Showing posts with label mourn. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mourn. Show all posts

Friday, November 8, 2013

The Blood Moons of 2014 and 2015

For those of you who have not already heard, I want to alert you to the fact that there are going to be four blood-red moons back-to-back on the first day of Passover and Tabernacle in 2014 and 2015.  That's called a "tetrad," and it has only happened seven times in 2000 yrs.  The next time this happens will mark the eighth occurrence of this supernatural phenomena since the days of our beloved Lord Jesus.

After this next one, it will not happen again for a hundred years.  The last two times this happened were in 1948-49, following the blessed nation of Israel becoming a State once again, and in 1967-68 in connection with the famous, six-day war.  So whenever it happens, there is always something very significant happening in Israel. 

There are so many articles and videos about this that you could read. But let me simply direct you to two relatively brief explanations of it online, if you are interested in more info.  First, an excellent article by Pray 4 Zion.  And secondly, a video by Hebrew roots pastor, Mark Blitz, of El Shaddai Ministries in Bonney Lake, Wash. 

There are two Scriptures we should review together in closing.  First is an excerpt from the prophet Joel:

"...Before them the earth quakes, The heavens tremble, The sun and the moon grow dark And the stars lose their brightness. The LORD utters His voice before His army; Surely His camp is very great, For strong is he who carries out His word. The day of the LORD is indeed great and very awesome, And who can endure it? 'Yet even now,' declares the LORD, 'Return to Me with all your heart, And with fasting, weeping and mourning; And rend your heart and not your garments.' Now return to the LORD your God, For He is gracious and compassionate, Slow to anger, abounding in lovingkindness And relenting of evil." (Joe 2:10-13)

"I will display wonders in the sky and on the earth, Blood, fire and columns of smoke. The sun will be turned into darkness And the moon into blood Before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes. And it will come about that whoever calls on the name of the LORD Will be delivered; For on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem There will be those who escape, As the LORD has said, Even among the survivors whom the LORD calls." (Joe 2:30-32)

This is a solemn warning.  It's an alert to prepare yourself for this terrible day that is coming.

The second prophecy about this day was made by Jesus Himself, regarding the time of His return to earth:

"But immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. And He will send forth His angels with a great trumpet and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.” (Mat 24:29-31)

Dear friend, are you ready?  Please don't put off until later the need to get ready.  Do it now.  Read the prophet Joel chapter 2, and the gospel of Matthew 24.   After that your next steps to prepare are 1) to return to the Lord Jesus with all your heart, and with fasting, weeping and mourning; and rend your heart and not your garments.  Return to the LORD your God. You need a baptism of repentance. Then 2) you need to believe on Jesus, and call upon the name of the Lord.  He has promised that whoever calls on the name of the LORD Will be delivered.  Once you have done that, please share this article with the people you love, especially the Jewish people.

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB.

Author's note: You must take responsibility for your own actions. Nobody knows the day or the hour, and in no way am I date setting. This is only to provide you with information, so that you can make your own decisions, for which you will be accountable to God.

If you enjoyed this post, I also recommend the following:

Something is going on 2012 Trumpet Sounds Heard Around the World Are You Rapture Ready?
The End Has Come Very Few Will Hear the Trumpet Grieve and Lament for the Church
Urgent Revelations of Christ's Imminent Return The Amazing Sign of Jonah Mark of the Beast (666)

You may also visit our Signs of the Times Directory, and access my complete blog directory at Writing for the Master.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"
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Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

Friday, November 1, 2013

America’s Destruction is at Hand

On October 17, 2013, during a period of focused seeking the Lord, I had a dream of a puffy, white cloud in the sky "the size of a man’s hand," off in the distance while I was speaking with two ladies in the backyard of the home of a Christian man I know in New Hampshire. The sky was not stormy looking, but fair and blue, but this one cloud had my attention.

