebellion against God's intended purpose "witchcraft."  And the arrogance of being offended by the Lord is like the wickedness of idolatry. 1 Samuel 15:23 

To answer the title's question, "is the church ready to meet God as judge of the wicked?" my best-guess answer is, "Not entirely."  

One "Traditional" Problem

Whenever the Lord does a new thing, (and I am maintaining that we are moving into a new season where the Lord will be showing His Judge side) our church traditions become a liability.  It is not that they were bad; it is that over time we gave them lopsided importance, or worse, indifference. Here's an example: 

In my lifetime, I have encountered a disproportionate quantity of preaching, teaching, group studying on Romans 12:18, If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men.  Commonly, this was taught as: So far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men.  The "If possible" part was usually treated like an introduction to the rest of the verse. I am certainly not knocking the notion of doing what we can to live in peace with others, but only very rarely was the question of "What would make it impossible to live in peace?" ever addressed. In other words, what things should we NOT be willing to compromise on? What things are worth fighting for? What is worth being ostracized over?
Mostly, I have had to dig out the answer to that part in real life. Meanwhile, another result is that a whole lot of I-save-God-for-Sunday people think that peace is more important than defending biblical principles, and their definition of peace is "absence of outward conflict."  So when I meet these people, they usually think that I am rigid, or too judgmental, or simply strange.  😂   

If the church is going to fulfill her destiny as the voice of God on earth in this new season, then she is going to have to hone up on what is worth fighting for and not allow herself to be gagged.  

A Second  Problem, this time Non-Traditional

I am still talking about the Church and her role as the voice of God on earth.  I am talking about the importance of The Decree.  Roughly 45 years ago, the Lord was doing another then-new thing. In the 1970s, most church prayers fell into one of two categories: thanksgiving or petitions.  When the Holy Spirit began revealing more layers to prayer, one of these, the Decree, took off like a rocket,² and it was quickly attacked by the enemy. Almost as soon as what came to be known as the "Word Church" or the "Word of Faith" movement was born, it was attacked as "Blab it and Grab it" or "Name it and Claim it." Simultaneously, a second front of attack found televangelists often rightly, but sometimes falsely, being accused of greed.  The level of intensity of these attacks probably ought to have been a clue that there is a real nugget of Truth getting buried by all the flak. 

One of the several scripture bases for the Decree is Job 22:27-28.    

You will pray to Him, and He will hear you; And you will pay your vows. You will also decree a thing, and it will be established for you; And light will shine on your ways. NASB³

Americans that had grown up in WASP⁴ churches that taught all the miracles had gone away with the death of the apostles had a hard time believing that one could take scripture at face value. Who could believe that simply speaking to a mountain would cause it to be cast into the sea? Mark 11:23. Or was John serious when he said to ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you? John 15:7.  One minute I was told to "be like Jesus" and then the next minute I was told I could not speak to the storm⁵ and expect results.  

The fact is, making a decree is part of the voice that God has given to the Church; at the minimum, believers ought to be able to agree on this decree: "Thy will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven." It really is a declaration and not a request.

"They" Want the Church to Shut Up and Go Away

Surrendering our voice would be a grave error. We do not need to apologize for agreeing to hate what God hates. A list of seven things God finds despicable⁶ are in the footnotes.  Jesus did not worry about proper manners or about hurting someone's feelings when the offense to His Father was of greater import.
...and for those who don't know, in Luke 13 when they tried to suppress Jesus and told him to leave because Herod wanted to kill him, and when Jesus replied, "Go tell that fox that I will keep on..."   It may not come across in the English, but fox had a double meaning. He wasn't only calling Herod sly; it was also a slur referencing Herod's sexual proclivities. Jesus kept it real.

 ♦ ♦ ♦   America has been in a full-on spiritual battle for some time.  The Church's role is to raise a standard of awareness, clearly delineating between good and evil. The world needs the Church to tell them that fraud is not "just politics," fraud is a commandment-breaker and is evil committed by wicked persons.  We have entered a season when the Wicked are to be Judged and we cannot get mushy now and attempt to remain politically correct, or worse, allow the wicked to muzzle the Church. 

 

Footnotes

¹ Defense Of Marriage Act 

² "took off like a rocket" is true in regard to public perception. When the history of the Word-Church movement is more fully studied, one finds substantial, practical foundation work was laid; it wasn't just a launch pad. 

³ New American Standard Bible

⁴ White, Anglo-Saxon, Protestant 

⁵ There was an evil entity behind the storm; it was an unnatural phenomena.

⁶eyes that are arrogant,
a tongue that lies,
hands that murder the innocent,
a heart that hatches evil plots,
feet that race down a wicked track,
a mouth that lies under oath,
one who spreads strife among brothers   

The Death of the Ostrich

 Yesterday a Facebook friend posted:   

It is extremely sad that I have fear of what is to come after this election. Riots are already planned depending on who wins! This is pathetic.

