Prophetic at TRM

God is seeking those who will worship Him in spirit and in truth. Worship begins in the heart – it’s a heart thing! It’s a giving of oneself, surrendering will and desire, recognising His absolute lordship, and longing to be holy as He is Holy.

When we read the word ‘worship’ in the Old Testament, it is a translation of the Hebrew word ‘saha’ – to fall down, to bow down. This was a physical positioning. The worship we experience now, since Christ, is a spiritual positioning, beginning in the born-again human spirit and inspired by the indwelling Spirit of God. We could very well feel like physically bowing down because that is an outward response to, and expression of, the inner relationship. What a wonderful experience it is to be free to physically express the passionate love of the loved for the Lover, of the Bride for the Bridegroom, of the saved for the Saviour, of the redeemed for the Redeemer, of the created for the Creator!

We tend these days to speak about worship in terms of mainly the outward expression. Worship is a spirit-position which can have a physical expression, but not necessarily. We can praise without worship; God says “these people praise Me with their lips but their hearts are far from Me. (Is. 28:13) We can also worship without praising. Worship is a heart-thing. God sees the Heart!

Out of a heart of worship can flow all kinds of beautiful expressions through the voice, through instruments, and through movement. A creative God has gifted us with creative inspiration and expression of those inspirations – all of these are ‘praise’.

David, “a man after God’s own heart” (Acts 13:22) was a King, a Prophet, and a Priest; a forerunner of Jesus. David teaches us so much about how to express praise from a heart full of worship; a heart which overflows and spills out in demonstrational response. His set-up for the Tabernacle in Jerusalem was second to none in this respect. Out of the 230 times praise is mentioned in the Old Testament, 180 of these are found in the Psalms.

The promise of God to “rebuild the Tabernacle of David” (Acts 15:16), in the last days will obviously include a building up of the model of 24/7 praise (including song, instruments, and dance), prophecy, and intercession which David created.

When praise comes from a worshipping heart, it is “comely”. In other words, it is beautiful and appropriate, according to Ps. 33:1. It gives God pleasure! (Ps.149 1-4); not because He is some sort of egotistical Super-Being but because he takes pleasure in relationship with us, and, of course, He is worthy of praise. (2 Sam. 22:4) He is holy; we enthrone Him with our praise. (Ps. 22:3). With the “high praises of God in our mouths” and the double-edged sword of the Word in our hands, we exert our Kingdom authority over the Enemy. (Ps. 149: 6-9).

There are several basic forms of praise in the Bible. It is interesting to note that they each indicate some kind of outward physical movement or sound. This is very encouraging for those in the Church, in these days, who have caught the wind of the Spirit and sense a freedom in many physical expressions of praise.

Halal (e.g. 2 Chron. 5:13-14) - to be clamorously foolish; to rave; to celebrate

Halal is the kind of praise which was happening in the Temple of Solomon, when the glory cloud filled the place and the priests could not stand to minister.

The work of the prophetic ministry is to release the will of God into the earth “as it is in Heaven.” Jesus taught us this. When He was teaching us how to pray, He directed as to start with praise – declaring the greatness and awesomeness of God – “Holy is your name.” Praise takes us higher, makes us more aware of our place in the heavenlies, more aware of our place with Jesus.

First of all, you don’t have to be a prophet to prophesy! Paul said “I wish you would all prophesy” (1 Cor. 14:5). Jesus is IN you, is He not? “The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” (Rev. 19;10). “The word is in your mouth” (Rom. 10:8) to sing ‘the song of the Lord’ or to speak it out, prophetically.

Praise has always been a time in any gathering when prophetic inspirations come. David prophesised this and Paul confirmed it.

“I will declare Your name to My brethren; in the midst of the congregation I will sing praises to You”.

In the assembly of worshipping hearts praising God, Jesus testifies of the Father.

“The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” (Rev. 19:10). Who speaks out this testimony? Those who are inspired at those times by the spirit of prophecy and are willing to speak it out or sing it out as the song of the Lord.

The ‘song of the Lord’ is the spontaneous prophetic song, inspired by the Holy Spirit, to declare the truth, giving “edification, exhortation, or comfort” (1 Cor. 14:3) to the listeners.

1 Chron. 25:7 “So the number of them (the musicians), with their brethren who were instructed in the songs of the Lord, all who were skilful, was 288.”

