Text

“Who among you will give ear to this?
Who will listen and hear for the time to come?”
(Isa. 42:23)

In the previous issue, we talked about how the Lord is summoning the global Body of Christ to pay attention to what is ahead for Israel according to His Biblical narrative. It is crucial to hear God’s heart concerning Israel and know what we ought to do as friends who will stand fast with Him (1 Chr. 12:32).

One of the things He is unveiling right now is the mystery of Israel. Mysteries in the Bible refer to hidden truths that God reveals in His own timing. As the Day of His return draws nearer, the Lord is especially revealing the mystery of Israel now. In His zeal for us to fully understand and not be ignorant of this mystery, the Holy Spirit is in this decade of historic transition, directing His Gentile Church to Romans 11 and shining His spotlight on this passage.

Do not be Ignorant of this Mystery

With the focus on Israel and antisemitism escalating as a result of the current Israel-Hamas war, the Holy Spirit is indeed shouting to the Church that this is not the time to stay at the place of ignorance! His zeal is for His Church to fully understand this mystery and not to be ignorant about this matter.

Scripture clearly reveals the burden of God’s heart for New Covenant believers through Apostle Paul. With great fervour, Paul warned the Gentile Church that we should not be ignorant of the mystery of Israel, because of the drastic consequences that could follow (Rom. 11:20–25). If Paul already had to address this with Gentile believers in first century Rome, how much more would this apply to us living in a time where we will see the fullness of Psalm 2?

Romans 11 tells us that if we camp at the place of ignorance, it will lead to passive resistance against the Lord and His plans for Israel, and eventually to active resistance against Him. If this continues, we could very well end up in antisemitism and ultimately apostasy (Rom. 11:18–25)!

Could this really be the case? Was Paul being hyperbolic? Or did Paul understand something that many of us yet do not — that if we stay ignorant of this mystery of Israel, our faith could eventually be in jeopardy.

Aligning with God’s Heart and Sovereign Choice of Israel

For many centuries, very few in the Church have understood God’s heart concerning Israel. The Gentile Church has largely viewed the Jewish people as enemies of the cross due to their rejection and crucifixion of Jesus. Additionally, with God’s judgement on Israel through the siege of Jerusalem, the temple’s destruction, and the loss of a Jewish homeland in AD 70, the Church had even more impetus to embrace Replacement Theology and wrongly assume that we have replaced Israel.

Over centuries, whether blatantly or subtly, this misguided theology has become entrenched in the Church.

However, in His mercy, God is reconnecting the Gentile Church back to our Jewish roots in this time. He is unveiling the mystery of Israel to us. He is restoring the Gentile Church to a Biblical understanding of the roots of our faith and His sovereign choice of Israel as the vehicle of salvation and redemption for nations. It is so important to align in this because the issue of Israel is ultimately about God’s sovereignty — His very right to choose how to bring the fullness of redemption to humanity.

Thus, just as Paul exhorted the Roman believers, now is not the time to be wise in our own opinions. Now is not the time to align with the narrative and wisdom of the world. Now is not the time to be in opposition with Him. Instead, it is now the time to give ear, listen, and align with the only opinion that matters — God’s!

Five Dimensions of the Mystery of Israel

Romans 11 reveals five dimensions of the mystery of Israel. Lest we believe that the Church has replaced Israel, these five dimensions show that nothing could be further from the truth! Beyond giving Replacement Theology no solid Biblical ground to stand on, this chapter reveals the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God in His redemptive plan for Israel and the Gentile nations!

The five dimensions of the mystery of Israel are:

1. God’s calling for Israel is irrevocable (Rom. 11:29). God has not written Israel off in spite of her rebellion towards Him as He is faithful to His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He has elected the Jewish people from among other nations to be His vehicle of salvation to the earth based entirely on His love for her. Thus, Israel is still the beloved of God (Rom. 11:28) and He is zealous for her to step into her fullness.

2. The partial blindness that has come upon Israel is partly pre-ordained by God (Rom. 11:25). In His sovereignty, this blindness upon Israel has caused the Gospel to go to the Gentiles. It is also partly due to Israel’s rejection of the Messiah that God has blinded her.

