Days after Quakes and Tsunami: Bring my soul out of prison!

The watchman heard, “Never Let Me Go!”



“We took away your art because we thought it would reveal your souls. Or to put it more finely, we did it to prove you had souls at all.” Kazuo Ishiguro (Never Let Me Go)



The troubed and unsatisfied souls


Isaiah 29:8

It shall even be as when a hungry man dreams, And look—he eats; But he awakes, and his soul is still empty; Or as when a thirsty man dreams, And look—he drinks; But he awakes, and indeed he is faint, And his soul still craves: So the multitude of all the nations shall be, Who fight against Mount Zion.

Psalm 42:11

Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; For I shall yet praise Him, The help of my countenance and my God.

Psalm 124:4

Then the waters would have overwhelmed us, The stream would have gone over our soul;

Psalm 124:5

Then the swollen waters would have gone over our soul.”

Psalm 142:7

Bring my soul out of prison, That I may praise Your name; The righteous shall surround me, For You shall deal bountifully with me.”

Psalm 143:3

For the enemy has persecuted my soul; He has crushed my life to the ground; He has made me dwell in darkness, Like those who have long been dead.


God can set free our afflicted souls


Psalm 23:3

He (God) restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake.

Psalm 33:20

Our soul waits for the LORD; He is our help and our shield.

Psalm 41:4

I said, “LORD, be merciful to me; Heal my soul, for I have sinned against You.”

Psalm 55:18

He has redeemed my soul in peace from the battle that was against me, for there were many against me.

Psalm 56:13

For You (God) have delivered my soul from death. Have You not kept my feet from falling, That I may walk before God In the light of the living?

Psalm 72:13

He will spare the poor and needy, and will save the souls of the needy.

Psalm 107:9

For He satisfies the longing soul, and fills the hungry soul with goodness.


Isaiah 55 An Invitation to Abundant Life

1 “Ho! Everyone who thirsts,

Come to the waters;

And you who have no money,

Come, buy and eat.

Yes, come, buy wine and milk

Without money and without price.

2 Why do you spend money for what is not bread,

And your wages for what does not satisfy?

Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good,

And let your soul delight itself in abundance.

3 Incline your ear, and come to Me.

Hear, and your soul shall live;

And I will make an everlasting covenant with you—

The sure mercies of David.


Isaiah 58:10-11

10 If you extend your soul to the hungry

And satisfy the afflicted soul,

Then your light shall dawn in the darkness,

And your darkness shall be as the noonday.

11 The LORD will guide you continually,

And satisfy your soul in drought,

And strengthen your bones;

You shall be like a watered garden,

And like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.

Jeremiah 31:25

For I have satiated the weary soul, and I have replenished every sorrowful soul.”

Ezekiel 18:4

“ Behold, all souls are Mine; The soul of the father As well as the soul of the son is Mine; The soul who sins shall die.


What Jesus said about your souls

Matthew 10:28

And do not fear those (the devils) who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him (God) who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

Matthew 11:29

Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me (Jesus), for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

Matthew 16:26

For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?

Luke 12:20

But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’

Luke 10:27

So he answered and said, “ ‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,’ and ‘your neighbor as yourself.’”

What the Apostles said about your souls

1 Thessalonians 5:23

[ Blessing and Admonition ] Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Hebrews 6:19

This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil,

James 1:21

[ Doers—Not Hearers Only ] Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.

1 Peter 1:9

for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

1 Peter 2:25

For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

_______________________________

This is the watchman’s prayer for you, my friends:
"Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers. "
(3 John 2)

Days after Quakes and Tsunami: “Never Let me Go”

A sixty year old Japanese man was rescued from a piece of floating roof after two days. He told the rescuers that he had lost his wife.