To which I replied: 

 *Sad* is not my emotion. Since the mid-1990s I have had too many people tell me how *wrong* I was for trying to mix church and state. You would not believe how often I heard that opinion from so many church-goers! They were perfectly fine with the church's voice being silenced in government, compromised in education, compartmentalized when it came to entertainment, and most certainly in staying out of the nasty political stuff. *Pathetic* does fit, however. Pathetic that so many abdicated years ago.

And the friend was adamant:  

this had nothing to do with church/christianity.

And since it would be extremely rude to commandeer and pursue this topic on someone else's wall, I am blogging:

The chaos has everything to do with the Church! What I find sad is the disconnect between the church and what is happening on our streets. How can one miss seeing that spiritual war has come to us?

There is no deep theology going on here. This is how I could explain it to a little kid using a simplified God's Word® Translation of John 10:10.  > A thief (the devil) comes to steal, kill, and destroy. But I (Jesus) came so that my sheep (the people who trust Jesus) will have life and so that they will have everything they need.   

The gospel gave us a very simple 3-point checklist for judging the rioters.

1.  Do they steal? Yes, looting is rampant. 
2.  Do they kill? Yes, "Three Trump supporters have been executed, one in Portland, one in Denver, and one Milwaukee," to quote Allen West. 
3.  Do they destroy? Yes, from graffiti to arson, the rioters specialize in destruction. 

The pass the devil-inspired test in spades!  Let's keep going to find out what Jesus has to do with it. Again using God's Word® simplified translation, this time 1 John 3:8.  > The person who lives a sinful life belongs to the devil, because the devil has been committing sin since the beginning. The reason that the Son of God (Jesus) appeared was to destroy what the devil does.

Got that?  Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil!  

That means: THIS IS ABOUT HIS CHURCH! Are we not His body?

The spirit realm is real. Jesus is just as much about destroying the works of the devil as He is about saving souls from the devil. It is two sides of the same coin, and it was the worldview for disciples of Bible times. Our Western Culture Worldview is lopsided in this regard; we are properly all about salvation, which is Jesus the Lamb of God, but too neglectful in balancing other aspects of Jesus, such as the Captain of the Host of warring angels and the King with the government upon His shoulders. 

The pre-covid church that sticks its head in the sand will not survive 2020; its carcass will get left behind.  

Mario Murillo, an evangelist from California where Governor Gavin Newsom has done everything possible to keep the Church in lockdown, says that when he began his ministry in Berkley preaching against drugs, no one ever accused him of being a pharmacist, but when the Lord changed the focus of his evangelistic ministry (roughly around the 2012 election cycle) and he began preaching against things that God calls an abomination, he was accused of being a politician!  For me, that story illustrates how far off the rails society's perception of the Church has become. 

Preaching biblical marriage is called hate-speech. Preaching against abortion is called misogynistic. And Covid19 has been weaponized to force the Church into a false submission to government. So, reverting back to a phrase used in the Jesus People movement of the 1960s, You Bet Your Bippie that the "sad and disappointing riots" are a full-on attack against the Christian Church.  

Political Attacks ARE Spiritual. The are driven by demonic principalities and powers. During the founding of our nation the Black Robed Regiment was the name given to the clergy that recognized the spiritual component of the revolution spoke out for freedom.  They were not deceived by the false teaching that has blinded so many of this era:  Romans 13.  That chapter starts out with verse 1 > "Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. NIV."  

If you stop there, you will be deceived.  Keep reading because there are multiple qualifiers included.  Verse 3: Rulers that are operating in God's authority are not terrorizing people who do what is right. Ergo: Rulers who arrest, jail, and fine worshipers are operating outside of  God's authority. Verse 4: Rulers who punish for no proper reason are operating outside of  God's authority, and perhaps even more obviously, rulers who let criminals go free and fail to deal with the wrongdoers are operating outside of  God's authority.  The Church is not subject to demonic rulers who are operating outside of  God's authority!  Whatever is outside God's authority is demonic.

The Church that survives 2020 and flourishes in 2021 will need godly discernment. Some of our political leaders have unleashed wicked spiritual entities in America. The good news is that we have been given authority over the power of the enemy. Believers are equipped with spiritual armor and have the authority to use the Name of Jesus. Jesus blood is effective in all realms. Training never ends, but we are well supplied. 

 

This half-hour video is well worth listening to if you want to understand more of the battle that has come to the Church.  Jezebel's Daughter & the Post Election War   *

 Of course, it is not as is I am just letting a post-election war happen!  I've been praying for peace in my precinct since last August.  Last Saturday I drove to my polling place and spoke an on-premises prayer. It is important to speak with our voice over places, and cities, and territories, and nations.

 

 

*  If the link does not open, you can copy & paste:  https://youtu.be/OyKBVcsux2E