3. This blindness will be lifted when the Gentile Church steps into her fullness and provokes Israel to jealousy (Rom. 11:11, 25). This blindness is neither total nor final, and now as the Gospel is making its way back to Jerusalem, Gentile believers have a role to play to cause Israel to see her Messiah, Yeshua, rightly.

4. The entire nation of Israel will be saved (Rom. 11:26) after the “fullness of Gentiles” has come in and at the return of the Lord Jesus (Rom. 11:26; Zech. 13:9). Paul meant this literally and not just metaphorically — all of Israel will be saved.

5. The fullness of Israel during the Millennial Kingdom will lead to God’s glory spreading to nations and filling the millennial earth (Rom. 11:15). This is the culmination and fullness of God’s redemptive plan for humanity! Habakkuk 2:14 will no longer be a prophecy but a reality!

Wow! What a marvellous plan God has for Israel and the Gentile nations! How high are His ways compared to ours! In His great wisdom, He has woven and intertwined our destinies — both Gentile and Jewish — together.

God is On the Move!

The 20^th Century saw the sovereign hand of God move with regard to Israel. At the turn of the century, Jewish people began to return to the land of Palestine in increasing numbers. In 1948, the modern State of Israel was born, and in 1967, the city of Jerusalem was restored back into the hands of the Jewish people.

The 1970s then saw the beginning of the Messianic Jewish movement and increasing numbers of salvation among the Jewish people. In 1999, there were around 5000 Messianic Jewish believers in Israel. By 2020, this number is estimated to have tripled to around 15,000.

Indeed, we are seeing Romans 11 coming to pass! We are seeing the progressive lifting of the blindness from the eyes of the Jewish people even as Gentiles are reaching their fullness!

The Set Time of Israel’s Favour

“You will arise and have mercy over Zion;
For the time to favour her, yes, the set time, has come.”
(Ps. 102:13)

At the start of the Global Isaiah 62 Solemn Assembly for Israel in May 2023, the Lord trumpeted forth Psalm 102:13. He is declaring that this is the set time to favour Israel. However, more than that, He wants to show forth His mercy and favour to Israel through His Gentile Church. Out of His zeal, He desires us Gentiles to be more than just mere spectators in His story. He desires us to step into and live out the role He has for us as part of this mystery of Israel — to be a vessel of His mercy and favour to her. And now is the set time — the kairos hour for the Gentile Church to do so!

How do we show forth God’s mercy and favour to Israel?

Romans 11, Isaiah 62, and Matthew 25:31–46 reveal that the Lord wants us to stand with Israel, pray for Israel and provoke her to jealousy so that she will come to know the Lord (Rom. 11:11,14).

Stand with Israel
This does not mean that we agree with everything that Israel does, but that we take a stand with God regarding His heart for her and as a result, stand with her when no one else does. This can be expressed through blessing the Jewish people, whether locally or abroad. This includes financial blessings, serving them through meeting their needs, or sharing our faith with unbelieving Jewish people. The Lord could even lead us to visit a local Messianic congregation to partner them in prayer and be a friend in the midst of an increasingly hostile world.

Pray for Israel
This is one of the key ways to stand with Israel — to pray for the nation and Jewish people regularly. We want to pray in accordance with God’s heart and plans for her, and should do so both in our personal prayer life and corporate prayer sessions. As we “climb up onto her walls” and step into the place of intercession for Jerusalem, we are fulfilling the zeal of God’s heart and His promise in Isaiah 62:6–7 to set watchmen on her walls until He returns and makes her a praise in the earth.

Besides praying, we can also sing and prophetically declare over her God’s destiny for her from His Word. There is nothing more powerful than using what God has written in His unchanging Word to pray and prophesy over her.

Provoke Israel to Jealousy
We are called to provoke Israel to jealousy by moving in signs and wonders, in the prophetic spirit, and through standing sacrificially with the Jewish people.

When we move in the greater works of Jesus and the Jewish people see the powerful miracles, provision and deliverance of God in their time of trouble, their hearts will be stirred — these signs will remind them of Yahweh their God who moved powerfully through Moses and Elijah.

When we move in the greater love of Jesus and lay down our lives sacrificially for them, it will provoke them to ask why. This is when the door is opened to share about Yeshua — the ultimate Passover Lamb who was slain for them — and to trust the Spirit of conviction to move mightily in their hearts!

