“Yea, the stork in the heaven knoweth her appointed times; and the turtle and the crane and the swallow observe the time of their coming; but my people know not the judgment (requirements) of the Lord.” (Jeremiah 8:7)
31 For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. (1 Corinthians 11:31)
What are the requirements of Yahweh, the Lord God of heaven, for His church in this present 2021/ 2022 prophetic season? What does He expect of His church in these times of ongoing global pandemic, economic uncertainty, and the global distress of nations? Is there anything specific the Lord requires of his church, or should they continue business as usual until He comes for His church?
The church must understand God’s requirements or judgments for this prophetic season; otherwise, it will fade into oblivion and irrelevancy and perish with the world. “For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begins at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?” (1 Peter 4:17)
It is, therefore, critical and of utmost importance that the church understand the requirements of God and perform them dutifully.
However, to know and understand the requirements of God for this prophetic season, we first need to know which prophetic season we are currently. When we identify the prophetic season we are in, we will also understand God’s requirement because He has connected His requirements to His prophetic seasons. From Jeremiah 8:7, God connects his requirements (judgments) to His appointed times and seasons.
“Yea, the stork in the heaven knoweth her appointed times; and the turtle and the crane and the swallow observe the time of their coming; but my people know not the judgment (requirements) of the Lord.” (Jeremiah 8:7)
The church (body of Christ) is living in a pivotal time and critical juncture in its history, and it’s of utmost importance that it recognizes it and rises to perform its duty and obligations as expected by its head, Jesus Christ.
So we will proceed to understand where the church is today in God’s prophetic time or season.
To identify where the church is today on God’s prophetic timeline, we have to turn to our spiritual Map, the Scriptures, Word of God for directions. Ecclesiastes 1:9 states, “That which has been is what will be, That which is done is what will be done, And there is nothing new under the sun.” Ecclesiastes 1:9 teaches us to understand the present by studying the past.
The journey of the new testament church to the promised Land (heaven) is the same as the exodus story of the old testament church (church in the wilderness, Acts 7:38) from Egypt to Canaan (promised Land). Therefore when we study the story of the Exodus of the children of Israel, we can understand our present state today.
UNDERSTANDING GOD’s PROPHETIC CALENDAR YEAR AND SEASONS
The bible shows us that in God’s prophetic year, the times and seasons begin in Spring and end in Winter, i.e., Spring – Summer – Fall (Autumn) – Winter. There are three months (moons) in each season.
The Hebrews and Jews keep following this same calendar even to this day. The feasts of God are performed in their seasons.
“He will speak against the Most High and oppress his holy people and try to change the set times (seasons) and the laws. The holy people will be delivered into his hands for a time, times, and half a time.” (Daniel 7:25)
In contrast to God’s calendar, the world follows the Gregorian calendar established by the Roman empire in the 14th century. The year begins in the middle of Winter (1 January) and ends again in the middle of Winter (31 December) !! Middle of Winter – Spring – Summer – Fall – Middle of Winter.
The Christian church does not follow God’s biblical calendar. Instead, it follows the world’s calendar.
“And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.” (Revelation 12:9)
“And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” (Romans 12:2)
STORY OF THE EXODUS FROM EGYPT TO CANAAN
PROPHETIC SPRING SEASON
The exodus of the old testament church began in the Spring season; in Exodus 12:2, God spoke to Moses, “This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you.” During the Spring Season, the children of Israel celebrate three feasts of the Lord; the Passover, Unleavened Bread, and First Fruits. The Children of Israel celebrated these feasts in Egypt before they left Egypt, finally going to the promised Land. They celebrated the Passover by killing a lamb without blemish, a male of the first year, and taking the blood and applying it on the two side posts and the upper door post of the houses of the children of Israel. The Passover ensured that the children of Israel would not suffer judgment that night when the death angel passed through the Land of Egypt and smote all the firstborns of Egypt but passed over every house with the blood of the lamb on it.