Then I saw the cloud start to spin around like it was the beginning of a tornado.  A tail started to form beneath it as it was spinning, as would a twister. Then suddenly the little cloud began to move downward from the sky and toward us at a very high rate of speed, like a missile. The tail either disappeared or was concealed behind it as it rapidly traveled through the air horizontally.  It went right by us to our left.  As it did, the front of the little cloud had an actual face with two eyes, a nose, and a mouth, which was very serious and resolute, like it was carrying out a mission for God.  It struck a residential apartment building some distance away, and although the buildings seemed to be in New York City, I could still see the impact of the explosion all the way up in New Hampshire.  It was huge!

Even though the strike zone was quite a long distance away from us, the debris from the explosion kept flying backward in our direction, and I was surprised at the force and magnitude of it.  It was quite unusual, since I expected that most of the debris from such a strike would fly in the same direction that the projectile was moving when it hit the target.

I had the two ladies, one of which may have been my wife, and the other may have been my oldest sister, get face-down on the ground with me, one on each side of me.  I put my arms over them and told them to keep their faces down.  Afterward people in the city that was hit, which seemed to be New York City, were looking for hotels to stay in.  The hotels were packed.  They were overcome by anxiety.  I had still not seen any official news on the matter, since I don’t read the news.  I was wondering how many deaths or casualties there were.

Then I heard a report in which the news caster said that a whole section of New York City and its suburbs were "carpet bombed."  This type of bombing is also known as saturation bombing, which is a large aerial bombing done in a progressive manner to inflict damage in every part of a selected area of land.  As they said that, I saw a map like they show on the news, showing dots where the bombs hit.  I only remember seeing around seven dots. That's all I remember from the dream, and I believe it ended at that point.

I will let others judge whether this was from the Lord or not.  But as I already mentioned, I had this dream during a special period of seeking the Lord, and I had not been studying or reading about end times.  I had not been seeking the Lord about the last days. 

War Coming to America
Then on October 31, 2013, as I was reading through the book of Revelation, I happened to read online the following account of a dream given by a sister named Deborah Rennier on September 9, 2009.  She simply entitled it "War."

"I found myself being lifted high above the earth by a pair of giant hands. I was taken so high that I could see much of the earth. Before me I could see China, North Korea, Iran, Russia, and Afghanistan."

"As I watched I saw missiles launched. It was nuclear war. Fireballs were erupting everywhere. It started with China and North Korea. Soon Russia and Iran joined in. They were attacking the United States and Israel."

"These events seemed to start slowly and gain momentum. I knew that England, Pakistan and others were on high alert with weapons ready to go. They seemed to be waiting to see who was winning."

"There was great chaos in the sky and on the sea. I saw America firing weapons and missiles. I saw submarines surfacing on both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts. I knew there were more underwater. The USA was being attacked on all sides. There was smoke and destruction everywhere. It appeared that the American defenses were overwhelmed."

"Then I saw camps encircled with razor wire. Inside the fences were barracks style housing. I then woke up."

"These things frightened me terribly and I sought the Lord for understanding. I heard the Lord speak to my spirit:"

“'Remember MY saint Corrie ten Boom and what she endured? This is almost upon you. Whoever denies ME before men, I will deny before MY Father.'”

"HE then gave me this scripture:"
Jer 4:27 For thus says the Lord: “The whole land shall be desolate; Yet I will not make a full end.
Jer 4:28 For this shall the earth mourn, And the heavens above be black, Because I have spoken. I have purposed and will not relent, Nor will I turn back from it.
Jer 4:29 The whole city shall flee from the noise of the horsemen and bowmen. They shall go into thickets and climb up on the rocks. Every city shall be forsaken, And not a man shall dwell in it.
Jer 4:30 “And when you are plundered, What will you do? Though you clothe yourself with crimson, Though you adorn yourself with ornaments of gold, Though you enlarge your eyes with paint, In vain you will make yourself fair; Your lovers will despise you; They will seek your life.
Jer 4:31 “For I have heard a voice as of a woman in labor, The anguish as of her who brings forth her first child, The voice of the daughter of Zion bewailing herself; She spreads her hands, saying, ‘Woe is me now, for my soul is weary Because of murderers!’