Israel as God’s Litmus Test for the Gentiles in the End Times

What many Gentile believers do not realise, but is critical for us to know, is that God has set Israel up as a litmus test — a decisive factor — for the fate of nations at the End of the Age.

During the Great Tribulation, many Jewish people will flee from the land of Israel because of Antichrist’s persecution (Matt. 24:15–20). As they run to the surrounding nations, Gentile believers who understand and are aligned with God’s heart for Israel will take fleeing Jewish people into their homes to shelter them, even at the risk of losing their own lives.

This is the context for Jesus’ teaching on the Judgement of the Sheep and Goats in Matthew 25:31–46. Jesus’ “brethren” refer specifically to the Jewish people who would be fleeing from the Antichrist. He emphatically said that if we reject them and do not feed, clothe or shelter them, we are actually rejecting Jesus Himself!

Jesus’ judgement upon the “goats” — those who reject His Jewish brethren — is very strong. Rejecting the Jewish people will be tantamount to going against God, and thus the fate of those who do so will be the lake of fire (Matt. 25:40–46). This is in complete alignment with God’s promise to Abraham that those who bless His descendants will be blessed, and those who curse her will be cursed (Gen. 12:3).

Understanding this passage should put the fear of the Lord in our hearts!

Undoubtedly, the Lord has set Israel as the litmus test through which Gentiles express our love for Him by aligning to Him in His sovereign election of Israel as a vehicle to bring salvation and blessing to the nations.

Thus, in these final hours of human history, Jesus is asking the Gentile Church,
“Are you for Me or against Me?”
“Will you align fully with Me?”

He is emphasising the necessity to stand with and love Israel with a loyalty to Jesus that could cost us our lives.

Thus, this is the time to acquire understanding and conviction. This is the time to decide, align, and prepare ourselves, so that we can stand strong and firm when the intensities and pressures of unprecedented antisemitism are unleashed upon the nations of the world.

When Gentile believers obey the Lord and step into our fullness, we will provoke the Jewish people to jealousy and they will call upon the name of Yeshua. Ultimately, all of Israel will be saved, and Israel stepping into her fullness will lead to the glory of God filling the earth!

Wow!

Like Paul, we will worship and proclaim,

“Oh, the depths of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God!
How unsearchable His judgements and His ways past finding out!”
(Rom. 11:33)

The Book of Zechariah | Teaching Series

In early 2023, the Lord directed us to revisit the Book of Zechariah in order to understand His End-Time plan for Israel. We invite you to watch and listen to the series, especially sessions 10 to 13.

Introductory Series on Understanding Israel

For an introduction to the topic of Israel, what Scripture says, and how Gentile believers are not to be ignorant about this mystery, watch our Introductory Series on Understanding Israel.

Watch here

(Before proceeding to read this week’s email, we encourage readers to read Issue #7: The Significance of Israel in the Coming Era as a refresher and to help set the context for today’s content.)

“Who among you will give ear to this?
Who will listen and hear for the time to come?”
(Isa. 42:23)

When the Lord began shifting the focus of His people globally towards Israel between 2020–2022, and when He spoke to us in 2021 His summons from Isaiah 42:23 (issue #7), little did we foresee the crisis and war that Israel would find herself in today!

The surprise October 7 2023 attack by Hamas has deeply shocked and traumatised the nation of Israel. More Jewish people were killed on that one day than on any other since the Holocaust. As believers, it is one thing to read in the Bible and know in our minds that Israel will undergo attack and persecution. It is another to see it happening right before our eyes.

Through this escalation of global antisemitism and hostility towards Israel, God is highlighting and trumpeting His Isaiah 42:23 divine summons.

As Gentile believers:
What do we need to pay attention to?
What is God summoning us to?
And most importantly, how do we as His people respond?

“This” and “The Time to Come”

With Isaiah 42:23, the Lord highlighted especially “this” and “the time to come”. He was directing us to pay attention to the scriptural context of the verse, which prophesies of a time when Israel would be “utterly plundered” and Jewish people would go into hiding because of their enemies (Isa. 42:22, 24–25). The October 7 attack is simply a foretaste of what is ahead.

If this is true, where else does Scripture speak prophetically of this coming time?