Dancing before God has always been a part of Hebrew tradition. It was a way of expressing praise, celebration, victory, and deep worship. We find many references to dances of all kinds through the Bible.

Hebrew dance took many forms and we find a different Hebrew word for each expression.

CHIYL – to twist or whirl in a circular manner. Judges 21:21

MACHOWL – a round dance. Psalm 30:11 Jeremiah 31:4

MECHOWLAH - a dance/ company of dancers. Judges 11:34, Exodus 15:20

DALAG – to leap or spring. Song of Solomon 2:8, Isaiah 35:6

CHAGAG – to move in a circle/march in a sacred procession/celebrate a festival

1Sam.30:16

KARAR – to dance or whirl. 2 Samuel 6:14

RAQAD – to stamp/spring about/dance/jump/leap/skip 1Chron. 15:29

PAZAZ – to spring or leap. 2 Samuel 6:16

PACACH – to hop/skip over/to dance. 1 Kings 18:26

GIYL/GUWL - to spin round under the influence of emotion (usually rejoice)

1 Chronicles 16:31, Psalm 9:14

ALATS – to jump for joy/be joyful/rejoice/triumph. Proverbs 28:12, Psalm 68:3

In Western culture, by the time of the Reformation, dance was not considered valid in worship. God has been reviving creative giftings in His people of all cultures and traditions in these days and we are catching again the joy and freedom of expressing heartfelt worship to God with movement.

In fact, in these days, there is an awareness of the ability to prophesy through dance. We will look at that more closely later in this section.

King David danced and was criticised by Michal, his wife, who despised him for it. He danced with joy and with a sense of great victory as the Ark (the presence of God) was brought to Jerusalem.

Verse 16 “Michal, Saul’s daughter, looked through a window and saw King David leaping and whirling before the Lord; and she despised him in her heart”.

His devotion to God was the well from which the fountain of praise sprang. Not everyone will know this expression of intimacy; not everyone will understand. The heart of David (“a man after God’s own heart” Acts 13: 22), and the hearts of those he trained, are clearly expressed in the Psalms:

Ps. 149: 2-4 “Let Israel rejoice in their Maker; let the children of Zion be joyful in their King. Let them praise his name with the dance; let them sing praises to Him with the timbrel and harp for the Lord takes pleasure in His People.”

God takes pleasure in our exuberant praise and adoring worship. Isn’t that good?!

Let us join Heaven to express this to a Holy God in every way we can. He has enabled us, through Jesus, to enter his Holy Place.

“The Word is in you” (Rom. 10:8) and you can express it in symbolic movement – that’s prophetic.

God used symbolism in so many ways to speak to His people through the prophets. Jesus, Himself, Prophet of all prophets, used parables (symbolic stories) to teach the truth of the Kingdom.

The ‘dance of the Lord’ is the spontaneous, prophetic inspiration to declare the truth in movement. It is a visual presentation of the Word, which can inspire, encourage, and lead others into revelation.

In these days, we are exploring the ‘tools’ which enhance this presentation of the Truth through movement, and give glory to God. Beautifully flowing materials, symbolic colours, flags and banners which make strong declarations, percussion instruments of all kinds, are all being made available for when the inspiration comes to dance prophetically.

Prophetic Dance doesn’t have to be spontaneous; it can be an inspired theme, choreographed and structured to declare a Truth to those who are watching. It will bring glory to God and will “edify, exhort, or comfort others”. (1 Cor. 14:3).

“David and the captains separated to the service some of the sons of Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun, who should prophesy with lyres, harps, and cymbals.” (1 Chron. 25:1).

All this requires is skill on the instrument, inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and the courage to step out to do it!

Have you ever heard the drums in celebration or warfare? What a powerful sound! Every skilled instrumentalist or percussionist, under the Spirit’s inspiration, can prophesy.

When we declare the Word, in whatever form it comes, it calls the Kingdom of God into place (“as it is in Heaven”). Things begin to shift in the supernatural realm. The kingdom of darkness begins to shake as the Word is declared by those who truly believe. Jericho was brought down by God through symbolic marching, blowing of trumpets, praising, and a loud shout!

Jehoshophat knew the power of praise. He sent his singers out before the warriors and they made war in the heavenlies, praising God and declaring His sovereignty. The enemy turned and killed each other. By the time the physical warriors got there, it was all over.

