Shabbat shalom kol beit Yisra'el and mishpachah - grace and peace in Yah'shua our Messiah (Jesus Christ). I pray that Yahweh has prospered you this last week and that you are here today with a fresh sense of direction and purpose. Wherever you may be - with us here in Sweden, in South Africa, Germany, Rwanda, the USA, Canada, Australia ... I pray you will leave this assembly or end reading this sermon with a clearer sense of what Yahweh wants you to do now.

Today's message has been laid forcefully on my mind and heart because of a vision I saw four days ago early in the morning. I found myself in a typical American Baptist Church, resembling in basic layout the one I visited in Mississippi 10 months or so ago, though this one was a little smaller and not as lavishly decorated. Most modern Baptist Churches in the USA have a fairly standard layout - a raised platform with a pulpit in or near the middle, space for a choir and a pianist, often a baptismal font behind glass, various screens and such things. On either side there is usually a wall and door leading out of the main meeting chamber.

In the vision I was standing to the extreme right of the church facing the platform area only this was almost completely out of my view. Instead I was standing in an aisle, about 15-20 feet back, facing instead a plain brick wall perhaps about 6-8 feet across to the side of the platform area. There were pews to my left and the main wall of the building was to my right. There were no decorations of any kind.

In front of this small wall, and perhaps about 5 feet in front of it, I could see a blinding white light slightly suspended in the air above the ground. It was very intense and very alive. I knew it was the presence of Elohim (God). It was very powerful. The next thing I know I am being drawn into this light to find myself suddenly transported into outer space. There are stars all around and they are moving to the side of me so I know I am moving very fast. I am on an unknown journey somewhere. Then I find myself back in the chapel again and for a second time I am drawn into the light to see exactly the same starry scene. This lasts about 10 seconds, I would estimate, before the vision finally closes.

It took me three days, after considerable meditation, to understand most of the facets and layers of this vision and today I want to give you a summary. I understood, fairly early on, that Yahweh was going to do something in the Baptist Church in America but not with or through the leadership or with the core of its faithful membership even. Rather, this would be a sideline manifestation of His panim, face or presence, occurring where most were not looking or focussing, to probably be experienced by those not regarded as 'mainstream' by their congregations.

That is why this vision took place on the periphery - on the very edge of the building where the members would not be looking, for most would be looking at the stage area where the services are conducted. This is the general, broad interpretation of the vision. As the building brought to mind the Baptist Church I visited in the USA last July, without being the actual one, I understood that this would take place amongst conservatively-minded Baptists for the most part where moral values are strictly upheld.

I was prayerfully meditating on the vision yesterday morning and at that time Yahweh was making me aware of the influence of a couple of Baptist ministers who have recently impacted me, and one in particular, a brilliant scholar named Michael S. Heiser, whom Yahweh has been using mightily to stir up not only Baptists but evangelicals in general. I have been studying his books and teachings for several months now and getting enormous insights. I highly recommend his book, The Unseen Realm (2015) though there is a layman's edition for those who don't want to go into too much detail.

As I was thinking about him, I could again see the vision I had seen three days earlier, but as I looked into the light once more, I sensed the Ruach (Spirit) telling me to look down on the ground of that chapel. I could see a rough concave hole in the concrete floor, a little over a foot in diameter and almost as deep. It was a reminder that whilst Heiser had tremendously important insights, there was one major flaw in his belief system that could trip people up, and in particular of his denomination. And there are indeed some areas which I know for a fact he is in error over because of his adherence to Baptist Evangelical tradition. I have some articles on his teachings waiting to be written when I get the time.

Now here is the point - this is what Yahweh is doing. He is raising up evangelicals like Michael Heiser in the USA, N.T.Wright in the United Kingdom, and many others in most, if not all, denominations - orthodox Christian as well as Messianic - to draw those who are hungry for emet (truth) who want more than their traditions are able to offer them. He is awakening the Remnant throughout the Body prior to calling them out. However, He is not using the religious 'mainstream' - He is calling those on the periphery - on the sidelines - who are willing to risk looking elsewhere. The charismatic Dan Mohler is another person who springs to mind.