America and the Bride
Then I happened to read this other vision given to a woman named Cynthia, earlier this year.  She wrote:

"In the early morning of January 3, 2013, as I was still in bed praying, my spiritual eyes caught these visions: First, I saw a girl of about 10 to 12 years old standing by the beach, her back towards me. I could see that she was wearing a swimsuit of red and blue stripes, the color of the American flag. Even from behind I could see that she was healthy and had a lovely feature. Then the girl transformed into a woman. She wore the same swimsuit of red and blue stripes but no longer looked pretty. She’s an obese; her unwanted fats were bulging. Next I saw a bride standing on the porch of an old tower. This second scene was devoid of colors. It looked like an ancient black and white movie or photo. The bride was holding a bouquet and was looking far into the horizon. From her point I could see the depth below so I knew it was a very tall tower where she was standing. Then I saw another thing. I saw this message, 'America’s Destruction is at Hand,' boldly printed on a bond paper.  The paper was placed into a paper bag and a stone, the size of a fist, was thrust onto the paper to make sure it sank to the bottom of the bag. As the paper got to the bottom with the stone, it went further down and I gasped as I realized that the paper bag turned into a black hole, a bottomless pit. The paper with the message just kept falling."

America will betray Israel! Then sudden destruction will come
Then the following day, on November 1, 2013, I happened to see another video, when I was not even looking for it.  This video was posted on May 5, 2013.  It is a man of God I have never heard of, named Sadhu Sundar Selvaraj, sharing the account of a visitation from the Lord that he had.  In that encounter, the Lord showed Him a major military attack on Jerusalem that will result from betrayal by "Israel's best friend."  As he watched all this unfold before his eyes, he heard the angel that was standing there say, "Israel will put up a stiff fight amidst heavy losses.  A political trap will be laid for the city to be captured.  Israel's best friend will betray her."

On another occasion, a mighty angel appeared to him with a long drawn sword, and showed him what would be done to the nation that betrays Israel and divides Jerusalem. First a great 3D map of the US appeared before him.  Then the angel said, "This is what will happen to the best friend that will betray Jerusalem and divide Jerusalem." The angel pierced the sword into the heart of America and divided the nation right down the middle, saying, "Likewise this nation will be divide as Jerusalem will be divided."   You can watch the short, 10-minute video here.

All hell is going to be let loose over America
Immediately after that, I decided to listen to a video of Neville Johnson preaching in Lancaster, CA on August 8, 2013.  I had no idea what he was going to talk about, since the title simply showed his name and the date of the message. I thought, "Let's see what the Lord's been saying to Neville recently."  I was only 2:50 into the video, when he said he had been in heaven recently and the Lord asked him if he wanted Him to give him the good news or the bad news first.  I was shocked when he said the Lord told him, "All hell is going to be let loose over America."  He then told him that "All heaven is going to be let loose over America."  You can watch here the part of the video where he tells about this encounter.

Putting it All Together
I was not planning on sharing my dream with anyone except my own family, but now nearly two weeks later, I feel compelled by the Lord to share these things publicly.  These are some very serious dreams and visions, which are not to be taken lightly.  Dear friend, there are redemptive judgments coming upon America.  It's high time we sought holiness and consecration.  This nation needs to turn back to God in deep, sincere, heartfelt repentance.  When we fail to respond to His kindness, then He has no choice to display His severity toward us.

Please take these revelations to heart, and go before the Lord in your prayer closet.  Repent of your own sin.  Grieve and lament for the nation, and especially the present condition of the Church.  Amend your ways, and turn back to God with all your heart. 

The Lord still loves you, but His standard is high, and His mercy is only attainable on this earth.  We need to return to holiness, righteousness, and truth, without which no man will see God.

Author's note: You must take responsibility for your own actions. Nobody knows the day or the hour, and in no way am I date setting. This is only to provide you with information, so that you can make your own decisions, for which you will be accountable to God.