The problem in the Church is that we have lost sense of the reality and power of symbolic declarations of the Kingdom, and have become uncomfortable with them. Jesus said that traditions and unbelief are the two things which render the Word ineffective.

Let’s throw off the old garments of tradition and unbelief, pride, and fear of people’s opinions. Let’s be free to give our Halal and perform the prophetic word in whatever way the Holy Spirit inspires us.

Prophetic Dance is a symbolic expression of Truths we are petitioning, commanding, and calling into place. It is a form of Intercession and can be used as a tool for intercession.

Prophetic Intercession is more than just praying for a person or situation, it is actually identificationally praying as the person; entering into the awareness that only the Holy Spirit can bring. The intercession may not even be intellectual but can be in tongues as the Spirit brings the urgency, or even in “groanings that cannot be uttered”. (Rom. 8;26).

Prophetic intercession can be for a group of people; a church, a city, or a nation.

Identificational repentance in this case is not “forgive them……. help them...... they have sinned…….” etc. It is rather, “Father, I stand before you and bring our…… We come to you in repentance…… We have sinned…..”.

Like Isaiah, “I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips.” (Is. 6:5).

Like Daniel, “… while I (Daniel) was speaking, praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel …” (Dan.9:20)

Like Nehemiah, “Hear the prayer of your servant which I pray before you now, day and night, for the children of Israel Your servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel which WE have sinned against You. BOTH MY FATHER’S HOUSE AND I have sinned.” (Neh.1:5,6).

Prophetic intercession is to THEN call into place the “things which do not exist, as though they are” (Rom. 4:17), declaring the Word of God into the situation, as the Holy Spirit brings it to mind, in words, pictures, or visions.

That is when the priestly prayer moves into kingly decrees! We are “kings and priests to our God” (Rev. 1:6).

In the days before Jesus, the priests represented the needs of the people to God, whereas the prophets presented the will of God to the people. In prophetic intercession, the two are intertwined. There are many sins to be acknowledged, many deceptions to be removed, and many strongholds to be demolished.

There are many purposes of God to be brought into place in these days of His coming Glory.

Through revelation, prophetic intercession calls the eternal Word into place; every unfilled promise of God will be brought to fulfilment in this way.

Prophetic intercession is praying God’s purposes for individuals, churches, cities, and nations, into being.

This is the end-time call to those who will hear and take their place as watchmen for the Kingdom, in whatever place or position God chooses to put them. This is the generation of those who will call God’s purposes into fulfilment, praying His promises back to Him.

Perhaps dance as a form of worship and prophetic intercession can be compared to the gift of tongues. This is a gift which we can understand to work in two different ways.

Firstly, we have personal tongues – a private communication to God from our human spirits, empowered by the Holy Spirit, exercising our relationship with God in a way that builds us up. 1 Cor. 12-14.

Secondly, we have prophetic tongues - a message spoken by God, interpreted, and received in our spirits through the power of the Holy Spirit, to be shared and imparted amongst the saints as mutual encouragement.

Appropriate worship-filled dance, and honour to God in either form, can be for personal or congregational edification.

Interpreted in this sense, we are supposing that dance is a form of prayer in the spirit.

Palal/tepilla: - is the most common word in the Old Testament for prayer. It means to entreat. Often I am led to move in dance through a yearning for the outpouring of God’s spirit. I am pleading with and entreating Him to come in more fullness, and, in the earnestness of my desire, I can’t remain still. For example, in everyday life, I can wave to someone or, like the prodigal and his father, I can be so overcome with the delight of meeting them that I run forward.

Perhaps, in prophetic dance, I leap into the Father’s arms with joy, or perhaps I am moved to seek reassurance and refuge.

An alternative word for prayer is paga – to intercede or use one’s influence on behalf of another.

Sometimes to present a situation to God when I am limited to express the depth of my heart and feelings, or the complicated nature of the scenario to God, I resort to dance. I am enhancing my prayer with movement like one might wave their hands when talking. I am dramatising the situation.

Shama – declaring Gods Word, knowing the answer is yes – what a reason to dance!

Sha’al/mishala is to petition and seek. It is often used in relation to our inner hearts. In dance this might be when we express our innermost feelings and desires.

