End Times Witnessing: Sing, O barren! Now is the time!

Lately, the watchman heard, “Now He will heal us; now He will bandage our wounds; in just a short time He will restore us so that we may live in His presence.” (Hosea 6: 1-3)

This morning, the watchman heard the following while interceding. The Lord now wants His people to sing in the Spirit and cry aloud in the Spirit. The Lord now promises miraculous happenings when His people worship and enthrone Him. Even the ‘barren’ ones will now become fruitful. Desert will bloom. wilderness will become fertile land. Now, birth of new lives will burst forth as the ‘barrens’ burst forth into , new songs for the Lord our God.  Indeed, now is the time of harvest. Even the hitherto unfruitful must now rise up by faith and sing! Let’snow worship Him in spirit and in truth!

NOW IS THE TIME!

Isaiah 54

¹ “Sing, O barren,

You who have not borne!
Break forth into singing, and cry aloud,
You who have not labored with child!
For more are the children of the desolate
Than the children of the married woman,” says the LORD.
² “ Enlarge the place of your tent,
And let them stretch out the curtains of your dwellings;
Do not spare;
Lengthen your cords,
And strengthen your stakes.
³ For you shall expand to the right and to the left,
And your descendants will inherit the nations,
And make the desolate cities inhabited.
⁴ “ Do not fear, for you will not be ashamed;
Neither be disgraced, for you will not be put to shame;
For you will forget the shame of your youth,
And will not remember the reproach of your widowhood anymore.
⁵ For your Maker is your husband,
The LORD of hosts is His name;
And your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel;
He is called the God of the whole earth.
⁶ For the LORD has called you
Like a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit,
Like a youthful wife when you were refused,”
Says your God.
⁷ “ For a mere moment I have forsaken you,
But with great mercies I will gather you.
⁸ With a little wrath I hid My face from you for a moment;
But with everlasting kindness I will have mercy on you,”
Says the LORD, your Redeemer.
⁹ “ For this is like the waters of Noah to Me;
For as I have sworn
That the waters of Noah would no longer cover the earth,
So have I sworn
That I would not be angry with you, nor rebuke you.
¹⁰ For the mountains shall depart
And the hills be removed,
But My kindness shall not depart from you,
Nor shall My covenant of peace be removed,”
Says the LORD, who has mercy on you.
¹¹ “ O you afflicted one,
Tossed with tempest, and not comforted,
Behold, I will lay your stones with colorful gems,
And lay your foundations with sapphires.
¹² I will make your pinnacles of rubies,
Your gates of crystal,
And all your walls of precious stones.
¹³ All your children shall be taught by the LORD,
And great shall be the peace of your children.
¹⁴ In righteousness you shall be established;
You shall be far from oppression, for you shall not fear;
And from terror, for it shall not come near you.
¹⁵ Indeed they shall surely assemble, but not because of Me.
Whoever assembles against you shall fall for your sake.
¹⁶ “ Behold, I have created the blacksmith
Who blows the coals in the fire,
Who brings forth an instrument for his work;
And I have created the spoiler to destroy.
¹⁷ No weapon formed against you shall prosper,
And every tongue which rises against you in judgment
You shall condemn.
This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD,
And their righteousness is from Me,”
Says the LORD.

End Times Witnessing: God looks for end times champion

Who are the end times men? The end times champions? How does God locate them? What does He talk to them about? The watchman is interested to know. He has been asked to read Gideon again. Indeed, the conversation brings great revelation for him and for his class.

God works with people of faith. In Gideon’s case, God has to start the faith journey and accommodates Gideon all the way to deliver the Israelites from their arch enemy, the Midianites.

Gideon is far from an ideal candidate to lead the people to win wars. He is hiding from the enemy and working on his meager supplies of food miserably and in shame and indignation. He is apparently disillusioned with the false gods (Baal and Asherah) his father worships as they cannot help the Israelites.

Gideon has right for his indignation for the Midianites are cruel and have often come in to kill, steal, and destroy. They stay until the land is stripped bare and the Israelites shiver in hiding and starvation. (Doesn’t this sound familiar to many Christians? The minute you repay all debts and put the broken pieces of your family together, I.e. start planting new crops, the enemy comes in as thick as locusts, with droves of camels too numerous to count, and wipe you clean! How can you trust God and hope in God?)

How God called Gideon

But God has plan for miracles. God sent an angel to Gideon, saying “Mighty hero, the Lord is with you!” It sounded like sarcasm instead of compliment to Gideon, so he complained, “  “Sir, if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? And where are all the miracles our ancestors told us about? Didn’t they say, ‘The Lord brought us up out of Egypt’? But now the Lord has abandoned us and handed us over to the Midianites.” Gideon had heard about the Lord of his forefathers but he did not know this Lord God.  He also had doubt that this Lord God could help them.

Then the Lord turned to him and said, “Go with the strength you have, and rescue Israel from the Midianites. I am sending you!”