The watchman once got to know someone through sharing the same interest of reading books written by Kazuo Ishiguro . Here are some quotes from Kazuo Ishiguro. The excerpts are from “Never let me go” (2005) and “The remains of the day” (winner of the Booker Prize, 1989)


Quotes_____________

“I keep thinking about this river somewhere, with the water moving really fast. And these two people in the water, trying to hold onto each other, holding on as hard as they can, but in the end it’s just too much. The current’s too strong. They’ve got to let go, drift apart. That’s how it is with us. It’s a shame, Kath, because we’ve loved each other all our lives. But in the end, we can’t stay together forever.” (Never Let me go)

”Memories, even your most precious ones, fade surprisingly quickly. But I don’t go along with that. The memories I value most, I don’t ever see them fading.”

“You say you’re sure? Sure that you’re in love? How can you know it? You think love is so simple? “

“The evening’s the best part of the day. You’ve done your day’s work. Now you can put your feet up and enjoy it.”

“Sometimes I get so immersed in my own company, if I unexpectedly run into someone I know, it’s a bit of a shock and takes me a while to adjust.”

“What can we ever gain in forever looking back and blaming ourselves if our lives have not turned out quite as we might have wished? The hard reality is, surely, that for the likes of you and I, there is little choice other than to leave our fate, ultimately, in the hands of those great gentlemen at the hub of this world who employ our services. What is the point in worrying oneself too much about what one could or could not have done to control the course one’s life took? Surely it is enough that the likes of you and I at least try to make our small contribution count for something true and worthy. And if some of us are prepared to sacrifice much in life in order to pursue such aspirations, surely that is in itself, whatever the outcome, cause for pride and contentment.” (The remains of the day)

“It had never occurred to me that our lives, which had been so closely interwoven, could unravel with such speed.”

“Indeed — why should I not admit it? — in that moment, my heart was breaking.”

“…and I half closed my eyes and imagined this was the spot where everything I’d ever lost since my childhood had washed up, and I was now standing here in front of it, and if I waited long enough, a tiny figure would appear on the horizon across the field and gradually get larger until I’d see it was Tommy, and he’d wave, and maybe even call.” (Never Let me go)

“Your life must now run the course that’s been set for it.”

“Memory is quite central for me. Part of it is that I like the actual texture of writing through memory…”

“When we lost something precious, and we’d looked and looked and still couldn’t find it, then we didn’t have to be completely heartbroken. We still had that last bit of comfort, thinking one day, when we grow up, and we were free to travel around the counry, we would always go and find it in Norfolk…And that’s why years and years later, that day Tommy and I found another copy of that lost tape of mine in a town on the Norfolk coast, we didn’t just think it pretty funny; we both felt deep down some tug, some old wish to believe again in something that was once close to our hearts.”

“The problem, as I see it, is that you’ve been told and not told. You’ve been told, but none of you really understand, and I dare say, some people are quite happy to leave it that way.”


“There was another life that I might have had, but I am having this one.”

“As a writer, I’m more interested in what people tell themselves happened rather than what actually happened”

“You’re always in a rush, or else you’re too exhausted to have a proper conversation. Soon enough, the long hours, the traveling, the broken sleep have all crept into your being and become part of you, so everyone can see it, in your posture, your gaze, the way you move and talk.” (Don’t we all?)

End Times Witnessing: White Horses coming to shore (revised after Japan Tsunami)

The watchman turned on the TV and saw a picture: Waves like white horses storming to Japanese shore…then he remembered this blog and the earlier vision. He had some Japanese readers who regularly read his blogs. He deeply regretted for not praying for them regularly. O, watchman, time to pray!


Recently an intercessor watchman saw a vision of white horses moving speedily on shallow ankle deep waters, coming toward the shore. They then formed a circular formation with their faces toward the centre, where a cross descended from heaven. It was an awesome sight. The watchman sensed the sense of urgency and the speed of time moving, like counting down of end times. O watchmen in all churches, rise up, slumber not! Watch and pray now! Revelat … Read More


http://kzlam36.wordpress.com/?p=3751

End times witnessing: Who lifts up the waves of the sea?

Psalm 107 (New King James Version)


Thanksgiving to the LORD for His Great Works of Deliverance

1 Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good!