Please prayerfully listen to this the testimonies I have linked to, and use the Testimony Review Process adopted by this blog, as you decide for yourself whether the Lord has spoken to these individuals.  For issues and concerns, each person must confirm with the Lord, whether something is valid or not.  Please allow me to encourage you to read "Testing the Spirits of False Prophets," "Discerning the Things of the Spirit," and "A Warning to the Nay Sayers."

I also recommend reading Judgment of BabylonAmerica, Turn Back to God, Only the Holy -- Three Shocking Testimonies. Also check out Grieve and Lament for the Church, The End Has Come, The Three Elijahs, and Are You Rapture Ready?  You may also visit our Signs of the Times Directory, and access my complete blog directory at Writing for the Master.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"
_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

Friday, June 29, 2012

Grieve and Lament for the Church

If you have been following my posts on this blog, such as Something's Happening in 2012 and Trumpets heard Around the World, I realize you may be wondering about two things.  First of all, where is this all found in Scripture?  And secondly, what should we do about it?  Let me address these questions one at a time.

Scriptural Basis of Current Events
Regarding the Scriptural question, I already touched on this in part in Something's Happening in 2012. I stated: "If you'd like to read about the events that are occurring, you can check out the gospel of Matthew chapter 24, the gospel of Luke chapter 21, the gospel of Mark chapter 13, and Joel 2." 

Now let's go into a little more detail with you on those.

Wars, famines, earthquakes, terrors, and great signs from heaven
Jesus said, "For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes." (Mat 24:7)

Then He continued by saying to them, "Nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be great earthquakes, and in various places plagues and famines; and there will be terrors and great signs from heaven." (Luk 21:10-11)

"For nation will rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in various places; there will also be famines. These things are merely the beginning of birth pangs. (Mar 13:8)

The mountains melt like wax
"The mountains will melt under Him And the valleys will be split, Like wax before the fire, Like water poured down a steep place. All this is for the rebellion of Jacob And for the sins of the house of Israel. What is the rebellion of Jacob? Is it not Samaria? What is the high place of Judah? Is it not Jerusalem?" (Mic 1:4-5)

When I see the volcanoes erupting in these videos from 2012, I see mountain rock melting like wax.  All this is because the earth must rid itself of the rebellion and idolatry that are in it (Isa 24:19-20).

The deep waters tremble, lightning flashes, the skies give forth a thunderous sound, and the earth shakes
The waters saw You, O God; The waters saw You, they were in anguish; The deeps also trembled. The clouds poured out water; The skies gave forth a sound; Your arrows flashed here and there. The sound of Your thunder was in the whirlwind; The lightnings lit up the world; The earth trembled and shook.
(Psa 77:16-18)

The earth quakes and the heavens tremble
The Lord spoke through the prophet Joel saying, "Before them the earth quakes, The heavens tremble, The sun and the moon grow dark And the stars lose their brightness. The LORD utters His voice before His army; Surely His camp is very great, For strong is he who carries out His word. The day of the LORD is indeed great and very awesome, And who can endure it?" (Joe 2:10-11).  The earth is quaking and the heavens are trembling.  The Lord utters His voice.

Wonders in the sky and on the earth, blood, fire and columns of smoke
"I will display wonders in the sky and on the earth, Blood, fire and columns of smoke. "The sun will be turned into darkness And the moon into blood Before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes."
(Joe 2:30-31)

The Day of the Lord is Coming -- a day of clouds and thick darkness
The Lord spoke through the prophet Joel saying, "Blow a trumpet in Zion, And sound an alarm on My holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, For the day of the LORD is coming; Surely it is near, A day of darkness and gloom, A day of clouds and thick darkness. As the dawn is spread over the mountains, So there is a great and mighty people; There has never been anything like it, Nor will there be again after it To the years of many generations." (Joe 2:1-2)

What Should We Do About All This?
Now to address the second question I opened with at the beginning of this article: What should we do about all this? Let's continue reading from Joel 2.