Hanan – to beseech. This is used in Psalm 30, when David calls out to the Lord. Through the process of this communication David sings out, “You have turned for me my mourning into dancing … You have put off my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness to the end that my glory may sing praise to you and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give you thanks.” Psalm 30:11,12.

These are days when we are being called to Prepare the Way for the King of Glory! There is much to be called into place in these days and T.R.M. sense the forerunner anointing, which was on John the Baptist, to lead people into the preparation of The Bride for the Bridegroom, Jesus. The Bride has much to do, for it is clearly her responsibility to “make herself ready” (Rev. 19:10).

These are the days in which the Army of the Lord (Joel’s army - Joel 2:7-11) is to march (“not pushing one another!”) and take territory which the enemy has stolen. As many have said before, the Bride is wearing combat boots!

When the encampment of Moses was called to break camp and move forward, Judah moved first. Judah means ‘Praise’. Let the high praises of God be in our mouths and the two-edged Sword of the Spirit in our hands; let us move out with praise, singing and dancing to take the land.

“Miriam, the prophetess, … took the timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances.”

We can prophesy with instruments and with dance – like the women of Moses’ day, and like the men in David’s Tabernacle.

The Lord brought me to a spacious place. He rescued me because he delighted in me Psalm 18:19.

“The Lord directs the steps of the Godly, He delights in every detail in their lives. Though they stumble they will never fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand.” Ps. 37:23.

“Zion will be a refuge for those who escape – a Holy place, and the house of Jacob will come back to reclaim their heritage.” Obad. 1:17.

“I have begun to hand … his land (Gilead) over to you. Begin now to conquer and occupy his land.” Deut. 2:31.

This is the first land to be taken, east of the Jordan. It is the land famous for its healing medicinal balm.

This is a first step in a journey of God; receive healing and strength to possess what you already own, before God builds and leads you to even larger territory! (Jabez). It also clarifies the relationship of service to the Body and God.

Note that the Jordan river was the barrier which Naaman had to cross in humbling himself before God, to receive his healing and thereby step into new promises.

Opening the doors of worship, we can open our spiritual eyes in thanksgiving and praise at the promised land that lies before us. We are looking with fresh revelation at the treasures of the Kingdom of God, and, just like Miriam, dancers may be in the place to step out unto that land in new exploration, reclaiming and naming the gifts and horizons that wait.

For you, that promised land may start with your self-territory – the ‘land’ that’s been stolen from you by the enemy through your choices in life or through experiences outside your control through which you have made destructive responses, giving “ place (territory) to the devil” (Eph. 4:27).

WITH REPENTANCE FIRST, take it back. Prostrate yourself; bow the knee; surrender to God’s way which is greater and higher than yours; then step out and claim back your inheritance.

Do the same for your family, your marriage, your church … etc. Remember the IDENTIFICATIONAL REPENTANCE we spoke about in the section on Prophetic Intercession.

In the flesh, it is so easy to look at an open space before us and be too intimidated to step into it, either in the natural because of self-consciousness, or, spiritually, because of guilt and shame.

What can we do with all that space when we are used to operating in a much more confined area?

In a physical sense of learning to dance in public worship, and relating to the spiritual representations of what this means, dancers can learn steps to possess and cross those wide spaces, claiming them as priests of Christ and charting and laying out new territory.

For instance, the tiptoed springing run of the ballet dancer is reminiscent of lightness and joy. Those running steps can portray an excitement, an anticipation, an expectation in God, and our delight in all the good things He has provided.

Alternatively, the slow gliding ballet walk carefully picks its steps, moving in a thoughtful and meditative way, maybe hesitant, maybe enthralled at the beauty before it; slowly reaching out, creating a sense of belonging, and owning space in a deeper way.

Similarly, we have a lyrical sweep, moving slowly with focus and dedication but with a regal high step breaking up the ground like the hoofs of a king’s horse, or with the confidence of a king himself, knowing the authority we have been given by the King of Kings.

Used in the conference dance, we can step out in force to take the land like a descending army. We are foot-soldiers backed by the angels of the Lord. The enemy flees before this army.

As we move into the promised land, we reach out with each stride to grab and receive the promises of God, which linger in the air like fruit before us. Maybe we reach out to pull down the walls of the enemy or tear down strongholds. Maybe we reach out to the heavenlies, each step declaring the sovereignty of God in that place, commanding all to bow in submission to him, whether in our own lives, or our church.