In the New Testament church of today, Passover represents the death of Jesus Christ on the Cross for our sins to make us free from the bondage of sin. In Galatian 4:3-5, “Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world: 4 But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, 5 To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.” In the old testament, the children of Israel were in physical bondage in physical Egypt; however, in the new testament, the church is in spiritual bondage to sin in the world, which is spiritual Egypt. But through the blood of the Lamb of God, we are set free from the world of sin (spiritual Egypt).
In the story of the Exodus, we see that when the children of Israel finally departed Egypt, they stopped at four different locations before crossing the Red Sea; the names of the places are Rameses, Succoth, Ethan, and Pi-hahiroth.
Similarly, in the New Testament, the spring season of the church age is recorded in the four Gospels in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. These events happened in the first century in AD.30.
THE RED SEA CROSSING
After the children of Israel departed Egypt, the Lord took them through the Red Sea, where he defeated Pharaoh and his armies.
From 1 Corinthians 10:1-2, we learn that the passing of the Red Sea represents Baptism:
“Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea.”
At the end of the Gospels, Jesus, after His resurrection, gives them the great commission and instructs his disciples to go into all nations and baptize them.
“And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.” (Mark 16:15-16)
“Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.” (Matthew 28:19)
So from the above, we can see that our Red Sea experience for every Christian today is repenting of our sins, believing in Jesus Christ as our savior, and being baptized by water. Water Baptism completes our purchase and redemption from the world of sin by the blood of Jesus. Because we see that after the children crossed the Red Sea, that they sing the Song of Moses saying:
“The Lord is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he is my God, and I will prepare him an habitation; my father’s God, and I will exalt him.” (Exodus 15:2)
“Thou in thy mercy hast led forth the people which thou hast redeemed: thou hast guided them in thy strength unto thy holy habitation.” (Exodus 15:13)
” Fear and dread shall fall upon them; by the greatness of thine arm they shall be as still as a stone; till thy people pass over, O Lord, till the people pass over, which thou hast purchased.” (Exodus 15:16)
So from the above verses, we learn that the children of Israel were finally ultimately saved, redeemed, and purchased after crossing the Red Sea. It is in the Red Sea that God defeats Pharoah’s armies. So is the role of Water Baptism for us today. Without Baptism, Pharoah (Satan) can quickly overtake us, overpower us and bring us back into sin and bondage (Egypt) because he is more powerful than us. But when we get baptized in water, the Lord gives us a complete victory and defeats satans power over us.
Crossing over from the Gospels then brings us to the book of Acts of the Apostles.
PROPHETIC SUMMER SEASON
After crossing the Red Sea, the children of Israel journey for about 40 days and reach Mount Sinai. There they pitch camp, and Moses ascends to the top of Mount Sinai to meet Yahweh God, who appears at the top of the mountain to speak the Ten Commandments to the hearing of all the children of Israel. With the Ten Commandments, God covenanted with the children of Israel and sent them off on the journey to the promised Land Canaan.
In the New Testament church age, we see the prophetic manifestation of the mount Sinai experience on the Day of Pentecost in the book of Acts of the Apostles. The Day of Pentecost occurred precisely 50 days after the resurrection of Jesus Christ and ten days after the Ascension of Jesus Christ to Heaven. The foreshadow is seen in the ascension of Moses up the Mount Sinai after 40 days of journeying and God visiting and giving the Ten Commandments 10 days later. Scripture tells us the Apostles and 120 believers were gathered in the “Upper Room.”
“Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey. And when they had entered, they went up into the upper room where they were staying: Peter, James, John, and Andrew; Philip and Thomas; Bartholomew and Matthew; James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot; and Judas the son of James. These all continued with one [a]accord in prayer [b]and supplication, with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.” (Act 1:12-14)
“And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. 2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. 3 And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” (Acts 2:1-4)
The Pentecost event begins the Prophetic Summer period of the church age (the most extended season), the age of Grace where God covenants with his church and empowers the Apostles to go into all the nations and make disciples of Christ, baptizing them in the Lord Jesus Christ. The period of fulfilling the Great Commission. The great commission began in A.D. 30 and had been going on for almost 2000 years. Today the church finds itself at the end of the church age period of Grace.