The Lord did not answer him but continued to tell Gideon His plan for him. God saw something (hidden strength) that Gideon could not see.  God saw him as someone who could hear God, fear God, look for miracles and believe in them, have faith in God, obey and carry out God’s mission full heartedly once convinced.

“But Lord,” Gideon replied, “how can I rescue Israel? My clan is the weakest in the whole tribe of Manasseh, and I am the least in my entire family!” Gideon’s response was real and honest.

The Lord said to him, “I will be with you. And you will destroy the Midianites as if you were fighting against one man.” The Lord continued to assure Gideon of victory and the reason.

Gideon asked for sign

Gideon replied, “If you are truly going to help me, show me a sign to prove that it is really the Lord speaking to me. Don’t go away until I come back and bring my offering to you.”  Gideon was cautious and knew how to test the angel’s statement so he would not be fooled by the wrong spirit.

The angel agreed and waited as his job was to convince Gideon the reality of the Lord God Almighty.  After the test, when Gideon realized that it was the angel of the Lord, he cried out, “Oh, Sovereign Lord, I’m doomed! I have seen the angel of the Lord face to face!” Gideon indeed was a man who feared God. “It is all right,” the Lord replies. “Do not be afraid. You will not die.” And Gideon built an altar to the Lord there and named it Yahweh-Shalom (which means “the Lord is peace”).

The Lord’s turn to test Gideon’s faith

That night the Lord said to Gideon, “Take the second bull from your father’s herd, ..Pull down your father’s altar to Baal, and cut down the Asherah pole standing beside it. Then build an altar to the Lord your God here on this hilltop sanctuary, laying the stones carefully. Sacrifice the bull as a burnt offering on the altar, using as fuel the wood of the Asherah pole you cut down.”This was the Lord’s turn to test Gideon’s faith. Gideon obeyed fully.

Gideon’s turn to ask for more signs

Soon afterward the armies of Midian, Amalek, and the people of the east formed an alliance against Israel.. Then the Spirit of the Lord took possession of Gideon. He blew a ram’s horn as a call to arms.. and the people responded. Then Gideon said to God, “If you are truly going to use me to rescue Israel as you promised, prove it to me in this way.. He again asked God for signs. God answered him twice.

The Lord’s turn to further test Gideon

Twice the Lord spoke to Gideon about his army (initially of 32,000 men) having too many warriors. So Gideon let 22,000 (all those afraid) go home, leaving only 10,000 who were willing to fight. They were further screened and only 300 was left. The Lord told Gideon, “With these 300 men I will rescue you and give you victory over the Midianites.“  Gideon obeyed fully and kept only the 300 men with him (to fight 135,000). He certainly has passed the test of faith!

God gave Gideon a dream confirmation

That night the Lord said, “Get up! Go down into the Midianite camp, for I have given you victory over them! But if you are afraid to attack, go down to the camp with your servant Purah. Listen to what the Midianites are saying, and you will be greatly encouraged. Then you will be eager to attack.” God knew Gideon still had fear, and therefore arranged for Gideon to hear from the enemy’s mouth the prophecy of his victory!

Final test of Gideon’s faith

After Gideon heard the prophecy -enemy’s interpretation of enemy’s dream-in his favor, he believed full heartedly. So he led his 300 men to war with one hand holding a torch inside a jar, and another hand holding a ram horn. They broke the jar, revealing the blazing torches, blew the ram horn and shouted, ““A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!”

Each man stood at his position around the camp and watched as all the Midianites rushed around in a panic, shouting as they ran to escape. When the 300 Israelites blew their rams’ horns, the Lord caused the warriors in the camp to fight against each other with their swords.

The war was thus won and the enemy never recovered -throughout the rest of Gideon’s lifetime, about forty years, the land was at peace.

__________________________________

Gideon though seemingly an underdog in the eyes of men, was a mighty hero in the eyes of God. God saw in this humble man his spiritual strength. He has a heart for the true God, fears God more than men (risking his life to break the popular false god‘s altar and in its place build an altar and offered sacrifice for the true God), cares enough for his country to lead the fight (risking his life), has faith with action (to the point of being ‘ridiculous’ in the size of his ‘army’ and their ‘weapons’) -300 defeating 135,000 warriors of the enemy. No wonder he was listed in the hall of faith in the Book of Hebrews.

End Times Witnessing: God uses the most unlikely warriors and weapons

Religion blog

The watchman was greatly encouraged today when he heard the Lord said, “think of Gideon”. He was lamenting over past fortunes being stolen, robbed, destroyed by the spiritual enemies during the last century.

He was also lamenting that there seemed no great men/women rising up to counter this ‘flood’ of wickedness.


 Then he heard this clearly. Look at the characters and their backgrounds in the Bible. They are usually the most unlikely candidates for success. Even the Lord Jesus Himself was hung on a cross! The strategy used by God is impossible for a natural human mind to figure out.

