Holy Spirit Practical: Where are the enemies?

The watchman realizes that reading the Bible and watching for signs becomes mere routine if not led by the Holy Spirit. For example, the question that a watchman should be asking is, “Where are we now in the history of mankind?” Of course he can watch for physical signs and compare with the spiritual signs in the Bible. However, without hearing from the Holy Spirit, he cannot understand them and has nothing to say.



In the Book of Daniel a number of mysteries were encoded. The Lord said, “Only those who are wise will know what it means.” (Dan.12:10) Indeed, only the Spirit-led and discerned can fathom the depth of the God’s revealed mysteries. Some of the hard verses he has been pondering on are as follows:

Daniel 9:26 “After this period of sixty-two sets of seven, the Anointed One will be killed, appearing to have accomplished nothing, and a ruler will arise whose armies will destroy the city and the Temple. The end will come with a flood, and war and its miseries are decreed from that time to the very end. 26 The ruler will make a treaty with the people for a period of one set of seven,[g] but after half this time, he will put an end to the sacrifices and offerings. And as a climax to all his terrible deeds, he will set up a sacrilegious object that causes desecration,[i] until the fate decreed for this defiler is finally poured out on him.”

Daniel 11:31 “His army will take over the Temple fortress, pollute the sanctuary, put a stop to the daily sacrifices, and set up the sacrilegious object that causes desecration.

Daniel 12:7 The man dressed in linen, who was standing above the river, raised both his hands toward heaven and took a solemn oath by the One who lives forever, saying, “It will go on for a time, times, and half a time. When the shattering of the holy people has finally come to an end, all these things will have happened.”


The watchman notes the prophecy “when the shattering of the holy people has finally come to an end, all these things will have happened.”

Since he first started this blog series on end times, he has thought about which temple and what sacrifices and offerings these refer to. Somehow he has always been led to intercede for Christian churches when he meditated on the end time verses. The more he prays the more he is led to believe that the Jerusalem and the temple mentioned are Christian churches and believers too.


Christians believe that their Savior (Messiah) Jesus has replaced the sacrifices of animals. Christians have received and are still keeping the Holy Communion which signifies Jesus’ body and blood in the form of bread and cup (fruit of the vine). Mark 14:22-24 describes how Jesus instituted the Holy Communion. Jesus took the bread, blessed and broke it and gave it to His disciples and said, “Take, eat, this is My body.” Then he took the cup, and when He had given thanks He gave it to them, and they all drank from it. And He said, “This is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many.” Hebrews 10:10 “By that we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” Heb.10:18 “Now where there is remission of these, there is no longer an offering to sin.” Believers have the boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus by a new and living way through His body. (10:19-20) In a recent sermon the aforementioned belief was affirmed.


After the service, the watchman recalled what he has lately thought about. That is, the body of Christ (the church and also the individual believer) are the holy city and the temple of God (as in 1 Cor.6:19). Believers are also the holy people of God. (1 Pet.2:9)

This in turn could mean that when we see the “stop of daily sacrifices and offerings” and the set up of “sacrilegious object that causes desecration” in the individual’s daily life and the church corporate lives, “and when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished.”

How common and easily are sacrilegious objects (things, events, thoughts, communications, written and spoken words etc) and profanity being introduced into our homes, our minds, our way of life as individuals and as a church? The answer is obvious.
Indeed, the time of the end is here and now. Apostle John says, “Dear Children, the last hour is here. You have heard that the Antichrist is coming, and already many such antichrists have appeared.” (1 John 2:18) “Such a person has the spirit of the Antichrist, which you heard is coming into the world and indeed is already here.” (1 John 4:3) “We know that we are the children of God and that the world around us is under the control of the evil one.” (1 John 5:19)

It is no wonder that in the Book of Revelation, all the seven churches addressed by the Lord Jesus are under spiritual attacks. Ephesus: there are evil people, false apostles, and Nicolaitans (evil deeds); the believers suffer for Christ, but no longer love Jesus. Smyrna: blasphemy, synagogue of Satan, the devil. Threat of prison and death. Pergamum: located in Satan’s city where Satan has his throne; tolerated teachings of Balaam & Nicolaitans. Witness for Jesus martyred. Thyatira: Jezebel teaches God’s servants to commit sexual sin and eat food offered to idols. The church produces offsprings of Jezebel. Tolerates false teaching (depths of Satan) Sardis: seems (reputation) alive but in fact is dead; even what is left is almost dead. Actions do not meet God’s requirement. Clothes soiled /defiled (not wearing the righteousness of Jesus). Philadelphia: Satan’s synagogue is there. Laodicea: reprimanded for being neither hot nor cold. The church appears prosperous but is in fact spiritually wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked in the eyes of God.

These are the end time churches. The time of the end is here and now. The “holy people” no longer have the resurrection power of the Holy Spirit as in the earlier churches (as in the Book of Acts). The churches do not believe in the power of sacrifices and offerings in the form of the Lord’s body and blood. Although the religious form is maintained the faith and original belief are no more in the hearts of “believers” and “churches”. Worship is not in Spirit and in truth because the spirit is either denied or of the Antichrist. The 'truth' is not Spirit-led life giving Bible truth, but mere words of man. The work is dead work without the Spirit.

Yet, even the valley of dry bones could be resurrected by the Holy Spirit. (Ezek 37)

Watchmen do not give up hope. Watch your home and your church, watchman! The enemy is within the camp.

Holy Spirit Practical 2

In another Sunday evening session on Holy Spirit Practical subject, the watchman invited a believer to demonstrate how one hears from the Holy Spirit, giving her free flow with the Holy Spirit.


It turned out to be a Spirit-filled, anointed time for some participants. The believer speaker merely strummed a guitar and sang Spirit songs for quite sometime. Some participants prayed in the Spirit with her. They started without the watchman who was held up somewhere.

By the time he reached the meeting place, the room was ‘electrified’ -saturated with the Presence of the Lord. After the songs, there was quite a pause. Then the speaker started sharing her testimony on her walk with the Holy Spirit. By the time she reached the part narrating how she always went back to her own room and cry before the Lord, another participant had so manifested (soaked in tears) that she had to run to the washroom and had a good cry until someone came to knock on her door! She had been unable to cry for quite sometime was set free! The Anointed One destroyed the yoke!