Understand that Yahweh is still operating within the framework of the denominations because you cannot move out of that framework until you have crossed a certain spiritual threshhold. So do not be impatient because the Remnant is still 'stuck' in the churches and messianic synagogues - there's a time to 'leave home' but only when the children have come of age.

Much as we desire for the Remnant to gather, all must be done in Yahweh's timing. Those of us whom He has brought out 'ahead of time', as it were, have had a pretty rough journey and that is not the route He intends for the majority. It is not as bad as it was in the days of Amos where we read that "Israel is swallowed up; now they are among the nations as a useless vessel" (Amos 8:8, NRSV). Yes, Messianic Israel is indeed still scattered amongst the nations, and will remain so until the ">Second Exodus gains more momentum; and, yes, most of the Remnant is still scattered throughout the denominations, but the Remnant is by no means a "useless vessel" - there is tremendous movement underway. You are going to see more and more people like Dan Mohler, Michael Heiser and Tom Wright being raised up and by the by and most of these will draw closer and closer together.

If you have been wondering about the long wait, and for those of us in the metaphorical wilderness, the isolation and perhaps incomprehensible locations Yahweh has chosen for us, think again. Like Moses among the Midianites, we are not permanent residents. Each leader of the Remnant must have his Burning Bush encounter so that he may know for sure that he is called and is actually spiritually endowed. It is no fun living under a system like that of ancient Nineveh whom Yahweh described as "vile" (KJV, NRSV) and "despicable" (Nahum 1:14, NLT), a reason we have been commanded to get out of the cities. You may have seen yesterday's news from Canada where a new law has been introduced threatening Christian families with government abduction of their children if they do not support the LGBT agenda. I am sure you are as outraged and sickned by the élites as I am - but be assured that Yahweh has already dug their graves. Judgment is at hand.

No one other thing too - the main reason why those whom He has already taken out of the denominations and led them out into the wilderness to wait and prepare. I could use many sophisticated words that would tickle your ears but you know me well enough that I will not use such to explain this current discomfort and long waiting, so instead I will tell you the main reason - it is to burn out ALL our IDOLATRY. Every last particle of it so the enemy can have no hold on us, no legal grounds to destroy. Simple as that. We can't be used for this work until we are dead to all idolatry. And don't suppose that we are any less idolatrous than the ancients were. We're just more sophisticated about it and have devised cleverer ways of going into denial.

A quick word too on that embarrassing and discomforting subject if I may be permitted. When we think of idolatry from Tanakh (Old Testament) times we tend to think of rather primitive pagans filled with the desire to propitiate imaginary gods made of wood, metal or stone. In spite of the Israelites initially, and periodically later, dispossessing these pagans of their idols, they soon adopted this self same idolatry themselves by intermarrying with pagans. It wasn't usually outright idolatry - the Israelites simply merged pagan ideas with the worship of Yahweh. And we have pretty much been doing the same thing ever since. Baal and Ashtoreth (Ishtar) worship is alive and well in the churches and messianic synagogues, though not as obviously as it was back then. We just call the gods and goddesses by different names, or use no names at all.

You would be appalled were I to actually name what's going on in the churches, things which may seem innocuous to us because we have been doing them for so long now. The same music and its spirit the Israelites sang and danced to around the Golden Calf (Ex.32:19) is what Christians and Messianics are doing today. Those apostate Israelites danced to the Egyptian goddess Hathor, then pagan incarnation of dancing. I have been very unpopular for my stance on music in the Body, not to mention NCAY, because few are willing to stomach the emet (truth) that all the rock and much of the modern music that has become the drug of so much charismatic worhip, is a worship of demons. I have been very unpopular for saying this but it's one of the many idols that has to be purged out from the Remnant.

Part of the problem - nay, the major problem - for the Remnant is leaving the Babylonian culture behind them. Conservative Baptist Churches like the one I saw in the vision have less of a problem than most liberalised evangelical churches who have succumbed to the music of devils. It "required barely a twitch of provocation for them (the Israelites) to plunge back into this familiar idolatry", said Bill Cooper of ther Israelites at Sinai [1]. Why do you suppose it will take less than the 40 years of purging and the death of Moses' generation in our own before the Remnant is purified?

My friends, I do not recommend you listen to too many of my generation for most of my generation is corrupted and won't change so what I say on this subject will invariably be met with disbelief and scorn. Music is one of the biggest idols of this world, if you can even call it 'music' any longer. And, no, this isn't just a matter of 'taste' but of moving spirit.