Lastly, each hand could be as a holy sanctified hand, lifted before God in thanksgiving, claiming the blood which removes guilt, and offering a sacrifice of worship in each step. This is the way David returned to Jerusalem with the Ark (the Glory of God), in fear and reverence. After he had learned God’s order in handling the Glory-Presence, he moved only a few yards and stopped to make his sacrifice, in awe of a holy God.

Dancing wide circles, arms outstretched and facing the audience, marks out a boundary and secures it for the people to move forward. It can call them forward into the spacious land God has given. They will move according to the freedom they feel.

Finally, as we enter, Irish steps like the basic skip (hop one two three) may lead us across the hills and valleys like deer, exploring, revelling, and celebrating every inch of the ground that lies before us.

This is by no means an exhaustive list; they are simply ideas to provoke the creative imagination. As we learn to listen to God, as we step and move, He will inspire us in each dance and song with a flow of fresh steps that speak into that particular situation in a prophetic way, unique for that time and moment. Therefore, do not be surprised if your steps alter slightly from day to day, and between practice and performance. This is you allowing God’s Spirit to inspire and lead you at that time.

Come forward, you men with “a heart after God’s own heart”, like David, prophet, priest, and king, who said clearly to his despising wife, “I will play music before the Lord. And I will be EVEN MORE UNDIGNIFIED THAN THIS (she had said he was like a ‘base fellow’, leaping and whirling, having left off his king’s robes), and will be humble in my own sight” (but how wonderful in God’s sight did David appear that day!). 2 Sam. 6:20-23.

There is something powerfully prophetic about a man stepping out in abandonment before God and before the people. How we long to see more of it.

Men and women have different expressions. What a combination when both are brought together for the glory of God.

Here lie probably some of the most amazing eternal promises of all, and some of the most awesome prophecies yet to be fulfilled.

God spoke to a man, Abram, in Ur of the Chaldeans, a pagan city, and led him to a land where He established him and made eternal promises to him both for man and for the land. God’s eternal plan and purpose was worked through the nation which was born through Abram; a nation which was to reveal the nature and character of Almighty God to the rest of mankind.

Israel, “My chosen one” (Is. 45:4), “firstborn” of many nations (Ex. 4:2), would be first to learn the things that God wanted all mankind to know:

· that He is ultimately Love itself and even his discipline comes under that love which embodies incredible grace, mercy and compassion.

In short, through Israel He has shown us “His goodness and severity”. (Rom. 11:22).

While all the pagan nations around Israel could seemingly do whatever they liked, Israel was held up as an example of God’s dealings with man. He chose Israel to be a servant nation. Firstborn among the nations brought privileges but also heavyweight responsibilities. This is why He told her, “you only have I chosen among all the families of the earth; therefore, I will punish you for all your iniquities”. (Amos 3:2).

God’s first, highest, and everlasting purpose was that Israel would not only be “a great nation” but that in her “all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Gen. 12:1-3).

The 'blindness' that Israel has received is not the end. The blessings of Abraham (the “believer”), Gen. 3:8-9, are the blessings of those who believe by faith in Christ now. Therefore, “if their fall is riches for the world, and their failure riches for the Gentiles, HOW MUCH MORE THEIR FULLNESS!”

God is not finished with His “beloved” Israel (Rom. 11). Through His compassion and grace to His chosen nation, we gain even more confidence in His everlasting promises to us, His adopted children, “they also, if they do not continue in unbelief, will be grated in, for God is able to graft them in again. For if you were cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and were grafted contrary to nature into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, who are natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree?” (Rom. 11:23-24

The Lord told Ezekiel to prophecy to the land of Israel, “you have borne the shame of the nations … surely the nations that are around you shall bear their own shame. But you, O mountains of Israel, you shall shoot forth your branches and yield your fruit to My people Israel, FOR THEY ARE ABOUT TO COME.” (Ezek. 36:8).

“… the cities shall be inhabited and the ruins rebuilt (Ezek. 36:10) … and the nations shall know that I am the Lord,” says the Lord God, “when I am hallowed in you before their eyes.” (Ezek. 36:23).

God is working out His purposes for all nations, and Israel plays a central part as the firstborn of many nations.

The desolate land of Israel was dry and barren when it started to be repopulated.