On that same morning, the watchman heard in his spirit the familiar verse from Zechariah 4:6 “It is not by force, nor be strength, but by My Spirit, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.” The verse woke the watchman as he has been pondering for two days about a critical (life and death) parenting situation, which is impacting the whole globe. Young children and teens have been captivated by the digital and electronic games all over the world. He has recently been given the task of guardianship over one teen boy of 15 years old.

The boy manifested violence after binging on cyber games secretly with his friends. The boy first took a fruit knife and pointed at the watchman. When the watchman did not respond, the boy went and took a meat cleaver and pointed at the watchman’s chest. The reason for his manifestation was that the phone shop they visited no longer sell cheap package for the boy’s cell phone! The boy could not send messages to his many friends for one hour and he just could not stand it. So he turned to meaningless violence against an innocent man who just happened to be around during his manifestation.

Sound familiar? The watchman (who had had some training by now under the tuitorship of the Holy Spirit) was unruffled and took charge of the crisis without being harmed physically.

But he still had no wisdom of his own to solve such a case of young teens being possessed by games monsters. So he sought the Lord (the Holy Spirit) for help and rescue. After praying and seeking breakthrough, he received two spiritual instructions.

1. Take authority in the Name of Jesus, bind and cast out the monkeys (or whatever beasts and monsters manifesting). Speak to your mountain and command it to be removed and cast into the sea!

2. Win this war not by own strength but by the Holy Spirit. Pray in the Spirit at all times and see the difference!*


This confirmed what he has been reading about the key to victory is through taking our spiritual authority seriously and put our faith into action.


*For those who wonder why we need to pray in the Spirit, the watchman’s advice is that you just do it and see for yourself. Personally he carries out this faith in action and can see the significant and positive breakthrough in the spiritual realm which in turn has impacted his physical living! God is real. The Holy Scripture is real. Just believe and carry out with childlike faith. The Holy Spirit will show you how.

Holy Spirit Practical

One important the watchman has learned about the Holy Spirit is that practice in hearing the Holy Spirit is essential for all believers. How to hear the Holy Spirit? This is a question with unlimited answers. Each week he has asked a different member to give a testimony to his class on how the individual hears the Holy Spirit. Based on their sharings he has noted the rich varieties of experiences each individual has encountered in their journey in the Holy Spirit.



For example, in one case the believer has started by reading the Bible and related books hungrily after he was born again and baptised in the Holy Spirit. Then he started manifesting one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, prophecy. He took the courage and gave the word of prophecy faithfully and received more as he obeyed the Lord. He spent much time before the Lord and praying in the Spirit. He also took part in the worship ministry.

Over many years of faithful walking in the Holy Spirit and storing the Word in his heart, he was led by the Lord to do prayer drive and other related spiritual warfare ministry. One day as he was in his usual kneeling position before the Lord, praying, he heard one unusual word very clearly. He prayed with that word. The next day the whole country and a neighbouring country had a major power failure which lasted seven days! He subsequently found out that the strange word given by the Holy Spirit was the name of the strongman of the land.

The believer continues to pray daily and carry out his ministry before the Lord and has received more revelations as he moved forward by faith. He has vivid dreams and carefully records them. He also has other gifts of the Holy Spirit.

A number of the verses from the Lord aptly describe his spiritual encounter:

Mark 4:24-25

24 Then He said to them, “Take heed what you hear. With the same measure you use, it will be measured to you; and to you who hear, more will be given. 25 For whoever has, to him more will be given; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.”

Matthew 25:29

29 ‘For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away.

Acts 5:32

32 And we are His witnesses to these things, and so also is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey Him.”

John 14:15-18

Jesus Promises Another Helper

15 “If you love Me, keep[a] My commandments. 16 And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. 18 I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.

Footnotes:
a.John 14:15 NU-Text reads you will keep.

End Time Faith in Action: Follow the Lord’s example

The Lord Yeshua says things in a very simple and precise way when He preached the Gospel, healed and delivered the afflicted and sick. He does not waste words, as demonstrated below in the Gospel recorded by Mark.

1:15 He spoke to all: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel!”

1:17 He spoke to the disciples: “Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.”

1:25 He cut short the evil spirit in a man in the synagogue: “Be quiet, and come out of him!”

1:41 He responded with compassion to the leper who knelt down before Him asking to be cleansed (healed): “I am willing; be cleansed.”

2:5 When he saw the friends’ faith, he spoke to the paralytic: “Son, your sins ar forgiven you.” v11 ”I say to you, arise, take up your bed and go to your house.” The man was healed instantly.

3:3,5 He said to the man with a withered hand in the synagogue: “Step forward.” “Stretch out your hand.” As he stretched it out the hand was restored.

4:39 He rebuked and calmed the great windstorm and roaring waves: “Peace, be still.” The wind ceased and there was a great calm.

5:8 He delivered the man with two thousands demons: “Come out of the man, unclean spirit!”

5:34 He reassured the woman who had been healed of her bleeding ailment (of 12 years) just be touching His garment: “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction.”

5:41 he reaised a dead child from the dead: “Little girl, I say to you, arise.” Immediatey the girl arose and walked.

He gave the disciples power and authority to do the same. 6:12-13 “So they went out and preached that people should repent. And they cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick and healed them all.”

Mark 16:15-18

And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. 17 And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; 18 they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” 20 And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs.

_____Acts 1:8 Yeshua says: “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”___________

Thus, end time faith in action for all believers should be just like the above: preach the Good News to everyone, with miraculous signs accompanying those who believe. The accomplishment is not by force, not be strength, but by the Holy Spirit! (Zechariah 4:6)

The Church Prospers

Acts 9:31-43 (New King James Version)

The Church Prospers

31 Then the churches[a] throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and were edified. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, they were multiplied.

Aeneas Healed

32 Now it came to pass, as Peter went through all parts of the country, that he also came down to the saints who dwelt in Lydda. 33 There he found a certain man named Aeneas, who had been bedridden eight years and was paralyzed. 34 And Peter said to him, “Aeneas, Jesus the Christ heals you. Arise and make your bed.” Then he arose immediately.