Psalm 2 and Isaiah 19 both point to Israel and the Middle East as a vortex in the coming End-Time drama. Intense persecution of Israel will be part of the Psalm 2 crisis, and Isaiah 19 highlights how Egypt and the Middle Eastern nations factor into God’s End-Time plan. (We will elaborate on Psalm 2 here and cover Isaiah 19 in a subsequent issue.)

God has highlighted Psalm 2:1–3 as a lens through which to view this decade of historic transition (issue #2). However, there is more that this psalm alludes to than just the rapid erosion and decline of morality. Right now, nations are casting away His laws, and they will come to a place where they blatantly rage against God, and come against God’s chosen nation, Israel, and His chosen Messiah, Yeshua!

What is God’s response to the rebellion of the nations against Him, His choice of Yeshua as King, and Jerusalem as the capital city of Yeshua’s millennial reign? The Father declares unequivocally: “Yet I have set My King on My holy hill of Zion” (Ps. 2:6). And He does so in His “wrath” and “deep displeasure”.

Woah! As people of God, we had better pay attention to what provokes such intense emotions in our Lord!

What is God Summoning Us To?
While part of this divine summons is certainly a call related to Israel, at the root of it, it is a call to extravagant devotion for Jesus. It is the “Mary of Bethany” call (Lk. 10:39,42).

Why? Because the call to “give ear” and to “listen and hear” (Isa. 42:23) is firstly one of expressing our love and devotion to Jesus our Bridegroom. Just like how Mary of Bethany cared enough about what was on Jesus’ heart to make time to sit at His feet, the Lord is calling us to express our love for Him by doing likewise in this time of historic transition.

It is out of this place of sitting at His feet and hearing His heart, that we will be prepared and strengthened to stand with Him in all things, even in the issue of Israel.

The Holy Spirit is summoning us to:

1. Hear — This will cost us time and energy as we prioritise listening to Jesus and His Word. However, as we do so and express our love for Him, He delights in our response and will give us the grace to sit long at His feet.

2. Prepare — Just like how God gave Isaiah an encounter that overwhelmed him with His glory unto commissioning him as His voice (Isa. 6), this is a season of preparation unto commissioning of many voices for the time to come. Let’s expect encounters with the Lord in this season of open doors.

3. Stand with Jesus — Jesus is ultimately looking for friends. Just like how John the Baptist was a “friend of the Bridegroom” at Jesus’ First Coming (Jn. 3:29), the Holy Spirit is calling and raising up many in the generation of the Lord’s return, who will faithfully stand with Him and not waver in the midst of pressures.

4. Tell and speak — As we listen and hear, the Lord will commission us to speak as His voices to both Israel and Gentile nations. Many will speak comfort to Israel in the midst of her troubles (Isa. 40), and also call God’s people and nations to align with God’s End-Time plan for Israel and the world.

5. Bear the stigma — There will be a stigma associated with standing with God with regard to the issue of Israel. It will be unpopular in the face of global antisemitism and thus we will have to bear the stigma of being His voice.

6. Share in the fellowship of His sufferings — This refers to a deep level of intimacy with Jesus where we share in the suffering of His heart. This is multifaceted when it comes to Israel. Yeshua grieves over the sin and rebellion of His people. Yet His heart also churns with sympathy when He witnesses the suffering that His brethren, the Jewish people, go through (Matt. 23:37).

A Response of Extravagant Devotion in this Wartime Hour

A 7-year travelling exhibition on the Holocaust began in late 2017 and has been making its way to cities around the world. To us who are aware of God’s Biblical narrative, its name — “Auschwitz. Not long ago. Not far away.” — is so unintentionally prophetic!

This is an uncanny and potent reminder of the greater intensities of what is coming soon for the Jewish people that will far surpass that of the Holocaust during World War II.

Indeed, we can no longer view “the time to come” as something distant. Surely, “the time to come” is nearer than we think! We are no longer in peacetime but in a wartime framework! It is high time for us to awaken to the intensity of the spiritual warfare around us and respond to God in the way He is looking for.

This will require us to take time to listen and hear His heart. We will need to seek out the Lord’s heart and will regarding Israel, especially from His Word. It will also require us to tune out the “noise” of what we hear in the secular media regarding Israel so that we can better align our hearts and perspectives with God’s.