After the children of Israel left Mount Sinai, it took them 40 years before they crossed over the River Jordan and entered into the promised Land. The church has also spent approximately 40 years x50 (2000 years) in the total age of Grace. The number 5 stands for Grace in the Bible, and the number 10 stands for completeness, fullness, entirety, or totality. Therefore 5×10 (50) means God’s entire period of Grace. In Revelation, chapters 2 and 3, Jesus Christ addresses a letter to the Seven Churches, i.e., Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea. These seven churches form the Complete period of the church history, beginning with Ephesus (the Apostolic church) to the last church age, the church of Laodicea.
In the 40 years journey of the children of Israel from Kadesh Barnea to the Plains of Moab by the River Jordan, we see that there are 15 stops on the way. (https://www.bible.ca/archeology/bible-archeology-exodus-route-kadesh-barnea-jordan.htm)
In the bible in the New Testament, we see between the book of Acts of Apostles and the Book of Hebrews 15 books in total explain salvation by Grace through faith.
Israel encamped in the Plains of Moab by the River Jordan at the end of the 40-year journey in the wilderness.
“And they departed from the mountains of Abarim, and pitched in the plains of Moab by Jordan near Jericho. And they pitched by Jordan, from Bethjesimoth even unto Abelshittim in the plains of Moab. And the Lord spake unto Moses in the plains of Moab by Jordan near Jericho, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye are passed over Jordan into the Land of Canaan; Then ye shall drive out all the inhabitants of the Land from before you, and destroy all their pictures, and destroy all their molten images, and quite pluck down all their high places: And ye shall dispossess the inhabitants of the Land, and dwell therein: for I have given you the Land to possess it.” (Numbers 33:48-53)
Just as the children of Israel, at the end of their 40-year journey in the wilderness, departed from the mountains of Abarim and pitched in the Plains of Moab by the River Jordan, it implies that at the end of 2000 years of Grace period, we are in the period of the last church of Revelation, the church of Laodicea. Prophetically or spiritually, we must crossover (“abarim”) from the high mountains (of Grace) and encamped in the Plains of Moab by the River Jordan, ready to cross over and possess our promised Land!!
So the church has prophetically come to the end of the Summer Season (Grace Period) and needs to crossover into the Fall Season to prepare for the fast-approaching Winter Season just ahead of it. The church is in a transitional Fall Season and needs to understand the requirements of God before entering the Winter Season. Just as in the Fall Season, we prepare for the long Winter, so must the church quickly transition from the high ‘mountain’ summer (season of Grace) to refocus rapidly in the Fall. Crossover into the Winter (Jericho or Promised Land), where there are seven nations mightier than the children of Israel. Our ability to survive the Winter Season depends on what we do in the Fall.
At the church of the summer season, the church must move from Paul’s epistles and focus its attention on the final nine books of the New Testament.
THE PROPHETIC FALL SEASON
This is the prophetic season the Lord wants the church to be in today; the fall season is when the church prepares to overcome the challenges in possessing the promised Land. But the Lord says the church does not recognize the times and seasons and the requirements of the Lord:
“I hearkened and heard, but they spake not aright: no man repented him of his wickedness, saying, What have I done? every one turned to his course, as the horse rusheth into the battle. Yea, the stork in the heaven knoweth her appointed times; and the turtle and the crane and the swallow observe the time of their coming; but my people know not the judgment (requirements) of the Lord.” (Jeremiah 8:6-7)
Israel departs from the mountains of Abarim and pitch in the Plains of Moab by the River Jordan and prepares to crossover into Jericho.
Many significant events happen at the Plains of Moab,
- Israel commits whoredom with the daughters of Moab and Midian and falls into idolatry. 24,000 Israelites fell by plagues from God.
- The Lord numbers the new generation of Israel who are to enter the promised Land. (Judgement/Harvest)
- Moses dies, but Joshua (Yehoshua) is appointed to replace him.
- A second reading of the Law (Book of Deuteronomy) Israel are retaught, the statutes, commandments, and judgments of God. Children of Israel Re-covenants with the Lord.
- Judgment of Midian
- Preparations to enter the Land.
- Rahab and the Spies.
- Crossing over the Jordan River.