35 So all who dwelt at Lydda and Sharon saw him and turned to the Lord.

Dorcas Restored to Life

36 At Joppa there was a certain disciple named Tabitha, which is translated Dorcas. This woman was full of good works and charitable deeds which she did. 37 But it happened in those days that she became sick and died. When they had washed her, they laid her in an upper room. 38 And since Lydda was near Joppa, and the disciples had heard that Peter was there, they sent two men to him, imploring him not to delay in coming to them. 39 Then Peter arose and went with them. When he had come, they brought him to the upper room. And all the widows stood by him weeping, showing the tunics and garments which Dorcas had made while she was with them.

40 But Peter put them all out, and knelt down and prayed. And turning to the body he said, “Tabitha, arise.” And she opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter she sat up. 41 Then he gave her his hand and lifted her up; and when he had called the saints and widows, he presented her alive.

42 And it became known throughout all Joppa, and many believed on the Lord. 43 So it was that he stayed many days in Joppa with Simon, a tanner.

Footnotes:

1.Acts 9:31 NU-Text reads church . . . was edified.

you are not really interested in the Lord’s Supper

The importance of taking the Holy Communion with the right attitude and manner is clearly stated in the Bible. Yet many do not know or pay attention to this truth.

The Scripture says, “For if you eat the bread or drink the cup without honoring the body of Christ, you are eating and drinking God’s judgment upon yourself.”

As the watchman reads this passage, he realizes that it does matter with whom he partakes the cup and the bread. He can no longer assume that the religious institution is honoring the body and the blood of Christ when the leaders conduct the rite with an unbelief attitude! Indeed, that was the reason he escaped from his former church. Despite the watchman’s reminders, the pastor and elders refused to mention the blood and the body of Jesus Christ when they conducted the communion service. No wonder he felt the urgency to run away!

If the church does not recognize the Lord’s blood and body, what do they think they are partaking? If they refuse to honor the body and blood of the Lord Jesus, to whom are they giving honor? The answer makes one shudder. (It is no wonder that the church spiritual door is wide open for the enemy to get in to attack the members one by one!)


Lesson from the past (Part Two): 1 Corinthians 11:17-32


17 But in the following instructions, I cannot praise you. For it sounds as if more harm than good is done when you meet together. 18 First, I hear that there are divisions among you when you meet as a church, and to some extent I believe it. 19 But, of course, there must be divisions among you so that you who have God’s approval will be recognized! 20 When you meet together, you are not really interested in the Lord’s Supper. 21 For some of you hurry to eat your own meal without sharing with others. As a result, some go hungry while others get drunk. 22 What? Don’t you have your own homes for eating and drinking? Or do you really want to disgrace God’s church and shame the poor? What am I supposed to say? Do you want me to praise you? Well, I certainly will not praise you for this!

23 For I pass on to you what I received from the Lord himself. On the night when he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took some bread 24 and gave thanks to God for it. Then he broke it in pieces and said, “This is my body, which is given for you.[a] Do this to remember me.” 25 In the same way, he took the cup of wine after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant between God and his people—an agreement confirmed with my blood. Do this to remember me as often as you drink it.” 26 For every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are announcing the Lord’s death until he comes again. 27 So anyone who eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord unworthily is guilty of sinning against[b] the body and blood of the Lord. 28 That is why you should examine yourself before eating the bread and drinking the cup. 29 For if you eat the bread or drink the cup without honoring the body of Christ,[c] you are eating and drinking God’s judgment upon yourself. 30 That is why many of you are weak and sick and some have even died. 31 But if we would examine ourselves, we would not be judged by God in this way. 32 Yet when we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned along with the world.

Footnotes:

1.1 Corinthians 11:24 Greek which is for you; other manuscripts read which is broken for you.

2.1 Corinthians 11:27 Or is responsible for.

3.1 Corinthians 11:29 Greek the body; other manuscripts read the Lord’s body.

O Watchman, run! You do not want to share their sins!

and their bodies were scattered in the wilderness

The watchman woke to an urgent truth. On a previous day he just encouraged the class to take Holy Communion, in their individual quiet time before the Lord. But he was led to read the following passages today urgently. As he read, he realized the importance to understand the manner in which we take the Holy Communion and be cautious over the company with whom we partake it.

Note: the Israelites drank from the same spiritual rock that traveled with them and that Rock was Christ! Yet God was not pleased with most of them and their bodies were scattered in the wilderness.
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Lessons from the past Part One: 1 Cor.10

1 I don’t want you to forget, dear brothers and sisters,[a] about our ancestors in the wilderness long ago. All of them were guided by a cloud that moved ahead of them, and all of them walked through the sea on dry ground. 2 In the cloud and in the sea, all of them were baptized as followers of Moses. 3 All of them ate the same spiritual food, 4 and all of them drank the same spiritual water. For they drank from the spiritual rock that traveled with them, and that rock was Christ. 5 Yet God was not pleased with most of them, and their bodies were scattered in the wilderness.

6 These things happened as a warning to us, so that we would not crave evil things as they did, 7 or worship idols as some of them did. As the Scriptures say, “The people celebrated with feasting and drinking, and they indulged in pagan revelry.”[b] 8 And we must not engage in sexual immorality as some of them did, causing 23,000 of them to die in one day. 9 Nor should we put Christ[c] to the test, as some of them did and then died from snakebites. 10 And don’t grumble as some of them did, and then were destroyed by the angel of death. 11 These things happened to them as examples for us. They were written down to warn us who live at the end of the age. 12 If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall. 13 The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure. 14 So, my dear friends, flee from the worship of idols. 15 You are reasonable people. Decide for yourselves if what I am saying is true. 16 When we bless the cup at the Lord’s Table, aren’t we sharing in the blood of Christ? And when we break the bread, aren’t we sharing in the body of Christ? 17 And though we are many, we all eat from one loaf of bread, showing that we are one body. 18 Think about the people of Israel. Weren’t they united by eating the sacrifices at the altar? 19 What am I trying to say? Am I saying that food offered to idols has some significance, or that idols are real gods? 20 No, not at all. I am saying that these sacrifices are offered to demons, not to God. And I don’t want you to participate with demons. 21 You cannot drink from the cup of the Lord and from the cup of demons, too. You cannot eat at the Lord’s Table and at the table of demons, too. 22 What? Do we dare to rouse the Lord’s jealousy? Do you think we are stronger than he is?