Certainly, we are not saying that God does not love the Palestinian civilians. Neither are we saying that God agrees with everything that the current State of Israel does. (In fact, there are many times in Scripture where God does not because of her rebellion towards Him.) God’s heart is that He desires all people, including Palestinians, to come to the saving knowledge of Jesus (2 Pet. 3:9). However, as people who call the God of Israel our God, we are called to align with Him with regard to the issue of Israel, the apple of His eye.

Lest we think we have an option, the Sovereign Lord is making it clear that we do not. He is slowly but inexorably shifting the world’s focus to Israel and the Middle East. Scripture has always prophesied such, and now we are seeing it happen right before our very eyes.

In this hour of intense escalation and acceleration, may we give ear to our Lord Jesus, and hear what is on His heart and His mind. May we arise as His friends who stand with Him in all things, including the nation of Israel, until the end!

The Book of Zechariah | Teaching Series

In early 2023, the Lord directed us to revisit the Book of Zechariah in order to understand His End-Time plan for Israel. We invite you to watch and listen to the series, especially sessions 10 to 13.

Introductory Series on Understanding Israel

For an introduction to the topic of Israel, what Scripture says, and how Gentile believers are not to be ignorant about this mystery, watch our Introductory Series on Understanding Israel.

Watch here

Preparation for the Times (Intro)
Sign up for the PFFT CONNECT ZOOM session on 17 February 2024!

The purpose of the quarterly ZOOM sessions is to connect, pace and spur all who have signed up for this course to keep going!

Find out more & register

Towards the end of 2022, during the last of our three 20-day fasts for the year, the Lord spoke regarding a spiritual revolution and reformation He was going to bring in this Historic Transitional Decade — He will birth forth a spiritual revolution among the young generation and bring about a spiritual reformation in His Church!

He also spoke to us that 2023 would be a “tipping point” and “hinge” year, where the door of history would swing in accordance to how His people respond to Him in this hour.

Indeed, looking back, 2023 was a year where many things, both light and darkness, “tipped” into greater intensity and escalation. The years of Covid-19 are beginning to look mild and tame in comparison!

However, in the midst of this intensity, He is bringing a spiritual revolution and reformation that will culminate with the emergence of the John 17 Generation and Ekklesia at the end of this decade.

What is this spiritual revolution?
What sort of reformation is God bringing us through as His Body?
How do we align and enter into all that He is doing?

A Spiritual Revolution towards A New “Jesus Movement”

In God’s uncanny timing, we should not be surprised that the movie Jesus Revolution was released in 2023. It was as if God was shouting to His people — I am going to bring forth a revolution once again! And it is going to be unto the John 17 Generation!

The Lord highlighted to us that the John 17 Generation would emerge from among the Millennials and Gen Zs — believers and pre-believers alike — many of whom will be discontented and dissatisfied with life and what they are experiencing in their Christian faith.

Just like how the Holy Spirit swept through a generation of disillusioned but hungry young people in California in the 1970s and birthed forth the Jesus Movement, so too God will birth forth a spiritual revolution amongst the young people in this hour, but this time on a global scale.

This movement will not come from what we understand as “normal” Christianity, or from our currently established religious institutions. Instead, like John the Baptist, they will emerge out of the wilderness where God has brought them through the school of His Spirit. It is out of wholeheartedness expressed through holy violence (Matt. 11:12) that these people will arise. It will be a ground-up movement that cannot be contained by human structures!

A Reformation towards the Restoration of All Things

However, the Lord is also not finished with His corporate Body. Just like how God brought about a reformation from within the Church through Martin Luther and others in the 16^th Century, He is bringing about reformation in His people in four areas today. This is because He is so zealous for our maturity and fullness as His End-Time Bride and Ekklesia!

If we pay close attention, we can already see the beginnings of change among pockets of the Body of Christ.

1. A Reformation in the Prophetic
As previously mentioned (issue #16), God is bringing His people back to what being a true “prophet” is all about and also emphasising the more important issues — such as prophetic character and foundations — that matter to Him. The slew of erroneous Covid-19 predictions has already galvanised leaders in the Body to work towards change in the area of the prophetic.

2. A Return to True Worship
A considerable part of the Body of Christ today equates worship with a 30-minute segment at Sunday service. Many, especially among the young generation, even view it as something that is meant to make themselves “feel good”. This is not at all what true Biblical worship is!