- Re-Circumcision of the children of Israel.
- The manna stops falling.
- The Unseen Captain of the Lord.
- The blowing of trumpets and the Fall of Jericho
God’s Requirements for His children in the Prophetic Fall Season
As can be observed, a lot occurred to the children of Israel at the Plains of Moab.
- God tested and tried the children of Israel and sent plagues that killed 24,000 Israelites.Â
- For the second time, God accounts for the number of Israelites that will go into the promised Land. So we can see that judgment occurs in the Fall Season of the church age.
- In the death of Moses and the Rise of Yehoshua, we see the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Mourning of Moses death, day of atonement mourning. God brings us back to focus on the Cross, why the Cross, and what the Cross achieved for us.
- In the crossing of the Jordan River and circumcision of the children of Israel, we see repentance and water baptism.
- Hearing the Law of God, we see re-covenanting with God and understanding His Commandments.
- Manna stops falling reminds us that Grace will cease for the unrepentant sinners at the end of the Fall season.
- A season where Rahab must come of Babylon (Jericho), the adulterous church of God must repent and leave falls worship.
- Meeting the Captain of the Host is a reminder that after repentance and Baptism, Jesus Christ (Latter Rain) will directly usher in the children of God into victory in the promised Land.
- Fall of Jericho reminds us of the Fall of False end-time church of Babylon; hence all adulterous worshippers like Rahab must come out now in the season or forever remain and perish in Jericho’s Fall.
“That which hath been is now; and that which is to be hath already been; and God requireth that which is past.” (Ecclesiastes 3:15)
God is looking for the church today to do what the faithful people of God did in the past. God doesn’t want us to do anything new or re-invent the wheel. God is the same yesterday, today, and forever; his requirements of His children have not changed from time immemorial.
When we go to the book of Revelation 3:14-22, the letter to the church of Laodicea, we can see that the message of Jesus Christ to the church is the same events and requirements performed by the children of Israel at the Plains of Moab.
“I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. 16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. 17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:
18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. 19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.” (Revelation 3:15-19)
God requires the repentance of the church of today and re-covenanting with him through the circumcision of the heart, water baptism. God is at it were asking the church of Laodicea, the church today to Cross the River Jordan.
In the New Testament, we can find the Fall season’s message in the last nine books of Hebrews, James, 1&2 Peter, 1,2&3 John, Jude & Revelation. The book of Hebrews signifies ‘crossing-over’ the river Jordan or being baptized. These books are to prepare the children of God for the fast coming winter season, where they will need to overcome many challenges and test coming to the church. These are the books of the bible the church today needs to focus on teaching its members, and believers today need to spend time studying to understand. The period of preaching about the Grace of God is over, and the church needs to focus on preparing the church for the next prophetic phase.
When we look at the contents of the last nine books of the new testament, we find the themes are similar to what Moses taught the children of Israel at the Plains of Moab and sharply of a different tone to the previous New Testament book or Paul’s epistles.
For example in Hebrews shows the similarities of the old testament to the new testament and stresses the need for the church to move forward from foundational doctrines of Christ, repentance of dead works and faith toward God and move onto the doctrine of Baptism, the resurrection of the dead and eternal judgment.
“12 For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. 13 For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. 14 But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, 2 Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of the resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. 3 And this will we do if God permit.” (Hebrews 5:12-14, 6:1-3)
The writer stresses the need for the church to observe the 7th-day sabbath rest of God in the commandments of God, something which most Christians do not follow because the church is still preaching summertime messages.
“So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God” (Hebrews 4:9)
In the book of Hebrews, the writer also explains the Priesthood of Christ and describes the work Jesus Christ is doing as our Great High Priest in the heavenly sanctuary. The writer explains that Christ, at the end of time, will move from the Holy Place and move into the Holy of Holies to perform a work of judgment of the church. In the Holy of Holies, where the ark of the covenant is, we learn that it contains the same items in the earthly temple: the two tablets of the covenant, Aaron’s rod that budded, and the jar of manna.