Footnotes:

1.1 Corinthians 10:1 Greek brothers.

2.1 Corinthians 10:7 Exod 32:6.

3.1 Corinthians 10:9 Some manuscripts read the Lord.

End Times Witnessing: One More Year! Churches too!

Luke 13 A Call to Repentance


1 About this time Jesus was informed that Pilate had murdered some people from Galilee as they were offering sacrifices at the Temple. 2 “Do you think those Galileans were worse sinners than all the other people from Galilee?” Jesus asked. “Is that why they suffered? 3 Not at all! And you will perish, too, unless you repent of your sins and turn to God. 4 And what about the eighteen people who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them? Were they the worst sinners in Jerusalem? 5 No, and I tell you again that unless you repent, you will perish, too.”

Parable of the Barren Fig Tree

6 Then Jesus told this story: “A man planted a fig tree in his garden and came again and again to see if there was any fruit on it, but he was always disappointed. 7 Finally, he said to his gardener, ‘I’ve waited three years, and there hasn’t been a single fig! Cut it down. It’s just taking up space in the garden.’ 8 “The gardener answered, ‘Sir, give it one more chance. Leave it another year, and I’ll give it special attention and plenty of fertilizer. 9 If we get figs next year, fine. If not, then you can cut it down.’”

Jesus Heals on the Sabbath

10 One Sabbath day as Jesus was teaching in a synagogue, 11 he saw a woman who had been crippled by an evil spirit. She had been bent double for eighteen years and was unable to stand up straight. 12 When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said, “Dear woman, you are healed of your sickness!” 13 Then he touched her, and instantly she could stand straight. How she praised God! 14 But the leader in charge of the synagogue was indignant that Jesus had healed her on the Sabbath day. “There are six days of the week for working,” he said to the crowd. “Come on those days to be healed, not on the Sabbath.” 15 But the Lord replied, “You hypocrites! Each of you works on the Sabbath day! Don’t you untie your ox or your donkey from its stall on the Sabbath and lead it out for water? 16 This dear woman, a daughter of Abraham, has been held in bondage by Satan for eighteen years. Isn’t it right that she be released, even on the Sabbath?” 17 This shamed his enemies, but all the people rejoiced at the wonderful things he did.

Parable of the Mustard Seed

18 Then Jesus said, “What is the Kingdom of God like? How can I illustrate it? 19 It is like a tiny mustard seed that a man planted in a garden; it grows and becomes a tree, and the birds make nests in its branches.”

Parable of the Yeast

20 He also asked, “What else is the Kingdom of God like? 21 It is like the yeast a woman used in making bread. Even though she put only a little yeast in three measures of flour, it permeated every part of the dough.”

The Narrow Door

22 Jesus went through the towns and villages, teaching as he went, always pressing on toward Jerusalem. 23 Someone asked him, “Lord, will only a few be saved?” He replied, 24 “Work hard to enter the narrow door to God’s Kingdom, for many will try to enter but will fail. 25 When the master of the house has locked the door, it will be too late. You will stand outside knocking and pleading, ‘Lord, open the door for us!’ But he will reply, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from.’ 26 Then you will say, ‘But we ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.’ 27 And he will reply, ‘I tell you, I don’t know you or where you come from. Get away from me, all you who do evil.’ 28 “There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, for you will see Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the prophets in the Kingdom of God, but you will be thrown out. 29 And people will come from all over the world—from east and west, north and south—to take their places in the Kingdom of God. 30 And note this: Some who seem least important now will be the greatest then, and some who are the greatest now will be least important then.[a]”

Jesus Grieves over Jerusalem

31 At that time some Pharisees said to him, “Get away from here if you want to live! Herod Antipas wants to kill you!” 32 Jesus replied, “Go tell that fox that I will keep on casting out demons and healing people today and tomorrow; and the third day I will accomplish my purpose. 33 Yes, today, tomorrow, and the next day I must proceed on my way. For it wouldn’t do for a prophet of God to be killed except in Jerusalem! 34 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones God’s messengers! How often I have wanted to gather your children together as a hen protects her chicks beneath her wings, but you wouldn’t let me. 35 And now, look, your house is abandoned. And you will never see me again until you say, ‘Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord!’[b]”

Footnotes: a.Luke 13:30 Greek Some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last. b.Luke 13:35 Ps 118:26.

O, Watchman, cry out day and night as the time is hear and now!

Revelation: Fire!

Revelation 8:5

Then the angel filled the incense burner with fire from the altar and threw it down upon the earth; and thunder crashed, lightning flashed, and there was a terrible earthquake.

Revelation 8:7

The first angel blew his trumpet, and hail and fire mixed with blood were thrown down on the earth. One-third of the earth was set on fire, one-third of the trees were burned, and all the green grass was burned.

Revelation 8:8

Then the second angel blew his trumpet, and a great mountain of fire was thrown into the sea. One-third of the water in the sea became blood,

Revelation 9:17

And in my vision, I saw the horses and the riders sitting on them. The riders wore armor that was fiery red and dark blue and yellow. The horses had heads like lions, and fire and smoke and burning sulfur billowed from their mouths.



Revelation 9:18

One-third of all the people on earth were killed by these three plagues—by the fire and smoke and burning sulfur that came from the mouths of the horses.

Revelation 11:5

If anyone tries to harm them, fire flashes from their mouths and consumes their enemies. This is how anyone who tries to harm them must die.

Revelation 13:13

He did astounding miracles, even making fire flash down to earth from the sky while everyone was watching.

Revelation 14:10

must drink the wine of God’s anger. It has been poured full strength into God’s cup of wrath. And they will be tormented with fire and burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and the Lamb.

Revelation 14:18

Then another angel, who had power to destroy with fire, came from the altar. He shouted to the angel with the sharp sickle, “Swing your sickle now to gather the clusters of grapes from the vines of the earth, for they are ripe for judgment.”

Revelation 15:2

I saw before me what seemed to be a glass sea mixed with fire. And on it stood all the people who had been victorious over the beast and his statue and the number representing his name. They were all holding harps that God had given them.