Worship is not at all about how we feel, but all about who God is! Worship is a response to His worth, and is a daily offering of our lives as living sacrifices to the one true Living God (Rom. 12:1). It transcends just singing songs at church once a week. This is something that God will zealously realign His people to.

3. A Change in How “Church” is Done
Together with the shift from being programme-based to Spirit-led (issue #5), vision-driven to value-driven, and the awakening to our call as the “Ekklesia” of Christ, God will change how we express our faith as His corporate Body. No longer will we be centred primarily around Sunday services, programmes, a building, or the senior pastor, but we will be centred around Jesus, grounded in His Word, and led by the Holy Spirit.

This would mean changing how discipleship is carried out, our current rhythms of “church life” as we know it and reorienting ourselves back to more Biblical feasts (such as Passover and the Feast of Tabernacles). Why we gather and what we do when we gather will change as we realign more and more to how God has called His people to live.

4. Preaching of the Gospel of the Kingdom
Finally, the Lord is also bringing His people back to preaching the fullness of His Gospel — the Gospel of the Kingdom. While there has always only been one Gospel in Scripture, we have over the years, in our zeal to see as many as possible saved, focused on preaching only about the grace that has been given so that we can escape from hell’s fire. We have largely neglected preaching about the coming Kingdom of Christ and the necessity for believers to align with our soon-coming King.

However, as we near the return of our Lord Jesus, God will zealously shift us back to preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom. Without it, believers will not be ready for His return or His coming Kingdom.

How do we as believers make sense of what He is doing and respond?

New Wineskins for the New Wine

The Spirit gave us understanding and insight from Jesus’ teaching on wineskins and wine (Matt. 9:17, Mk. 2:22, Lk. 5:37–39). The spiritual revolution and reformation are all about having new wineskins for the new wine that He is about to pour out.

While a “revolution” completely discards the old and builds anew, a “reformation” takes the old and “re-forms” it into the new. These are what the Lord wants to do both individually and corporately in His people!

On an individual level, He desires us to have new mindsets, new priorities, new perspectives, and a new lifestyle that is aligned to Him so that we can enter into His new move and not miss out.

As a Body of Christ, He is calling us to change the way we “do church”, how we worship, how we organise and structure ourselves, and how we function as His people. He is calling us to step out of being an institutionalised church into the New Normal of being the Spirit-led Body of Christ. This is so that we can contain the new move that He is about to bring in this generation. Truly, the business-as-usual ways of running “church” and current structures will no longer be able to contain what He is about to do!

Trusting our Good Shepherd’s Leadership

In light of all that God wants to bring, some of us may feel excitement, while others apprehension. Indeed, such past moves of God have always been far from orderly, comfortable, or neat and tidy, and we can expect this coming one to be no different!

Yet, if it is something that the Lord is doing, we want to embrace it, align with Him, and enter into this move of His!

Thankfully, Jesus our Good Shepherd often knows us better than we do. In Luke 5:39, He highlights our natural human propensity to hold on to the old, tried and tested, and comfortable ways. However, there is hope for old wineskins! Just as old wineskins are renewed via a repeated process of soaking in hot water and application of oil, Jesus is committed to bring a reformation to His people through the work of the Word (water) and the Holy Spirit (oil).

While this process will not be neat or comfortable, we can trust our Good Shepherd who knows how to lead us. The glory that is awaiting us on the other side of this revolution and reformation is worth completely embracing and reaching for!

May we embrace all that He is doing, align and cooperate with His work in this decade, so that we can enter into the coming glory that will rise upon His people!

Journey with Us | Build the Fire on the Altar

In this Isaiah 60:1–3 hour of escalating darkness and increasing glory, we are calling singers, musicians, worship leaders and intercessors to give a season of their lives to build the House of God and grow into becoming the Daniel 11:32–33 people.

We invite you to journey with us for 12 months to strengthen and establish an altar of worship and intercession in Singapore for the worthiness of Jesus and for the urgency of the hour. The hour has never been more urgent for the continuous fire of intercession to arise before His throne. It is the only answer for what is to come and more than that, this is the key that will usher in God’s fullness for His people and the nations at the End of the Age.