Blow a Trumpet and Sound an Alarm
As I just mentioned, the Lord spoke through the prophet Joel saying, "Blow a trumpet in Zion, And sound an alarm on My holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, For the day of the LORD is coming; Surely it is near," (Joe 2:1)

This means that we need to warn the others.  We need to blow a shofar in Zion and sound the alarm, in order to wake them up to what's happening.  The expressions "in Zion" and "on My holy mountain" indicate that the Lord wants us first and foremost to warn His people. These blogs are one way to do that.  Another way is through preaching and testifying to others.

Consecrate a fast, proclaim a solemn assembly, gather the people, seek holiness, lament, wail, and cry out to the Lord
The Lord says, "Gird yourselves with sackcloth And lament, O priests; Wail, O ministers of the altar! Come, spend the night in sackcloth O ministers of my God, For the grain offering and the drink offering Are withheld from the house of your God. Consecrate a fast, Proclaim a solemn assembly; Gather the elders And all the inhabitants of the land To the house of the LORD your God, And cry out to the LORD." (Joe 1:13-14)

He says the priests and ministers of God need to lament, wail, fast, proclaim a solemn assembly of the people and cry out to the Lord.  These are words we don't hear any more.  Lament means to grieve audibly.  We do this when we deeply regret our sin and the condition of the Church.  People lament when someone dies.  It involves wailing, which is grieving loudly, make a prolonged, high-pitched sound like a cry.  When was the last time you heard that at a Church meeting? This is called a solemn assembly.  Crying out to the Lord is exactly what it says.  It's to make a clamor in his ears from a broken and contrite heart.  Many Christians know how to make a clamor when angry about something, raising their voice and yelling about it.  But when was the last time we made a clamor over our sin, the condition of the Church, and the fact that it's not ready for the soon-coming day of the Lord?

"Blow a trumpet in Zion, Consecrate a fast, proclaim a solemn assembly, Gather the people, sanctify the congregation, Assemble the elders, Gather the children and the nursing infants. Let the bridegroom come out of his room And the bride out of her bridal chamber. Let the priests, the LORD'S ministers, Weep between the porch and the altar, And let them say, 'Spare Your people, O LORD, And do not make Your inheritance a reproach, A byword among the nations. Why should they among the peoples say, 'Where is their God?' " (Joe 2:15-17)

This says we need to call a fast, assemble together solemnly and seek holiness as a congregation. The elders, as well as children and infants must all be included.  Even those who are preparing for marriage or just married.  The pastors and priests must weep and ask the Lord to spare His people.

This is not something limited to the old Testament.  James said, "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be miserable and mourn and weep; let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy to gloom."(Jam 4:8-9)

Woe to those who are at ease in Zion and do not grieve over the ruin of the Joseph
"Woe to those who are at ease in Zion And to those who feel secure in the mountain of Samaria, The distinguished men of the foremost of nations, To whom the house of Israel comes." (Amo 6:1)

So many Christians today are at ease during this most serious hour in the history of the world.  They feel secure and are overconfident that they are ready for the Lord's return.
 
"Those who recline on beds of ivory And sprawl on their couches, And eat lambs from the flock And calves from the midst of the stall, Who improvise to the sound of the harp, And like David have composed songs for themselves, Who drink wine from sacrificial bowls While they anoint themselves with the finest of oils, Yet they have not grieved over the ruin of Joseph. Therefore, they will now go into exile at the head of the exiles, And the sprawlers' banqueting will pass away." (Amo 6:4-7)

The Lord GOD has sworn by Himself, the LORD God of hosts has declared: "I loathe the arrogance of Jacob, And detest his citadels; Therefore I will deliver up the city and all it contains." (Amo 6:8)

The Lord's people are reclining in luxury, eating choice foods, listening to music while drinking wine, and applying skin care products to keep their skin moist, when we should be grieving over the present condition of the Church and the ruin about to happen. There is still so much arrogance in the Church, but it should have no place among God's people.  It's time to grieve over the ruin of Joseph!