Revelation 16:8

Then the fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, causing it to scorch everyone with its fire.

Revelation 17:16

The scarlet beast and his ten horns all hate the prostitute. They will strip her naked, eat her flesh, and burn her remains with fire.

Revelation 18:8

Therefore, these plagues will overtake her in a single day—death and mourning and famine. She will be completely consumed by fire,for the Lord God who judges her is mighty.”

Revelation 19:12

His eyes were like flames of fire, and on his head were many crowns. A name was written on him that no one understood except himself.

Revelation 20:9

And I saw them as they went up on the broad plain of the earth and surrounded God’s people and the beloved city. But fire from heaven came down on the attacking armies and consumed them.

Revelation 20:14

Then death and the grave were thrown into the lake of fire. This lake of fire is the second death.

Revelation 20:15

And anyone whose name was not found recorded in the Book of Life was thrown into the lake of fire.

WHAT HAPPENED TO THE LAND OF THE QUEEN?

Seeing the small should not limit our eyes to detecting the big picture in the spiritual realm, the watchman has learned. What is happening in Queensland Australia is only the tip of an iceberg. The name of the state is a type (just like the name ‘ChristChurch’ in NZ was invoked previously as a sign of things to come to the churches of Christ all over the world) to signify events that will come to all the ex-colonies of the Queen.


In the case of Queensland, the Lord has these following verses for watchmen and intercessors all over the Commonwealth to ponder upon. All the former daughters (of which USA is one) of Great Britain too!

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Job 27:20-23 (New Living Translation) 20 Terror overwhelms them like a flood, and they are blown away in the storms of the night. 21 The east wind carries them away, and they are gone. It sweeps them away.

22 It whirls down on them without mercy. They struggle to flee from its power. 23 But everyone jeers at them and mocks them.

FLOOD COMES FROM THE ALMIGHTY GOD

ORIGIN: Job 12:15 If he holds back the rain, the earth becomes a desert. If he releases the waters, they flood the earth.

JUDGMENT OF THE UNBELIEVERS

Isaiah 8:7 Therefore, the Lord will overwhelm them with a mighty flood from the Euphrates River —the king of Assyria and all his glory. This flood will overflow all its channels Isaiah 28:2 For the Lord will send a mighty army against it. Like a mighty hailstorm and a torrential rain, they will burst upon it like a surging flood and smash it to the ground. Isaiah 30:28 His hot breath pours out like a flood up to the neck of his enemies. He will sift out the proud nations for destruction. He will bridle them and lead them away to ruin. Nahum 1:8 But he will sweep away his enemies in an overwhelming flood. He will pursue his foes into the darkness of night.

WARNING THE BELIEVERS

Isaiah 28:17 I will test you with the measuring line of justice and the plumb line of righteousness. Since your refuge is made of lies, a hailstorm will knock it down. Since it is made of deception, a flood will sweep it away.

Ezekiel 13:13 “Therefore, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will sweep away your whitewashed wall with a storm of indignation, with a great flood of anger, and with hailstones of fury.

Amos 5:24 Instead, I want to see a mighty flood of justice, an endless river of righteous living.

Isaiah 28:19 Again and again that flood will come, morning after morning, day and night, until you are carried away.” This message will bring terror to your people.

Isaiah 59:19 In the west, people will respect the name of the Lord; in the east, they will glorify him. For he will come like a raging flood tide driven by the breath of the Lord.

THE FLOOD CAN COME IN THE FORM OF THE ENEMIES (physical and spiritual)

Jeremiah 46:8 It is the Egyptian army, overflowing all the land, boasting that it will cover the earth like a flood, destroying cities and their people.

Jeremiah 47:2 This is what the Lord says: “A flood is coming from the north to overflow the land. It will destroy the land and everything in it—cities and people alike. People will scream in terror, and everyone in the land will wail.

Revelation 12:15

Then the dragon tried to drown the woman with a flood of water that flowed from his mouth.

WARNING OF END TIME

Daniel 9:26 “After this period of sixty-two sets of seven, the Anointed One will be killed, appearing to have accomplished nothing, and a ruler will arise whose armies will destroy the city and the Temple. The end will come with a flood, and war and its miseries are decreed from that time to the very end.

Daniel 11:10 However, the sons of the king of the north will assemble a mighty army that will advance like a flood and carry the battle as far as the enemy’s fortress.

Daniel 11:40 “Then at the time of the end, the king of the south will attack the king of the north. The king of the north will storm out with chariots, charioteers, and a vast navy. He will invade various lands and sweep through them like a flood.

AS SIGNS FOR ENT TIME: NOAH WILL ARISE

Matthew 24:38 In those days before the flood, the people were enjoying banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat.

Matthew 24:39 People didn’t realize what was going to happen until the flood came and swept them all away. That is the way it will be when the Son of Man comes.

Luke 17:27 In those days, the people enjoyed banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat and the flood came and destroyed them all.

Hebrews 11:7 It was by faith that Noah built a large boat to save his family from the flood. He obeyed God, who warned him about things that had never happened before. By his faith Noah condemned the rest of the world, and he received the righteousness that comes by faith.

1 Peter 3:20 those who disobeyed God long ago when God waited patiently while Noah was building his boat. Only eight people were saved from drowning in that terrible flood.

2 Peter 2:5 And God did not spare the ancient world—except for Noah and the seven others in his family. Noah warned the world of God’s righteous judgment. So God protected Noah when he destroyed the world of ungodly people with a vast flood.

2 Peter 3:6 Then he used the water to destroy the ancient world with a mighty flood.

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NOAH’S FLOOD: What happened in the past will happen again!

(substitute the word ‘flood’ with ‘end time disaster’ and see the sequence and type of events that will take place again)

Genesis 6:17 “Look! I am about to cover the earth with a flood that will destroy every living thing that breathes. Everything on earth will die.

Genesis 6:19 Bring a pair of every kind of animal—a male and a female—into the boat with you to keep them alive during the flood.

Genesis 7:1 [ The Flood Covers the Earth ] When everything was ready, the Lord said to Noah, “Go into the boat with all your family, for among all the people of the earth, I can see that you alone are righteous.