Forests had been mowed down from the time of the destruction of Jerusalem, therefore rainfall had greatly diminished.

All of this confirmed Ezekiel’s prophecy “they (the nations) have made you desolate”. The people had been scattered into many nations as God had ordained. Something began to change before the turn of the 20^th century, after nearly two millennia since God’s judgement on Israel.

In the interim period, the land had been renamed Palestine (with regard to the Philistines).

God is undoubtedly calling His people back to the land which He has called “My land” (Ezek. 36:5), and which He had covenanted to them as an “everlasting possession” (Gen. 17:8). Israel’s redemption is inextricably linked to her possession of the land (Ezek. 36). Is it any wonder that demonic strategies are being levelled against her? In these days, God is calling His adopted children, the Gentile believers in Yeshua, to hear His heart for the loved one that rejected Him.

This is truly my personal experience. God woke me in the middle of one night in 2002 and clearly I ‘heard’, “PRAY FOR JERUSALEM”. How ignorant I was about anything to do with Israel. I’m quite ashamed of that, but God knew me better than I knew myself, and when I realised there was something He wanted me to know, I gave myself to seeking it out. Sometime later, another night, it was “Comfort my people”. I puzzled, “Lord, how do I, comfort your people?” I didn’t fully understand, but something of my destiny was unfolding for me. I looked for the source of that phrase and found a portion in Isaiah that still ‘burns’ in me.

Is. 40:1-5 “ ‘Comfort, yes, comfort My people!’ says your God. ‘Speak comfort to Jerusalem, and cry out to her, that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned; for she has received double for her sins.’ ”

“ ‘The voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord. Make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted and every mountain and hill brought low; the crooked places shall be made straight and the rough places smooth; the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together.’ ″

Over the previous period of 3 years, from 1999, God had been showing me the state of the Church and the end-time army He was building. When He opened my eyes to Israel’s position in these last days, I just felt like a great treasure-chest was opened and He was showing me one precious gem after another.

These days God has so much to reveal to those who love Him. He’s waking us up to prepare for what’s ahead, and we’re being called to a more committed, intimate, higher level to Prepare the Way for the King of Glory. Jesus is coming for His Bride and the Bride needs to make herself ready. Please see the article “The King is Coming – the Desire of All Nations” for more information.

‘WATCH’ Jerusalem. Just as Jesus asked the disciples to “Watch” and “pray” during his darkest hours in the garden, God is calling us to watch and pray over Israel and Jerusalem. Dark ‘clouds’ of evil are increasing as the enemy attempts to thwart God’s plans.

“For Zion’s sake I will not hold My peace and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest, until her righteousness goes forth as brightness, and her salvation as a lamp that burns.”

“I have set watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem; they shall never hold their peace day or night. You who make mention of the Lord, do not keep silent, and give Him no rest till He establishes and till He makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth.”

All eyes will be turned to Jerusalem in these last days – some for great evil, therefore God is increasing His prophetic “wall of fire “around her. (Zech. 2:5).

I have heard a ‘call’ to Jerusalem, for the nations. While I was there for personal reasons in November 2004, as I sat in the quiet garden of Christchurch, God showed me the call that had to go out to and for the nations – a call as sustained and fervent as the call from the mosque that I was hearing that morning. Two days later, in King of Kings Fellowship, He showed me more; that the call would require at least one person, inspired by Himself, from each nation in the world, to come to Jerusalem and call his/her nation to the Kingdom. God always looked for one man who would be willing to “stand in the gap”. What God can do with one man! One man can see a nation saved! (Is. 60:22).

In the year following, the ‘vision’ He was giving me kept building as He showed me the ancient Silk Route chosen by the Back to Jerusalem Movement from China, and the demonic principalities that were over the different areas.

I was directed to an amazing verse in 2 Chron. 6:32-33 “… concerning a foreigner, who is not of Your people Israel, but has come from a far country for the sake of Your great name and Your mighty hand and Your outstretched arm, when they come and pray in this temple (in Jerusalem); then hear from Heaven, Your dwelling place, and do according to all for which the foreigner calls to You, that all peoples of the earth may know Your name and fear You… .”

In April 2005, He then showed me that I needed to write down the entire ‘vision’ concerning the Church and the nations, and the study book “The King is Coming … The Desire of All Nations” was the result.

