I don't doubt that some of the Canaanites of Jericho did the equivalent of our thumb-on-the-nose routine to the Israelies each day they they trooped around their city, especially after the novelty of the first day had worn off and nothing happened. To them, this was all magic - casting spells. The Jerichoites, of course, knew of the Israelites' reputation for miracles - the 10 plagues, the Red Sea Crossing, the defeat of Sihon and other enemies on the Amorite East Bank of the Jordan, and most recently the drying up of the River Jordan as this nation of bedouin crossed on dry ground. And, as we know, "they...were paralysed with fear" (Josh.5:1, NLT).

But they were also pagans who believed that if the gods weren't appeased with the right offerings performed in the right way and often enough, and if spells were't cast in the right way and often enough, that their spiteful gods would ignore even turn against them. I guarantee the Canaanites were sacrificing to their gods and casting their spells against the Israelites. They would have concluded that their marching around the wall was just a new kind of spell which they'd never heard of before. They would have assumed that the Israelites had discovered some deep magic which they, as yet, knew nothing of.

We know, that right from the beginning of the Hebrews' arrival, "the gates of Jericho were tightly shut because the people were afraid of the Israelites [and] no one was allowed to go in or out" (Josh.6:1, NLT). By the end of the 6th day of the march-around I am quite sure the Canaanites had probably started to wonder if the god of Israel was displeased with them or had even abandoned them. Maybe...maybe not. Yet we may assume they kept those doors tightly shut as all those stories of Yahweh's favour on Israel still haunted them. The terror had not dissipated yet. Perhaps it would have had the marching gone on for longer than a week with nothing happening. Maybe, then, they might have sent out an army. We'll never know. But trust in their walls they must have done. It was all they had.

In the course of my ministry of over 30 years I have had to deal with what I consider to be enemies no worse or less dangerous that the King of Jericho and his army. And though, like Israel, I have had my 'swords and spears' I have never once used them but relied on the supernatural power of my Elohim (God) in both offence and defence. There have been those who have wanted to physically kill me and have tried many times. These were not your ordinary thug, mind you, but devil-worshippers skilled in abuse, torture and murder. Their evil was a dark sophisticated art form perfected over generations of constant application.

At first I was afraid of them, because they were an unknown quantity to me personally though I had already seen what they did to others. Also I hadn't seen what Yahweh could, or would, do, but each time they tried to kill me or threatened someone I loved, Yahweh was always there and He was truly my fortress as He promised He would be to those who trust in Him, reminding me of this Scripture:

"You are my servant, I have chosen you and not rejected you. Do not fear, for I am with you; do not anxiously look about you, for I am your Elohim (God). I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand. Behold, all those who are angered at you will be shamed and dishonoured; those who contend with you will be as nothing, and will perish" (Is.41:9b-11, NASB).

At first these low life forms were bold, not knowing at all what my Elohim (God) could, or would, do. They came with a view to murder and to do so in a way as only they know how. And they are skilled at covering their tracks which is why they remain largely undetected and why the world doubts their existence and activities. They have powerful occult forces at their disposal but these are nothing compared to what the Creator weilds. I know, and others know (for we are witnesses) whether anciently (when Yahweh sent plagues to Egypt, drowned an entire army, or swallowed up rebels into the ground), or in our day when He has simply toasted them and left only ashes behind. I don't know why He uses the spontaneous combusion or cremation method but it has happened so many times now that I don't even think twice about it when He does.

Nearly everyone thinks these are stories that I have made up, just as they disbelieve the miracles in the Bible or (as cessationists) they don't believe biblical miracles are any longer for our day anyway, and frankly I am not in the business of proving anything to anyone anymore. People can take my witness or leave it as they want, they don't need to believe. It doesn't bother me one way or the other because I have nothing to prove. The only ones who need to believe are those evil men and women who are at the receiving end of supernatural divine judgment. They need to believe because you only live once on this world and what you choose here fixes your fate in the eternities. The 'giant party' they think they're going to have in the next life is their own fantasy. Those who are wise enough to repent need to do so now.

An entire city, save Rahab and her family, perished on the seventh day of the siege of Jericho - today, on this the seventh day of the second month of the biblical creation calendar. This was the firstfruits or bikkurim of Israel's conquest in the Promised Land-proper. Do I believe that the Jericho affair was an actual historical event and not a mere fable? Absolutely. I am completely conservative when it comes to Bible miracles. And there's archaeological evidence I have seen. The remains of the ancient city may be found at Tel es-Sultan about 23 kilometers (14 miles) northeast of Jerusalem in the historic territory of Benjamin. Nearby are the remains of first century Jericho which was visited by Yah'shua (Jesus) and His talmidim (disciples) (Mt.20:29), today called Tulul Abu el-'Alayiq. It's a beautiful area, I have driven through it, with a pleasant subtropical climate where oranges, bananas and figs are cultivated. The original Jericho was excavated by John Garstang between 1929 and 1936 where he discovered that the city had been subjected to intense fires and that its walls had collapsed. Other archaeologists subsequently concluded that the destruction of around 1400 BC, matching Joshua's time, was the result of an earthquake. So, yes, I believe the biblical account is authentic.