Genesis 7:3 Also take seven pairs of every kind of bird. There must be a male and a female in each pair to ensure that all life will survive on the earth after the flood.

Genesis 7:6 Noah was 600 years old when the flood covered the earth.

Genesis 7:7 He went on board the boat to escape the flood—he and his wife and his sons and their wives.

Genesis 7:10 After seven days, the waters of the flood came and covered the earth.

Genesis 8:1 [ The Flood Recedes ] But God remembered Noah and all the wild animals and livestock with him in the boat. He sent a wind to blow across the earth, and the floodwaters began to recede.

Genesis 8:4 exactly five months from the time the flood began, the boat came to rest on the mountains of Ararat.

Genesis 8:13 Noah was now 601 years old. On the first day of the new year, ten and a half months after the flood began, the floodwaters had almost dried up from the earth. Noah lifted back the covering of the boat and saw that the surface of the ground was drying.

Genesis 9:11 Yes, I am confirming my covenant with you. Never again will floodwaters kill all living creatures; never again will a flood destroy the earth.”

Genesis 9:20 After the flood, Noah began to cultivate the ground, and he planted a vineyard.

Genesis 10:1 This is the account of the families of Shem, Ham, and Japheth, the three sons of Noah. Many children were born to them after the great flood.

Genesis 10:32 [ Conclusion ] These are the clans that descended from Noah’s sons, arranged by nation according to their lines of descent. All the nations of the earth descended from these clans after the great flood.

End Times Church Countdown: Ten Keys to hearing the Holy Spirit

The watchman has been pondering on this subject for his class. How indeed to listen and hear the Holy Spirit?

He asked the Lord and received a number of promptings as follows over the lst two weeks:
1. “CLEAR MIND“: 2 Tim4:5 “But you should keep a clear mind in every situation” Be watchful, calm, cool, steady, uncluttered, undisturbed, undistracted. Be focussed. 3:14-16 know, obey, trust the Scripture
Filled with God’s Word Mark 4:24-25 “Pay close attention to what you hear. The closer you listen, the more understanding you will be given –and you will receive even more. To those who listen to My teaching, more understanding will be given. But for those who are not listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them.”

2. “SHOULD YOU TALK THAT WAY?” Mic2:7 “Should you talk that way, O family of Israel? Will the Lord’s Spirit have patience with such behaviour? If you would do what is right you will find My words comforting.” After we hear the Lord, we must respond correctly. “The words you speak come from the heart-that is what defiles you”. (Matt.14:18)
3. “OUR ACTIONS MATTER” Mic3:2,4 “You are supposed to know right from wrong, but you hate good and love evil. Then you beg the Lord for help in times of trouble! Do you really expect Him to answer? After the evil you have done, He won’t even look at you!”
4. “BE OPENED!” Mark 7:31-37 (Jesus healed a deaf man).Let the finger of God (Holy Spirit) touch the inside of your ears, and your tongue, and let His command “Be Opened” be proclaimed and received by faith!
5. “BE CHILDLIKE“: Matt.11:25-26 Jesus prayed this prayer, “O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, thank you for hiding these things from those who think themselves wise and clever, and for revealing them to the childlike. Yes, Father, it pleased You to do it this way!”
6. “RICH RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD“: Luke 12:21 “Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God.”
7. “MORE, TO THOSE WHO USE WELL“: Matt.25:29 “To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will b taken away.”
8. “HE MUST KNOW YOU“: Matt.25:12 “Believe Me, I don’t know you.” Jesus knows you by the burning lamp in you. You need extra oil to keep this lamp burning at midnight because lamps go out at midnight. When He comes for His own, Jesus looks for the lamps that are still burning bright!
9. “OUR SPIRITS ARE RENEWED EVERYDAY“: 2 Cor.4:16 Fellowship with Jesus daily. The Lord who is the Spirit makes us more and more like Him as we are changed into His glorious image. 2 Cor.3:18
10. “ONLY THOSE WHO OBEY HIM“: John 14:15-18 Keep His commandments; Acts 5:32 Those who obey Him.

How a king handed over his spiritual stronghold to the enemy

2Chronicles 28 Ahaz Rules in Judah

1 Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem sixteen years. He did not do what was pleasing in the sight of the Lord, as his ancestor David had done. 2 Instead, he followed the example of the kings of Israel. He cast metal images for the worship of Baal. 3 He offered sacrifices in the valley of Ben-Hinnom, even sacrificing his own sons in the fire.[a] In this way, he followed the detestable practices of the pagan nations the Lord had driven from the land ahead of the Israelites. 4 He offered sacrifices and burned incense at the pagan shrines and on the hills and under every green tree.

5 Because of all this, the Lord his God allowed the king of Aram to defeat Ahaz and to exile large numbers of his people to Damascus. The armies of the king of Israel also defeated Ahaz and inflicted many casualties on his army. 6 In a single day Pekah son of Remaliah, Israel’s king, killed 120,000 of Judah’s troops, all of them experienced warriors, because they had abandoned the Lord, the God of their ancestors. 7 Then Zicri, a warrior from Ephraim, killed Maaseiah, the king’s son; Azrikam, the king’s palace commander; and Elkanah, the king’s second-in-command. 8 The armies of Israel captured 200,000 women and children from Judah and seized tremendous amounts of plunder, which they took back to Samaria.

Ahaz Closes the Temple 16 At that time King Ahaz of Judah asked the king of Assyria for help. 17 The armies of Edom had again invaded Judah and taken captives. 18 And the Philistines had raided towns located in the foothills of Judah[c] and in the Negev of Judah. They had already captured and occupied Beth-shemesh, Aijalon, Gederoth, Soco with its villages, Timnah with its villages, and Gimzo with its villages. 19 The Lord was humbling Judah because of King Ahaz of Judah,[d] for he had encouraged his people to sin and had been utterly unfaithful to the Lord.

20 So when King Tiglath-pileser[e] of Assyria arrived, he attacked Ahaz instead of helping him. 21 Ahaz took valuable items from the Lord’s Temple, the royal palace, and from the homes of his officials and gave them to the king of Assyria as tribute. But this did not help him.