The more God has shown me, the more I realise how little I know; the more I see how great and awesome He is, the ‘smaller’ I feel! No wonder John said “He must increase and I must decrease”. But I know what He has promised, and what He has said we can be in Him.

What a wonderful destiny we have; what an amazing journey we’re on in these last days.

The angelic host is already on the move on our behalf – we can’t fail if we get into ‘position’ and follow our King’s instructions.

Here are some verses to inspire you to ‘watch’ Jerusalem. There are many more!

God will make Jerusalem “a cup of drunkenness to all the surrounding peoples, when they lay siege against Judah and Jerusalem” (Zech. 12:2).

“ I will make Jerusalem a very heavy stone for all peoples; all who would heave it away will surely be cut to pieces, though all the nations of the earth be gathered against it” Zech.12:3).

He will reign there and all nations will celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles. (Zech. 14:16).

There is a worldwide vision which is assembling the body of Christ and moving it forward into the fulfilment of its eternal purpose.

There is a trumpet call, a clarion call, ringing out clearly from prophetic voices all over the world: “Blow the trumpet in Zion and sound an alarm in My holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble; for the day of the Lord is coming, for it is at hand.” (Joel 2:1).

This is a call to waken a slumbering church. The Bride of Christ is to “make herself ready” (Rev. 19:7). The army of the Lord is being mobilised; an army of worshipping warriors. There is excitement in the camp – the King is coming! Tz’va’ot, the Lord of Hosts (The Lord of Armies), is leading us forward. Already there is the “sound of marching in the tops of the mulberry trees.” The angelic hosts are on the move and it is time for us to move (2 Sam. 5:24). This army is one that “marches in formation, and they do not break ranks. They do not push one another; every one marches in his own column.” (Joel 2:7,8).

We have much to do to make sure each one is able to take his place in this amazing army. The King of Glory is waiting for ‘doors’ to open and ‘gates’ to be lifted in preparation for His coming. “Lift up your heads, o you gates! And be lifted up, you everlasting doors! And the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle…the Lord of Hosts, He is the King of Glory.” (Ps. 24:7,8).

There are ‘doors’ in our personal lives, our families, our fellowships, and our nations, which need to be opened. “Let he who has an ear to hear, let him hear” what the Spirit says to the “lukewarm” church…”Behold, I stand at the door and knock.” (Rev. 3: 20).

This is a time of preparation for a glory which is coming. There is a wave of God’s glory coming which will be devastating for those who have not been watching for it. They will be overwhelmed and confused. Like surfers, who train and prepare in their anticipation of catching the biggest and most powerful waves, God is calling us to be equipped and ready, and, yes, there is a growing excitement and anticipation in those who have heard God’s call to “get ready, get ready, get ready”.

Everything within the Church must be in place “as it is in Heaven”. Things simply cannot remain the same. There have been centuries of “locusts which have laid waste My vine…Gird yourselves and lament you priests…you who minister to my God.” (Joel 1: 4,13). We need to “turn to God with all our hearts, with fasting, weeping and mourning” (Joel 2:12) for what we’ve lost. We must call things into place again in our lives, in our relationships, in our fellowships, and on this earth, “as it is in Heaven.”

“As it is in Heaven”; perpetual praise and worship. In the tabernacle of Moses, “sweet incense” was burned every morning and every evening. God said it was to be a “perpetual incense throughout your generations.” (Ex. 30:8).

David was “a man after God’s own heart.” (1 Sam. l 13:4). The “incense” of David’s tabernacle was the cry of his heart which echoed God’s heart:” Let my prayer be set before You as incense, the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.” (Ps. 141:2). “From the rising of the sun to its going down, the Lord’s name is to be praised.” (Ps. 113:3). Praise, worship, and intercession, were 24/7 in David’s tabernacle.

The 24/7 initiatives of these days are simply putting back into place what God instituted from the beginning. They are the strategies of Heaven itself and must be operative over the entire globe in these days of preparation.

As it was in the beginning, when God brought Israel out of captivity, the precepts He set in place with Moses were of precise, eternal significance and shadows of what was to come.

God established three set feasts. (Ex. 23: 14-17). Every male Israelite was to travel to Jerusalem to keep those feasts. The Feast of Unleavened Bread, what we know as Passover (Pessach), in the 1^st month of the religious Hebrew calendar, was the first of those significant feasts. It celebrated the saving of the Israelites’ firstborn from God’s judgement on Egypt and also the exodus from captivity in Egypt. Fifty days later, the Feast of Weeks, or Feast of Harvest (Shavuot, known to us as Pentecost) was held, celebrating the giving of the law on Sinai.