Jesus Christ, our great high priest, will be performing the work of Judgement based on the Ten Commandments, the everlasting covenant. Thus, there’s a critical need for believers to understand that Jesus Christ is the embodiment of the Law. He is the Law of God in the flesh. If we reject the Law, we are rejecting the righteousness of God, which is the character of Jesus Christ.
Many Christians presently do not understand this teaching of the righteousness of God and the urgent need for the church in the Fall season to focus on these critical teaching as we prepare for the hour of temptation, which is to come upon the whole world.
In the book of James, we learn that “faith without works is dead,” which seems to be in contrast to Paul’s Epistles, where he teaches that we are justified or saved by our faith. However, when we take a closer look, Paul was writing about how an unbeliever gets saved, while James was writing about a saved person lives. They looked at faith and works from two different perspectives and are both right. But the church today finds it hard to reconcile these teachings because it is still living in the summer church age and needs to transition to the Fall season.
The last nine books stress the Righteousness of Christ and explain that the righteousness of Christ is His Law, ten commandments.
During the Fall Season, the following three feasts or festivals are celebrated. The feast of trumpets, day of atonement, and the feast of tabernacles. The feast of trumpets represents dramatic catastrophic events that will happen worldwide (e.g., Pandemic, earthquakes, Fires, Hurricanes, Typhoons, etc.) to sound an alarm to all believers to rededicate themselves to God. Rededication and Re-Covenanting are the Day of Atonement.
THE PROPHETIC WINTER SEASON
After crossing the Jordan, the children of Israel start battling and conquering cities of the seven great nations mightier than the children of Israel. These nations in Canaan were of the Amorites, Hittites, Jebusites, Hivites, Perizzites, and Girgashites, the 7 Great Nations Mightier than the children of Israel.
The battle goes on for 5years until the enemy is subdued and victory is won, and they settle in the Land without any more war.
In the New Testament, these seven great nations that the children of Israel will battle are described in the Revelation as the seven heads of the sea Beast.
“And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.” (Revelation 13:1)
7 And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. (Revelation 13:7)
The seven heads prophetically represent the spirits of the seven pagan nations that took the children of Israel into captivity in the past whenever they fell into sin and apostasy. Namely; Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, Rome, and Papal Rome. These pagan nation empires embody the following spirits that would be manifest at the end time.
- The Spirits of Egypt – Spirit of paganism, occult magic, and secret societies.
- The Spirit of Assyria – Spirit of the utopian peaceful, prosperous and healthy world; the promise of a ‘better’ life, ideal world, brave new world, less population, better management of earth’s resources, new world order, one government controlling the globe, tower of babel.
- The Spirit of the Babylon – Spirit of pride and false worship; “It is about you who matter – self” nothing about God in us. About the individual; governments taking away individual liberties of conscience and freedom of thought etc.
- The Spirit of Medo-Persia – Spirit of conspiracy dominated against the people of God; e.g., Daniel in Lion’s den for praying to God; Haman vs. Mordecai in Esther. Conspiracy through medicine, economy, entertainment, sports, etc., and church takeover through false teachings.
- The Spirit of Greece – the Spirit of ‘new’ wisdom, knowledge, and new ‘scientific’ facts or theories, philosophy; new-age deceptive doctrine wisdom is salvation! not God, evolution, enlightenment, Gnosticism, etc.
- The Spirit of Rome – Spirit of Christian persecution, cruel methods of torture and death inflicted on Jews and Christians, Crucifixion, etc
- The Spirit of Papal Rome – Spirit of Christian persecution, cruel methods of torture and death inflicted on Protestant Christians, Inquisition; Spirit of false worship
Today, Christians and believers will be facing these seven-headed spirits of the antichrist or Beast. The Lord says these seven nations’ spirits are mightier and stronger than the people of God. The only way to ensure the church’s victory against these formidable and complete spirits of the anti-christ or Beast is for the people of God to repent and re-covenant with God through water baptism to receive the latter rain needed by the church. Only Christ can lead us to victory against these formidable foes, and Jesus Christ is calling the church of Laodicea to come back to Him in the prophetic fall season of the church.
“As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. 20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. 21 To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne. 22 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.” (Revelation 3:9-22)
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