22 Even during this time of trouble, King Ahaz continued to reject the Lord. 23 He offered sacrifices to the gods of Damascus who had defeated him, for he said, “Since these gods helped the kings of Aram, they will help me, too, if I sacrifice to them.” But instead, they led to his ruin and the ruin of all Judah.

24 The king took the various articles from the Temple of God and broke them into pieces. He shut the doors of the Lord’s Temple so that no one could worship there, and he set up altars to pagan gods in every corner of Jerusalem. 25 He made pagan shrines in all the towns of Judah for offering sacrifices to other gods. In this way, he aroused the anger of the Lord, the God of his ancestors.

26 The rest of the events of Ahaz’s reign and everything he did, from beginning to end, are recorded in The Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel. 27 When Ahaz died, he was buried in Jerusalem but not in the royal cemetery of the kings of Judah. Then his son Hezekiah became the next king.

Footnotes:
1.2 Chronicles 28:3 Or even making his sons pass through the fire.
2.2 Chronicles 28:12 Hebrew Ephraim, referring to the northern kingdom of Israel.
3.2 Chronicles 28:18 Hebrew the Shephelah.
4.2 Chronicles 28:19 Hebrew of Israel; also in 28:23, 27. The author of Chronicles sees Judah as representative of the true Israel. See also some Hebrew manuscripts, Greek and Syriac versions, and Latin Vulgate.
5.2 Chronicles 28:20 Hebrew Tilgath-pilneser, a variant spelling of Tiglath-pileser.

End Times Church Countdown: A message to the king

The watchman received a further message today for that nation. This is a message for the king (the royal family). Note: the king was standing “at the end of the aqueduct that feeds water into the upper pool, near the road leading to the field where cloth is washed.” (Are these signs of repentance? O watchman, please do not give up interceding for your king, the strongman for your nation, to repent and renounce the foreign idols!)

Isaiah 7 A Message for Ahaz

1 When Ahaz, son of Jotham and grandson of Uzziah, was king of Judah, King Rezin of Syria[a] and Pekah son of Remaliah, the king of Israel, set out to attack Jerusalem. However, they were unable to carry out their plan. 2 The news had come to the royal court of Judah: “Syria is allied with Israel[b] against us!” So the hearts of the king and his people trembled with fear, like trees shaking in a storm.

3 Then the Lord said to Isaiah, “Take your son Shear-jashub[c] and go out to meet King Ahaz. You will find him at the end of the aqueduct that feeds water into the upper pool, near the road leading to the field where cloth is washed.[d] 4 Tell him to stop worrying. Tell him he doesn’need to fear the fierce anger of those two burned-out embers, King Rezin of Syria and Pekah son of Remaliah. 5 Yes, the kings of Syria and Israel are plotting against him, saying, 6 ‘We will attack Judah and capture it for ourselves. Then we will install the son of Tabeel as Judah’s king.’

7 But this is what the Sovereign Lord says: “This invasion will never happen; it will never take place; 8 for Syria is no stronger than its capital, Damascus, and Damascus is no stronger than its king, Rezin. As for Israel, within sixty-five years it will be crushed and completely destroyed. 9 Israel is no stronger than its capital, Samaria, and Samaria is no stronger than its king, Pekah son of Remaliah.

Unless your faith is firm, I cannot make you stand firm.”

The Sign of Immanuel 10 Later, the Lord sent this message to King Ahaz: 11 “Ask the Lord your God for a sign of confirmation, Ahaz. Make it as difficult as you want—as high as heaven or as deep as the place of the dead.[e]” 12 But the king refused. “No,” he said, “I will not test the Lord like that.”

13 Then Isaiah said, “Listen well, you royal family of David! Isn’t it enough to exhaust human patience? Must you exhaust the patience of my God as well? 14 All right then, the Lord himself will give you the sign. Look! The virgin[f] will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’). 15 By the time this child is old enough to choose what is right and reject what is wrong, he will be eating yogurt[g] and honey. 16 For before the child is that old, the lands of the two kings you fear so much will both be deserted.

17 “Then the Lord will bring things on you, your nation, and your family unlike anything since Israel broke away from Judah. He will bring the king of Assyria upon you!”

18 In that day the Lord will whistle for the army of southern Egypt and for the army of Assyria. They will swarm around you like flies and bees. 19 They will come in vast hordes and settle in the fertile areas and also in the desolate valleys, caves, and thorny places.

20 In that day the Lord will hire a “razor” from beyond the Euphrates River[h]—the king of Assyria—and use it to shave off everything: your land, your crops, and your people.[i]

21 In that day a farmer will be fortunate to have a cow and two sheep or goats left. 22 Nevertheless, there will be enough milk for everyone because so few people will be left in the land. They will eat their fill of yogurt and honey.

23 In that day the lush vineyards, now worth 1,000 pieces of silver,[j] will become patches of briers and thorns. 24 The entire land will become a vast expanse of briers and thorns, a hunting ground overrun by wildlife. 25 No one will go to the fertile hillsides where the gardens once grew, for briers and thorns will cover them. Cattle, sheep, and goats will graze there.”

End Times Church Countdown: I will love them no more

A derelict church in a nation (once great empire). The watchman found many more such photos. He was led to read the following passage for that nation on this second day. But then there is still hope, despite the above abandoned church which used to call Hope Church!
The hope comes from praying and proclaiming Ezekiel 37:1-10 (Vision at the Valley of Dry Bones) to the churches of that nation.

Hosea 9 “Hosea Announces Israel’s Punishment”

1 O people of Israel,


do not rejoice as other nations do.

For you have been unfaithful to your God,

hiring yourselves out like prostitutes,

worshiping other gods on every threshing floor.

2 So now your harvests will be too small to feed you.

There will be no grapes for making new wine.

3 You may no longer stay here in the Lord’s land.

Instead, you will return to Egypt,

and in Assyria you will eat food

that is ceremonially unclean.

4 There you will make no offerings of wine to the Lord.

None of your sacrifices there will please him.

They will be unclean, like food touched by a person in mourning.

All who present such sacrifices will be defiled.

They may eat this food themselves,

but they may not offer it to the Lord.

5 What then will you do on festival days?

How will you observe the Lord’s festivals?

6 Even if you escape destruction from Assyria,

Egypt will conquer you, and Memphis[a] will bury you.