These two feasts, in the eternal plan and purposes of God, have been fulfilled. Passover is fulfilled, through Christ and His atoning death, taking the judgement of God on Himself. The Feast of Weeks is fulfilled through the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. Instead of the letter of the law, we have been given the Spirit of life, His law written on our hearts.

Which feast remains to be fulfilled? The third feast - The Feast of Ingathering. All three feasts were linked with harvest in some way, but this particular feast, in the 7^th month, “at the end of the year, when you have gathered in the fruit of your labours from the field” (Ex. 23:16) was, and is, to celebrate a full and final harvest. We are hearing the ‘trumpet calls’ (the prophetic voices) of the first day of the 7^th month and we are in the preparation period for the final feast, the Feast of Tabernacles, when all nations will come to Jerusalem and rejoice (Zech. 14:6).

The study of the Feasts and their significance is too much to expound in this short article. Every number, every detail, is significant, and is further related by Jesus and the apostles, and recorded for us in the New Testament. It is a deep and astounding study. If you are inspired to search deeper into this, you may be interested in the extensive study-book entitled “The King is coming … The Desire of all Nations.” You will find contact details at the end of this article.

Also, in the instructions God gave Moses for preparing a place for His glory to be present in the midst of His people, it was very clear that the glory presence demanded a great degree of cleansing preparation among the people. Before the Ark of the Covenant was constructed and housed in the Holy of Holies, God showed Moses at Sinai the consuming fire of His Presence, and told him not to allow the people to come near the mountain. (Ex. 19 10-25).

When Moses himself asked to see God’s glory, just the revelation of one aspect of His glory, His “goodness” (Ex. 33:18-23), was all that he was able to bear and even then he was in a place in a rock shielded by God’s hand.

It was an awesome thing when David ‘mishandled’ God’s glory when he only had the very best intention to bring the Ark back to Jerusalem (2 Sam. 6:1-10, 1 Chron. 15:13-15).

These are the days of examination and preparation for a coming glory. The “sons of glory” must be revealed – the whole earth is crying out for this (Rom. 8:19). The power and glory of the days to come will be as awesome as the physical flood of Noah’s time, when the torrent not only came from an open Heaven but from the bursting forth of waters from the “fountains of great deep” on the earth (Gen. 7:11). That’s the glory that will burst forth from within prepared believers, reaching out to a dying world.

Again, I have to say, the extent and depth of what the glory is cannot be expounded here. The book mentioned earlier, though only scratching the surface, gives enough to encourage you to look deeper and increase your expectancy of what is to come.

Jerusalem, “the city of the Great King”, will be the hub of all future world events, and God is restoring His beloved Israel, “firstborn” of all the nations. (Ex. 4:22). The destiny of Israel is inextricably linked with the destiny of the Church. Israel is the “root”, “the root supports you” (Rom. 11:18). The eyes of the Church worldwide are being turned to Israel, to pray their destiny into place, so that the “Desire of All Nations” will come (Hag. 2:7).

There is a shaking that is already happening, an uprooting of anything that is not deeply rooted in God. “Judgement begins in the house of the Lord!” (1 Peter. 4:17).

The author of this article, Lorraine Waddell, is Deputy Director of Times of Refreshing Ministries, Belfast. The full teaching of this worldwide vision was presented at a conference in the Ulster Temple Elim Church, Belfast, on January 20^th and 21^st, 2006. Times of Refreshing Ministries hosted this multi-media conference and were honoured to have the world-renowned violinist Maurice Sklar minister with them, as a psalmist and a prophet. TRM also presented their prophetic dance team for the first time. Through dance they expressed beautifully and powerfully the intimacy and authority of the worshipping warriors that we need to be in these days.

For information on anything in this article, or for a request to host a conference on this vision, please contact Brian Patton, Director, Times of Refreshing Ministries, 276 Ravenhill Road, Belfast, BT6 8GL. Tel 028 9045 8472, E-mail info@trmbelfast.org.

DVD’s of the January Conference are still in production but will be available from the above address. If you wish to order these, please indicate via telephone or e-mail.