For His mercy endures forever.

2 Let the redeemed of the LORD say so,

Whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy,

3 And gathered out of the lands,

From the east and from the west,

From the north and from the south.



4 They wandered in the wilderness in a desolate way;

They found no city to dwell in.

5 Hungry and thirsty,

Their soul fainted in them.

6 Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble,

And He delivered them out of their distresses.

7 And He led them forth by the right way,

That they might go to a city for a dwelling place.

8 Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness,

And for His wonderful works to the children of men!

9 For He satisfies the longing soul,

And fills the hungry soul with goodness.



10 Those who sat in darkness and in the shadow of death,

Bound in affliction and irons—

11 Because they rebelled against the words of God,

And despised the counsel of the Most High,

12 Therefore He brought down their heart with labor;

They fell down, and there was none to help.

13 Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble,

And He saved them out of their distresses.

14 He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death,

And broke their chains in pieces.

15 Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness,

And for His wonderful works to the children of men!

16 For He has broken the gates of bronze,

And cut the bars of iron in two.



17 Fools, because of their transgression,

And because of their iniquities, were afflicted.

18 Their soul abhorred all manner of food,

And they drew near to the gates of death.

19 Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble,

And He saved them out of their distresses.

20 He sent His word and healed them,

And delivered them from their destructions.

21 Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness,

And for His wonderful works to the children of men!

22 Let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving,

And declare His works with rejoicing.



23 Those who go down to the sea in ships,

Who do business on great waters,

24 They see the works of the LORD,

And His wonders in the deep.

25 For He commands and raises the stormy wind,

Which lifts up the waves of the sea.

26 They mount up to the heavens,

They go down again to the depths;

Their soul melts because of trouble.

27 They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man,

And are at their wits’ end.

28 Then they cry out to the LORD in their trouble,

And He brings them out of their distresses.

29 He calms the storm,

So that its waves are still.

30 Then they are glad because they are quiet;

So He guides them to their desired haven.

31 Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness,

And for His wonderful works to the children of men!

32 Let them exalt Him also in the assembly of the people,

And praise Him in the company of the elders.



33 He turns rivers into a wilderness,

And the watersprings into dry ground;

34 A fruitful land into barrenness,

For the wickedness of those who dwell in it.

35 He turns a wilderness into pools of water,

And dry land into watersprings.

36 There He makes the hungry dwell,

That they may establish a city for a dwelling place,

37 And sow fields and plant vineyards,

That they may yield a fruitful harvest.

38 He also blesses them, and they multiply greatly;

And He does not let their cattle decrease.



39 When they are diminished and brought low

Through oppression, affliction, and sorrow,

40 He pours contempt on princes,

And causes them to wander in the wilderness where there is no way;

41 Yet He sets the poor on high, far from affliction,

And makes their families like a flock.

42 The righteous see it and rejoice,

And all iniquity stops its mouth.



43 Whoever is wise will observe these things,

And they will understand the lovingkindness of the LORD.

end times church countdown: visions for the night

During the last conference for intercessor the watchman saw gloomy night visions about end times. He duly recorded the pictures which he summarised as follows for other intercessor watchmen.

1. 2 night scenes of rows of tall trees thickly linked to each other along the side of a road and a slope respectively. These are trees of righteousness planted by the Lord (Isa.61:3)

2. 2 scenes of entrances to underground tunnels with a few people walking toward the entrances.

3. 2 night scenes of a man looking from a valley with steep slopes on both sides. One scene showed the slopes as dark but the sky beyond the valley was of white light. Another scene showed the slopes as of white light but the night sky beyond the valley was pitch dark. (Isa.21:12)

4. An indoor scene: inside a big empty hall lined and packed with rows of empty chairs (like a run down theatre) with one or two persons or spirits(?) standing around. (The watchman’s spirit knew that it was an ex-mega church at end times. The members had deserted back into the world during the rule of the beast as they had never learned to live supernaturally without the worldly system). Then he heard a clear reminder: “There is no such thing as being a ‘BYSTANDER’. You are either in or out.”