Nettles will take over your treasures of silver;

thistles will invade your ruined homes.

7 The time of Israel’s punishment has come;

the day of payment is here.

Soon Israel will know this all too well.

Because of your great sin and hostility,

you say, “The prophets are crazy

and the inspired men are fools!”

8 The prophet is a watchman over Israel[b] for my God,

yet traps are laid for him wherever he goes.

He faces hostility even in the house of God.

9 The things my people do are as depraved

as what they did in Gibeah long ago.

God will not forget.

He will surely punish them for their sins.

10 The Lord says, “O Israel, when I first found you,

it was like finding fresh grapes in the desert.

When I saw your ancestors,

it was like seeing the first ripe figs of the season.

But then they deserted me for Baal-peor,

giving themselves to that shameful idol.

Soon they became vile,

as vile as the god they worshiped.

11 The glory of Israel will fly away like a bird,

for your children will not be born

or grow in the womb

or even be conceived.

12 Even if you do have children who grow up,

I will take them from you.

It will be a terrible day when I turn away

and leave you alone.

13 I have watched Israel become as beautiful as Tyre.

But now Israel will bring out her children for slaughter.”

14 O Lord, what should I request for your people?

I will ask for wombs that don’t give birth

and breasts that give no milk.

15 The Lord says, “All their wickedness began at Gilgal;

there I began to hate them.

I will drive them from my land

because of their evil actions.

I will love them no more

because all their leaders are rebels.

16 The people of Israel are struck down.

Their roots are dried up,

and they will bear no more fruit.

And if they give birth,

I will slaughter their beloved children.”

17 My God will reject the people of Israel

because they will not listen or obey.

They will be wanderers,

homeless among the nations.

Footnotes:

a.Hosea 9:6 Memphis was the capital of northern Egypt.

b.Hosea 9:8 Hebrew Ephraim, referring to the northern kingdom of Israel; also in 9:11, 13, 16.

Note: The “children” refers to spiritual children. Many churches do not have any more viable spiritual ‘children’ and they simply die off as a church.

End Times Church countdown: war, famine, wild animals, and disease

The message today is not pleasant. When the watchman started to pray for his siblings and their descendants, he was told in the spirit to pray for a nation first. He was led to pray for that nation. None of his family members is in there currently but their spiritual ‘roots’ are from that national church. Then he was asked to read this message below to that nation. When he read the verses he realized that many of the prophecies have already taken place in that nation! It is now the most secular nation in Europe and the once so great empire had crumbled to dust.

The worst fear of the people who riginally dwelled there had come to pass, i.e. aliens from the most terrible nations had conquered them in the spiritual realm and this conquest is being manifested in the physical realm (population growth, religious and social dominance, rising political power, cultural and community encroachment). The demographic trend is irreversible. There is nothing the current political leaders can do. The national leaders had abandoned God long ago and their unbelief had hardened their hearts far too long. How to pray for such a state?

However, God has given one solution: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Repent and turn away from your idols, and stop all your detestable sins.”



Ezekiel 14 (New Living Translation)

The Idolatry of Israel’s Leaders

1 Then some of the leaders of Israel visited me, and while they were sitting with me, 2 this message came to me from the Lord: 3 “Son of man, these leaders have set up idols[a] in their hearts. They have embraced things that will make them fall into sin. Why should I listen to their requests? 4 Tell them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: The people of Israel have set up idols in their hearts and fallen into sin, and then they go to a prophet asking for a message. So I, the Lord, will give them the kind of answer their great idolatry deserves. 5 I will do this to capture the minds and hearts of all my people who have turned from me to worship their detestable idols.’

6 “Therefore, tell the people of Israel, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Repent and turn away from your idols, and stop all your detestable sins. 7 I, the Lord, will answer all those, both Israelites and foreigners, who reject me and set up idols in their hearts and so fall into sin, and who then come to a prophet asking for my advice. 8 I will turn against such people and make a terrible example of them, eliminating them from among my people. Then you will know that I am the Lord.

9 “‘And if a prophet is deceived into giving a message, it is because I, the Lord, have deceived that prophet. I will lift my fist against such prophets and cut them off from the community of Israel. 10 False prophets and those who seek their guidance will all be punished for their sins. 11 In this way, the people of Israel will learn not to stray from me, polluting themselves with sin. They will be my people, and I will be their God. I, the Sovereign Lord, have spoken!’”

The Certainty of the Lord’s Judgment

12 Then this message came to me from the Lord: 13 “Son of man, suppose the people of a country were to sin against me, and I lifted my fist to crush them, cutting off their food supply and sending a famine to destroy both people and animals. 14 Even if Noah, Daniel, and Job were there, their righteousness would save no one but themselves, says the Sovereign Lord. 15 “Or suppose I were to send wild animals to invade the country, kill the people, and make the land too desolate and dangerous to pass through. 16 As surely as I live, says the Sovereign Lord, even if those three men were there, they wouldn’t be able to save their own sons or daughters. They alone would be saved, but the land would be made desolate.

17 “Or suppose I were to bring war against the land, and I sent enemy armies to destroy both people and animals. 18 As surely as I live, says the Sovereign Lord, even if those three men were there, they wouldn’t be able to save their own sons or daughters. They alone would be saved.

19 “Or suppose I were to pour out my fury by sending an epidemic into the land, and the disease killed people and animals alike. 20 As surely as I live, says the Sovereign Lord, even if Noah, Daniel, and Job were there, they wouldn’t be able to save their own sons or daughters. They alone would be saved by their righteousness. 21 “Now this is what the Sovereign Lord says: How terrible it will be when all four of these dreadful punishments fall upon Jerusalem—war, famine, wild animals, and disease—destroying all her people and animals. 22 Yet there will be survivors, and they will come here to join you as exiles in Babylon. You will see with your own eyes how wicked they are, and then you will feel better about what I have done to Jerusalem. 23 When you meet them and see their behavior, you will understand that these things are not being done to Israel without cause. I, the Sovereign Lord, have spoken!”

Footnotes:

1.Ezekiel 14:3 The Hebrew term (literally round things) probably alludes to dung; also in 14:4, 5, 6, 7.

O watchman of that nation, take heed!