If you're looking at the 'stage' where the preachers and musicians peform, you're going to miss Yahweh's work on the sidelines. This is the principle message today. Get your eyes on the Light and off the the fruity dainties of the world that is in the churches.

In a famous prophecy Amos the navi (prophet) said:

"This is what Yahweh-Elohim showed me - a basket of summer fruit (qaits). He said, 'Amos, who do you see?' And I said, 'a basket of summer fruit (qaits).' Then Yahweh said to me, 'The end (qets) has come upon My people Israel; I will never again pass them by. The songs of the temple shall become wailings on that dau,' says Yahweh-Elohim; ' the dead bodies shall be many, cast out in every place. Be silent!'" (Amos 8:1-3, NRSV).

There is a famous play on words in this passage to indicate their connection - the "basket of summer fruit" is qaits in Hebrew and "the end" which is qets in Hebrew - qaits and qets - a 'basket summer fruit' and the 'end'.

I'm telling you now, most soberly, that when the current Judgment reaches its crescendo, you will know that today was the time of ripening (in iniquity), which is the meaning of the vision of the basket of summer fruit. For this particular harvest, that marks an end, there will be no thanksgiving - only the silence of despair. That is why Yahweh orders silence!

This has all occurred by the time of the harvest. What is Israel's harvest festival? Sukkot, the Feast of Tabernacles, which is in the autumn (fall). So you know the timeframe now.

Do you want more signs? What happened in the time forseen by Amos? Chapter 8 is full of well-known quotations, like there being a "famine theoughout the land...a famine of hearing the devaraim (words of) Yahweh" (Amos 8:11, NIV). There's plenty of that famine already, especially here in Europe, so you will know one of the major callings we will have at this time, so you'd better know your Scriptures!

But I mentioned a sign, one that will repeat:

"Will not the land tremble...and all who live in it mourn? The whole land will rise like the Nile; it will be stirred up and then sink like the river of Egypt" (Amos 8:8, NIV).

For those who don't know, the heavy seasonal rains in Ethiopia caused the River Nile of Egypt to rise annually by as much as 25 feet, flooding the whole Nile Valley except for the towns and villages standing above it. The prophetic picture being presented here is one of total political and social dislocation causing a period of chaos before things settle back to the way they were previously.

The prophetic imagery is interesting because what happens is a two-sided coin of both cursing and blessing. On the one hand is the destruction caused by the flooding but on the the other there is the rich fertile soil carried by the waters which was deposited on the land. In other words both then, and in our time, there will be opportunity for evangelism where there was little or none before, because the people were lifted up in their pride (v.7) just as they are today. Calamity will cause people to search for Yahweh again, and that will be our opportunity to witness. There will be a famine for the Davar Elohim (Word of God) and it will be up to us to alleviate the famine following the chaos caused by Judgment. Read the whole of the 8th chapter of Amos - it's more pertinent to our time than you may at first realise.

I know most of you hate this kind of sermon but I do not deliver it because I am a sadist. I know you'd prefer something along the lines of Dan Mohler and I'm not saying that's not important, because it is. Sorry, but Sukkot (Tabernacles) is not so far away and we haven't much time to be ready.

I would like to assure you that Yahweh is Present but not in the places where worshippers traditionally look - to lively choirs or impassionared preaching. At this hour, Yah'shua (Jesus) is not there - He's on the sidelines, as a very bright Light. His instruction is, "Be silent!" (Amos 83b, NRSV), allow yourself to be drawn and He will take you to heavenly places - not a 'rapture' but a place of deep communion where the silence is very loud! So let's be off, and assemble with Yah's elohim. Amen.

Endnotes

[1] Bill Cooper, The Authenticity of the Book of Genesis (Creation Science Movement: 2011), p.124

Comments From Readers

[1] "Amen! May God belss you Pastor! (NJ, Rwanda, 2 June 2017)
[2] "Amen" (JR, Kenya, 2 June 2017)
[3] "This is true...we are now at the era God sealing His servants...the fig tree generations are coming. The woman has already given birth to the Messiah" (ADR, Singapore, 23 June 2017)