5. 2 snow scenes: one view was from indoor looking through the window. It was bleak and void of lives out there. In another scene he could only see the heads of a few people sticking out of the snow.

6. On more cheerful note, he saw scene of buttery yellow/golden fluid flowing down all walls when the anointing of the Holy Spirit poured (at that time, the speaker confirmed his vision by asking all participants to lift up their hands to receive the anointing). In another session he saw cosmic activity in the heavenly realm in various shades of purple flowing like thick fluid. It was indeed an awesome sight, confirming the greatness of our God and the might of His hands.

Note: The theme of the teaching during the conference was on Revelation 12 and Daniel 12.

Isaiah 21:12 12 The watchman said,

“ The morning comes, and also the night.

If you will inquire, inquire;

Return! Come back!”

watchman prophet calling: nor shall your tears run down

The watchman/prophet’s life has to be that of ‘super-supernatural’. When he completed his recent assignment and proceeded his long journey home, he suddenly noticed a huge truck with its container labelled with these words, “The Power of Hope“!


He did not know what it meant but he started praising the Lord. He also told the Lord his decision about a very important matter. The bad news hit him when he reached home eventually discovering something (of the worldly system) he used to consider important indeed was missing. It was no coincidence that prior to this he had already made a decision on his way home about not relying on the worldly system.

The same night he made a further big decision about his life. Once he had decided, the real pain finally hit him like a mental tsunami. But when he opened the Bible he found the page opened with these verses speaking to him and confirming the Lord’s message:

“Return to the stronghold, you prisoners of HOPE. Even today I declare that I will restore double to you.” (Zech.9:12)


Isaiah 49:9 9 That You may say to the prisoners, ‘Go forth,’ To those who are in darkness, ‘Show yourselves.’ “ They shall feed along the roads, And their pastures shall be on all desolate heights.”

“REJOICE greatly” (Zech.9:9) He happened to be the one who carried the banner displaying the word “REJOICE“ in the banner march during his past week’s faith in action participation.

Isaiah 61:1-3 The Good News of Salvation “The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me, Because the LORD has anointed Me To preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, And the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn,
3 To console those who mourn in Zion, To give them beauty for ashes, The oil of joy for mourning, The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; That they may be called trees of righteousness, The planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified.”

During the past week he saw two visions of night scenes (depicting end times) of rows of tall straight trees along the side of a road. One road led to a distant horizon and one man was walking on it. In another scene the row of trees shielded the building (the church) and completely hid it from sight. It was like end times churches will be hidden from those not led by the Holy Spirit. He did not know what the trees were then.

Now he knows they are called trees of righteousness, the remnant believers and followers of Jesus Christ. They were the planting of the Lord God Himself. He does not even need to worry how he should grow. The Lord will see to that!

Indeed, he was comforted and reassured by the oil of joy.

Of course, he is still human and he could feel the pain and silent inner weeping of the prophet watchman Ezekiel who was forbidden to express his grief for his most precious loss. He believed the oil of joy had comforted Ezekiel despite the command from the Lord that he should not mourn his loss.

The tragedy happened in chapter 24, but Ezekiel continued his journey by faith in the Holy Spirit and was given the breath taking prophetic act of faith in the dry bones revival miracle & prophesying the unification of Israel(in chapter 37), the New Jerusalem & New Temple (in chapters 40-46), and the Healing waters and Trees eventually (in the last chapter).

Ezekiel 24:15-18 The Prophet’s Wife Dies
“15 Also the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 16 “Son of man, behold, I take away from you the desire of your eyes with one stroke; yet you shall neither mourn nor weep, nor shall your tears run down. 17 Sigh in silence, make no mourning for the dead; bind your turban on your head, and put your sandals on your feet; do not cover your lips, and do not eat man’s bread of sorrow.”
18 So I spoke to the people in the morning, and at evening my wife died; and the next morning I did as I was commanded.”

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.