So in my own way, I have been a witness to the Hand of Judgment of El Elyion, the Most High. Now it's true, I have not seen many healing miracles but I know lots of people who have, including hearing of dead people being raised to life again. I personally know a man whose father was thus raised, having been dead for some time. And much as I would dearly love to be a direct witness of such things, and to have such a ministry, and to glorify Yahweh in that way, it is not for us to choose our calling or gifting. Ours is to submit and obey. But I have experienced Yahweh utterly incinerate and strike down in their tracks dozens and dozens of unrepentant, possessed men bent on murder, so many times that I have lost count, and I have experienced Yahweh flood out a coven of devil-worshippers in Switzerland as the result of intercessory prayer. I have experienced wicked men employ occult powers to physically transmaterialise themselves, only to be cut down. These things I know and there are others who know of these things too. If there is one supernatural ministry I know, aside from the way the Ruach haQodesh (Holy Spirit) changes hearts and lives, it is the Judgment power of Elohim (God). You don't trifle with that - ever! It's a reason you fear Him in the positive sense.

Why I have been chosen to witness these miracles and not others I can only guess at particularly as there is no glory or pleasure in them (as in supernatural healing) with only a tiny band who actually believe in these things with even fewer able to confirm them. But that's OK. It is not for us to reason why. The next time round, though, there will be lots of witness and these devilish people will not be able to cover their tracks, for this is the time of exposure in the world. They will be running around like headless chickens in panic, desperately trying to hide themselves, their grizzly works and their dead comrades. I call this day, which is close at hand, the 'Meatgrinder'. As Yah'shua testified:

"For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, nor hidden that will not be known. Therefore whatever you have spoken in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have spoken in the ear in inner rooms will be proclaimed on the housetops" (Luke 12:2-3, NKJV).

So I am calling them to REPENT now while there is yet an opportunity for there are some who will be saved. There are always a few 'Rahabs' in every 'Jericho' who may make right choices and be saved by grace - Yahweh's undeserved loving kindness. It will cost you but the price is as nothing compared to what you will lose in eternity if you do not repent here in this life while there is yet time.

We don't know how many died in Jericho but it must have been a fair amount, the equivalent of a small modern town, I would guess. By the time the second generation was doing this march, Israel as a nation had grown in emunah (faith) through experience and making sound choices. You see, emunah (faith) is like a muscle. It grows as it is used. Lots of mine were sliced apart in my recent operation, they're having to regrow and be strengthened through daily exercise. The siege of Jericho generation had to have their spiritual muscles grown in very specific ways.

They needed a miracle before they were called to Jericho and the battles afterwards, and that miracle was the crossing of the Jordan River without boats or bridges. And Yahweh deliberately commanded them to cross when the river had swollen to flood stage following the melting of the winter snows. This was spring-time and the waters were descending in large volumes from Hermon and other mountains in the north.

Remember, these are desert bedouins who have never received what one preacher called their "Red Cross lifesaving badges". They wouldn't have known how to cross such a raging torrent! The most sacred thing they possessed was the Ark of the Covenant which was carried by the lead group, the cohenim (priests). Yahweh said, in essence, "I will lead you through, but you have to get in the water first". Too often we fail to exercise our emunah (faith) and then are surprised when we feel it deteriorating. Yahweh promises us His strength but first we have to step out of our comfort zone. That's how pro-active faith works - biblical-type faith, emunah!

The Israelites marching around Jericho - the second generation who never experienced the Red Sea crossing that their parents did, having being born in the desert - had already had their emunah (faith) tested at the Jordan River. Many think that because this was a tiny river compared to the Red Sea (Yam Suf, actually the Sea of Reeds) that less faith was required. Not a bit, for this river was, as I said, a raging torrent filled with spring flood waters. Though shallow, the Jordan River was unnavigable. It meandered like a snake, whence it gets its name. Though there were reputedly about 60 places where one could wade across this was only possible when the river was not at flood stage. So this must have been a scary experience initially, and not for the faint-hearted! The current would have been strong, so strong that not even a Red Cross badge would have been much use to them then. But once they stepped into that raging water, Yahweh rolled back the river into a wall and left them dry land to cross over on.

You are probably wondering why I am spending so much time and effort on the Jericho March sermons this year, and why the theme is what it has been, and the answer is simple: this is the year you're going to be crossing some raging spring rivers and this is the year you're going to be investing Jericho's bigger than you have ever faced before. This is the year you're either going to have to step out in emunah (faith) into the water, this is the year you're going to have to circle your enemies in faith according to divine tavnith or pattern, or this is the year your heart will grow faint and you will break ranks and flee. I really, really pray you are not of the latter crowd because this is not a good time to be wandering around alone in a hostile desert.

This is not a call for all of you, who are listening to this broadcast or reading this material online, to join this work or ministry. You have to get a specific, personal revelation to do that and be totally committed. We're not a recruitment agency except to Messiah Yah'shua (Jesus). Many are our tasks and this is one of them but we talked about this yesterday. Here we dip our feet into raging torrents and circle large cities far bigger than ourselves with wholly inadequate fleshy armour and weapons. We are very fallible and imperfect but we believe, we are willing to act, and we do have some 'Red Cross badges' sown onto our tunics, but again only because at an earlier time we chose to trust and obey.

So what will you make of all this? The ramblings of some nutcase with a superman complex who has read too many Marvel comics? Maybe you will. (I never read such comics or watched such movies, by the way, because they are so ridiculous and not grounded in reality). Batman and Spiderman or any of the other Illuminati heroes-for-children (and adults) couldn't even demolish a Lego replica of Jericho. Only the living, now resurrected Yah'shua (Jesus) can, the Commander of the Armies of Yahweh-sebaoth. He is our Deliverer and Saviour, and the only one with which we have to do. Today, you go and get your armour on - get kitted out with the stuff of emunah (faith) and see what Yahweh will do with you. Oh, and take your socks off - I hear the water's wet. I'll be around. Until next time, be blessed!