Indeed, he was further encouraged when he recalled the record of people of faith and found names like: Gideon (from the weakest clan and least in his family), Jephthah (son of a prostitute), David (youngest and least impressive in natural endowment in family), Samuel (just a weaned child left alone in the temple), odd men out (Noah, Joseph, Moses, Caleb, John the Baptist, Paul), Rehab (the prostitute), Ruth (the foreign widow), Anna (old widow), Simeon (old retired man) and all the prophets (not in the main stream popular religious system).

Who was Gideon? He was really at his rock bottom when he was called by the angel of the Lord. He was hiding and “threshing wheat at the bottom of a winepress to hide the grain from the Midianites.” He was doubting the Lord too seeing all the hardships he and his people endured and no help was insight for so long!

Judges 6:2-6 “The Midianites were so cruel that the Israelites made hiding places for themselves in the mountains, caves, and strongholds. Whenever the Israelites planted their crops, marauders from Midian, Amalek, and the people of the east would attack Israel, camping in the land and destroying crops as far away as Gaza. They left the Israelites with nothing to eat, taking all the sheep, goats, cattle, and donkeys. These enemy hordes, coming with their livestock and tents, were as thick as locusts; they arrived on droves of camels too numerous to count. And they stayed until the land was stripped bare. So Israel was reduced to starvation by the Midianites. Then the Israelites cried out to the Lord for help.”

Judges 6:2-6
GOD CALLED THE WEAKEST AND LEAST
Judges 6:1 The Israelites did evil in the Lord’s sight. So the Lord handed them over to the Midianites for seven years.11 Then the angel of the Lord came .. Gideon son of Joash was threshing wheat at the bottom of a winepress to hide the grain from the Midianites.13 “Sir,” Gideon replied, “if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us?" 15 “But Lord,” Gideon replied, “how can I rescue Israel? My clan is the weakest in the whole tribe of Manasseh, and I am the least in my entire family!”
GIDEON ASKED FOR SIGN AND BUILT ALTAR TO THE TRUE GOD
Judges 6:17 Gideon replied, “If you are truly going to help me, show me a sign to prove that it is really the Lord speaking to me.19 Gideon hurried home. ..And Gideon did as he was told. 22 When Gideon realized that it was the angel of the Lord, he cried out, “Oh, Sovereign Lord, I’m doomed! I have seen the angel of the Lord face to face!” 24 And Gideon built an altar to the Lord there and named it Yahweh-Shalom (which means “the Lord is peace”).
GIDEON PULLED DOWN THE FALSE GODS’ ALTAR
25 That night the Lord said to Gideon, “Take the second bull from your father’s herd… Pull down your father’s altar to Baal, and cut down the Asherah pole standing beside it. 27 So Gideon took ten of his servants and did as the Lord had commanded.
GIDEON ASKED AND RECEIVED TWO SIGNS FROM GOD
Judges 6:33 Soon afterward the armies of ..(enemies) formed an alliance against Israel and crossed the Jordan, camping in the valley of Jezreel. 34 Then the Spirit of the Lord took possession of Gideon. He blew a ram’s horn as a call to arms, and the men of the clan of Abiezer came to him. 36 Then Gideon said to God, “If you are truly going to use me to rescue Israel as you promised,” He then asked the Lord for two more signs (the signs of the fleece) and the Lord answered his request.
GOD USED A SMALL READY REMNANT ONLY
Judges 7:2 The Lord said to Gideon, “You have too many warriors with you. 4 But the Lord told Gideon, “There are still too many! 7 The Lord told Gideon, “With these 300 men I will rescue you and give you victory over the Midianites. Send all the others home.” 8 So Gideon sent 31,700 soldiers home. But he kept the 300 men with him.
GOD USED A DREAM & PROCLAMATION BY THE ENEMY TO CONFIRM GIDEON’S VICTORY
Judges 7:11 Listen to what the Midianites are saying, and you will be greatly encouraged. 13 Gideon crept up just as a man was telling his companion about a dream. 15 When Gideon heard the dream and its interpretation, he bowed in worship before the Lord. Then he returned to the Israelite camp and shouted, “Get up! For the Lord has given you victory over the Midianite hordes!”
GOD USED THE MOST UNLIKELY WEAPONS -FAITH AND OBEDIENCE IN ACTION
Judges 7:19 It was just after midnight, after the changing of the guard, when Gideon and the 100 men with him reached the edge of the Midianite camp. Suddenly, they blew the rams’ horns and broke their clay jars.
Judges 7:20 Then all three groups blew their horns and broke their jars. They held the blazing torches in their left hands and the horns in their right hands, and they all shouted, “A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!” 8:11 Gideon circled around, taking the Midianite army by surprise.
GOD HONORED FAITH
Judges 8:28 That is the story of how the people of Israel defeated Midian, which never recovered. Throughout the rest of Gideon’s lifetime—about forty years—there was peace in the land.
Isaiah 10:26 The Lord of Heaven’s Armies will lash them with his whip, as he did when Gideon triumphed over the Midianites at the rock of Oreb, or when the Lord’s staff was raised to drown the Egyptian army in the sea.

Hebrews 11:32 How much more do I need to say? It would take too long to recount the stories of the faith of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and all the prophets.