Grieve and lament over the detestable things done in the Church
During the days of the prophet Ezekiel, when the Lord was about to bring judgment upon Jerusalem, he showed the prophet the detestable things that were being done in the temple -- even by the elders. The showed Ezekiel that he had a team of guardian angels that had been in charge of guarding the city. And he instructed them to take swords and slaughter the people, pitying nobody.  But before they did, the Lord sent another angel ahead of them with a writing kit to mark the people who sighed and groaned over all the abominations being committed in the midst of Jerusalem.  This angel knew which people were signing and groaning over sin in their lives and in their midst.

The LORD said to [the angel with the writing kit], "Go through the midst of the city, even through the midst of Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and groan over all the abominations which are being committed in its midst." But to the others He said in my hearing, "Go through the city after him and strike; do not let your eye have pity and do not spare. "Utterly slay old men, young men, maidens, little children, and women, but do not touch any man on whom is the mark; and you shall start from My sanctuary." So they started with the elders who were before the temple. (Eze 9:4-6)

Amazingly the Lord had these angels begin their slaughter at His holy sanctuary.  It's the same today.  Judgment must first begin with the house of God (1 Pe 4:17), and it begins with those in oversight -- pastors, and elders. 

As Micah said, "Because of this I must lament and wail, I must go barefoot and naked; I must make a lament like the jackals And a mourning like the ostriches." (Mic 1:8)

Cry Aloud, Seek the Lord, and Stretch Out Your Hands to Him at Night
For the choir director; according to Jeduthun. A Psalm of Asaph. My voice rises to God, and I will cry aloud; My voice rises to God, and He will hear me. In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord; In the night my hand was stretched out without weariness; My soul refused to be comforted. When I remember God, then I am disturbed; When I sigh, then my spirit grows faint. Selah. (Psa 77:1-3)

Fear of the Lord, who weighs motives
"All the ways of a man are clean in his own sight, But the LORD weighs the motives." (Pro 16:2). It's normal for Christians to think that we are clean and do not need to worry about God's judgment.  But the Lord weighs the motives of our hearts.  That's why we need to fear Him.

"The LORD has made everything for its own purpose, Even the wicked for the day of evil. Everyone who is proud in heart is an abomination to the LORD; Assuredly, he will not be unpunished. By lovingkindness and truth iniquity is atoned for, And by the fear of the LORD one keeps away from evil." (Pro 16:4-6)

We rarely hear about the fear of the Lord any more.  But it's by the fear of the Lord that we keep away from evil.  Don't be proud in heart, thinking you are in good shape and don't need to concern yourself with this, or else you will be punished.  Humble yourself.  Fear the Lord! Repent of all pride and arrogance.

"There is a way which seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death."  (Pro 16:25).  You could be on a path that leads to death and yet think your way is right!  This is how deceptive it can be.

We need to cry out for Him to reveal any hidden sin in our lives that we have stowed away and no longer see.  You need to go hunting for sin in your own life.

A rebellious nation, obstinate and stubborn
Here was the commission the Lord gave to Ezekiel. Then He said to me, "Son of man, I am sending you to the sons of Israel, to a rebellious people who have rebelled against Me; they and their fathers have transgressed against Me to this very day. "I am sending you to them who are stubborn and obstinate children...' " (Eze 2:3-4)

The situation is the same today in the Church.  There is rebellion against the Lord.  His people have transgressed.  Many of us are still stubborn and obstinate! So just as Ezekiel had a hard time finding anyone to listen to what he was saying, there are few today who will tolerate this message.

