BLOW THE TRUMPET IN ZION – WHAT TO EXPECT IN 2012
Blow ye 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 cometh, for it is nigh at hand. (Joel 2:1)
I was praying Sunday, January 8, 2012, when the Lord began to reveal to me scriptures out of the book of Joel chapter two. I had a spiritual sense of victory, success and prosperity like I have not sensed in several years. I was leading a group of people in prayer when this happened. I returned to my hotel room afterwards and the spirit of joy and great victory came upon me and I found myself dancing in the Spirit and praising God for His goodness! I even downloaded the old song “Blow The Trumpet In Zion” and I have been singing it over and over.
A SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCE ON DECEMBER 13, 2011
On Tuesday, December 13, 2011, I had an experience in prayer that paved the way for me to have the spiritual experience on Sunday, January 8, 2012. I had been praying for a couple of hours on that Tuesday when I found myself, weeping, crying and repenting before the Lord. The Lord brought Joel 2:12-13 to my spirit during this time of prayer. I recommitted my life and ministry to the work of the Lord. I sensed a deep spiritual cleansing, refreshing and restoration to what He had called me to do. I also knew that the Lord was dealing with all ministers and Christians in the same spiritual way. The Lord spoke to me over a period of weeks as he began to unfold the book of Joel to me, prophetically, in relation to the New Testament Church.
HEARING THE SOUND OF THE TRUMPET
I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet. (Revelation 1:10)
Apostle John heard the voice of the Lord, while he was in the Spirit and it was like a trumpet sounding. Trumpets were used throughout the Old Testament to announce things and to call the people to assemble and they were used in war. The walls of Jericho fell after the trumpets sounded and the people shouted. The trumpet or voice of God is sounding today.
For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first. (1Thess. 4:16)
The return of the Lord Jesus will be with this sound. The word trump or trumpet in the New Testament is defined as – through the idea of quavering or reverberation; a trumpet
THE SPIRITUAL APPLICATION FOR THE CHURCH TODAY
The spiritual application for the church today is a trumpet sound from heaven, from the Spirit of God, that a new day is dawning for the church of Jesus Christ! Prepare for it now.
Gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children, and those that suck the breasts: let the bridegroom go forth of his chamber, and the bride out of her closet. Let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, Spare thy people, O LORD, and give not thine heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule over them: wherefore should they say among the people, Where is their God? (Joel 2:16-17)
This sound is a call to ministers and all Christians to sanctify, consecrate and dedicate themselves afresh to the will of God with humility in prayer. We are to cry out to our Father God in the name of Jesus Christ saying, “Spare thy people, O LORD, and give not thine heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule over them: wherefore should they say among the people, Where is their God?”
We are to turn away from things of the flesh, man’s plans and any attitude that we have need of nothing. (Revelation 3:14-22)
JESUS CHRIST STANDS TO HIS FEET
But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God. (Acts 7:55-56)
In prayer, I sensed Jesus had stood to His feet. Jesus Christ the Son of God has stood to His feet and is now restoring all things that have been lost to His church! The Apostle Stephen saw the Glory of God and Jesus Christ standing on the right hand of God! That was about 2000 years ago and Jesus has stood again! He is standing today and He is in the process of cleaning out His church and removing sin and false doctrine from it.
JESUS CHRIST IS CLEANSING HIS CHURCH – A VISITATION
And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation. And he went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold therein, and them that bought; Saying unto them, It is written, My house is the house of prayer: but ye have made it a den of thieves. (Luke 19:44-46)
NOTE: This prophecy of Jesus was fulfilled in 70 a.d., about 40 years after Jesus Christ had shed His blood, died and was buried and then was resurrected on the third day and now leads His church from heaven. He had already paid the penalty for all past and future sins of the human race. This proves to me that you do have to repent, receive Jesus Christ as Lord, and that people are not automatically forgiven. No, sinners do not confess all their sins to be saved, they (Romans 10:8-10) confess Jesus as their Lord with their mouth and beileve in their hearts that God has raised from the dead and they are saved. If a Christian commits a sin, they must repent and ask forgiveness of it. (1 John 1:9)
Jesus is preparing His church for His Glory to fill it to over flowing. He is removing and sin, false doctrine and everything that is not in His divine plan.
Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us. (Hebrews 12:1)
Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent. (Rev. 2:5)
But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication. So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes, which thing I hate. Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth. (Rev. 2:14-16)
To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. (1 Corinthians 5:5)
This is the words of the Apostle Paul. The Lord Jesus will deal with us to repent of our sins for a long, long time through His grace and mercy. The day will come that He will allow you to be taken captive by Satan if you continue to persist in your wrong doing. He cannot violate His Word to protect you.
The above only applies to those in the church, from the pulpit to the last pew, who are living in sin. If you are living in sin repent, if not praise the Lord and move on in victory.
THE LORD JESUS CHRIST IS RESTORING HIS CHURCH
And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpillar, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you. And ye shall eat in plenty, and be satisfied, and praise the name of the LORD your God, that hath dealt wondrously with you: and my people shall never be ashamed. And ye shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the LORD your God, and none else: and my people shall never be ashamed. (Joel 2:25-27)
The book of Joel has spiritual principles or types and shadows of how the Lord Jesus is dealing with the church today in the New Testament era. We can see how the Lord had His people take specific actions that caused a restoration of the blessings of God in their lives. The Lord is applying those spiritual principles to us in the church today because he is pouring out His Spirit. He is speaking to us, prophetically, from the book of Joel today.
First, He is getting our attention (sounding His trumpet) in our spirit as a warning or wakeup call. We sense, in our spirit, He is about to move in a way like the church or world has never seen or known. He is leading us to prepare for the outpouring of His Spirit and Glory. We must awake from our spiritual slumber and sleep. I know this is applicable to His second coming but the spiritual principle we receive from this is that we should know what the Lord is doing and when He is going to do it and to prepare ourselves.
1Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. 2And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. 3They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: 4But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. 5While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. 6And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. 7Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. 8And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. 9But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. 10And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. 11Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. 12But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. 13Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh. (Matthew 25:1-13)
Second, He is giving us instructions to prepare for this outpouring of His Spirit by seeking His will, plans and purposes. (see the book Plans, Purposes, And Pursuits, by Kenneth E. Hagin). The ways of the flesh will not experience nor survive this outpouring.
9But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. 10But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. (I Corinthians 2:9-10)
Third, either we will cleanse our temple and church or the Lord Jesus will cleanse it Himself.
We do not live under condemnation but under self-examination, according to the Bible.
Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates? (2 Cor. 13:5)
Fourth, we have now qualified for the greatest outpouring of His Spirit! And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh…. (Joel 2:28). Our Heavenly Father is full of love, grace, and mercy as we repent and He restores His Glory!
VICTORY IS OURS IN 2012!