Eat the scroll containing lament and mourning
The Lord warned Ezekiel, "Now you, son of man, listen to what I am speaking to you; do not be rebellious like that rebellious house. Open your mouth and eat what I am giving you." Then I looked, and behold, a hand was extended to me; and lo, a scroll was in it. When He spread it out before me, it was written on the front and back, and written on it were lamentations, mourning and woe." (Eze 2:8-10)

The Lord knew that Ezekiel might be tempted to refuse to accept this assignment and speak these words of lamentation, mourning, and woe.  It would have been rebellious for him to refuse this assignment, even though it was very difficult and he knew the people wouldn't listen.

"For you are not being sent to a people of unintelligible speech or difficult language, but to the house of Israel, nor to many peoples of unintelligible speech or difficult language, whose words you cannot understand. But I have sent you to them who should listen to you; yet the house of Israel will not be willing to listen to you, since they are not willing to listen to Me. Surely the whole house of Israel is stubborn and obstinate." (Eze 3:5-7)

The Lord explained to Ezekiel that His people would not be willing to listen to what He was saying through the prophet, because they were not willing to listen to the Lord.  Again, it's the same today. The Church is not willing to listen to those who sound the alarm and proclaim this message, because they are not willing to listen to the Lord. They are hardened and obstinate.

Whoever will listen, let him listen; Whoever will refuse let him refuse
The fact is that some will listen, so this message still needs to be proclaimed.  "But when I speak to you, I will open your mouth and you will say to them, 'Thus says the Lord GOD.' He who hears, let him hear; and he who refuses, let him refuse; for they are a rebellious house." (Eze 3:27)

The watchman is not responsible for the people's response.  He is responsible to obey the Lord and sound the alarm.  Many will refuse to listen.  So be it.  Let them refuse.  If you don't like this message, you are free to refuse to listen to it and accept the consequences.  But let those with ears hear it!

Mourn for sin and separate from the world and false church
The Lord told Ezekiel that some survivors would escape this judgment.  He showed the prophet what kind of people they would be.

'Even when their survivors escape, they will be on the mountains like doves of the valleys, all of them mourning, each over his own iniquity." (Eze 7:16)

These are the people who had ears to hear what the prophet was saying and separated themselves.  They went up to the mountains and mourned, each person for his own iniquity.  This doesn't mean we need to literally go to a mountain. But we need to come out from among them and be separate, so that we will not be partakers in the judgment.  We need to cleanse ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit.  We need to pursue holiness, righteousness, and the kingdom of God.  And we each need to mourn for our own sin.

Call upon the name of the Lord, Who is a refuge for His people
Let's not forget what the Lord said through Joel, "And it will come about that whoever calls on the name of the LORD Will be delivered; For on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem There will be those who escape, As the LORD has said, Even among the survivors whom the LORD calls." (Joe 2:32).  Everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be delivered.  That's not lip service.  That's sincere repentance and seeking His face with all your heart.

"The LORD roars from Zion And utters His voice from Jerusalem, And the heavens and the earth tremble. But the LORD is a refuge for His people And a stronghold to the sons of Israel." (Joe 3:16)  While the Lord roars and utters His mighty voice, we need to remember that He is a refuge for His people.

Putting it All Together
As we've just seen, the Scriptures clearly tell us that these things in our current events would happen. The earth is groaning, ridding itself of all the idolatry and rebellion within it. And we need to do the same.

Are you ready?  Do you hear the sound of the trumpet? Please do not wait any longer or you could miss the rapture.   Repent now and give your life to Jesus Christ.  Look to Him, who alone can prepare you to enjoy the rapture, and join the worshipers in heaven.

If you know Him, but are not living 100% for Him, then repent and get right with Him now.  We need to fast, pray, wail, grieve, mourn, lament, groan, and cry out to the Lord for our own sin and the detestable condition of the Church.  It's high time we sought holiness and consecration. He is coming back right away, but only for the holy ones.

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB.

Author's note:  You may also want to read my other post called, "Very Few Will Hear the Trumpet".  Then check out "Are You Rapture Ready?" and "The End Has Come." I recommend my daughter's music video called The Coming. You may also visit our Signs of the Times Directory, and access my complete blog directory at Writing for the Master.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"
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Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.