Find out More

“The Lord is hastening His work in His people in these seven years as a pre-emptive strike against the kingdom of darkness… We will function as His Ekklesia, being led by and moving in the authority and power of the Holy Spirit (Matt. 16:18). (Issue #8)

In September 2019, when the Lord first spoke of the “Divine Upgrade” that He was bringing, we only had a vague notion of what this meant. As the Holy Spirit brought greater revelation and understanding, we now know that a major upgrade He is bringing His people through is an increase in power, authority, and things of the Spirit in our lives as believers, and from there, an upgrade in our partnership with Him in advancing His Kingdom.

Over the next few years, the Lord began to lead us, through connections with others in the Kingdom, into partnering Him at a level of prayer that was beyond what was laid out in 1 Timothy 2:1. While most of us are familiar with prayers, petitions, supplications, and standing in the gap, we began to see and understand that He desires to take His people higher to a level of authority in prayer that was governmental in nature.

This is one of the major positive shifts that God is bringing to His Church in this hour (issue #10)! He is leading us into partnership of a kingly dimension that will shift things in the heavenlies. He is inviting us to prepare and arm ourselves for spiritual warfare. He is summoning us to arise as His Ekklesia!

What is this shift that He is bringing us into?
How does this change the way we understand “church”?
Most importantly, how do we “qualify” to be a part of this?

A Critical Mistranslation

In 2022, God directed our attention to the first few instances in the New Testament where the word “church” appeared. While many Biblical scholars are aware that “church” is a mistranslation of the original Greek word “ekklesia” that has taken root over the centuries of church history, most have accepted it as a benign error that has little effect on believers today.

However, the Holy Spirit was saying something quite different! Not only was this mistranslation not harmless, but it has been robbing God’s people of stepping into what Jesus had intended for our fullness as His “Ekklesia”. In this particular case, understanding what Jesus was trying to convey when He chose this specific word to describe His people is crucial.

If He was the One who first used it in Scripture, we want to pay attention! And if out of all the words that were in existence during His time for assemblies, committees and councils, He chose “ekklesia” — a word of secular origin, then we want to know why and what this means for us!

The “Founding Charter” of Jesus’ Ekklesia

“…and on this rock I will build My ekklesia,
and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.”
(Matt. 16:18)

In Matthew 16:18–19 and 18:15–19, Jesus was giving clues to our purpose, mission and destiny as a people of God when He named us His “Ekklesia”. In essence, these verses form the “founding charter” of the Ekklesia of Jesus Christ. If we examine them, we would see that they are quite different from our idea of what “church” is today!

At that time, the secular Greek ekklesia had already been in existence for about 500 years. (In fact, we see one in action in Acts 19:32–41, where the “assembly” [ekklesia] of Ephesus gathered in an uproar in the theatre.) Thus, this 500-year history would give Jesus’ disciples a context within which to understand what He was trying to say.

Combining the original cultural context of the ekklesia together with what Jesus was proclaiming in Matthew, we have five insights into the Ekklesia that Jesus said He would build:

1. The Ekklesia is Called Out to Advance God’s Kingdom (Matt. 16:18)
The word “ekklesia” itself gives us clues to what it is. It is made up of:

• “ek” which means “out of”;
• “klesia” which means “called out”.

While believers generally understand that we have been “called out” of the world, we sometimes fail to see the fullness of the purpose for which we are called. Jesus’ Ekklesia is meant to advance God’s Kingdom — His governmental authority and rule — wherever Jesus has called us to. The disciples understood this because this was what the secular Greek ekklesia was for.

Just as secular ekklesias were summoned to make decisions and judgements regarding national issues, Jesus calls out and summons His Ekklesia for governmental purposes. He summons His Ekklesia to receive His order or assignment and then empowers it to execute the order with His authority. In fact, He emphasised that the gates (i.e. place of authority) of Hades shall not prevail against His Ekklesia!

2. The Ekklesia Advances God’s Kingdom Especially Through Prayer (Matt. 16:19)
Unlike an earthly government and kingdom that seeks to rule oftentimes by force or advance its rule via military conquests and diplomatic treaties, Jesus calls His Ekklesia to do so primarily through prayer. He has promised us the “keys of the Kingdom of heaven” to bind and loose on earth whatever has already been bound or loosed in heaven.

3. The Ekklesia Exercises God’s Spiritual Governmental Authority on Earth (Matt. 18:15–20)
Just like secular ekklesias carry the authority of the state when they meet and make decisions that are binding upon the nation, so too does Jesus’ Ekklesia. Whenever God summons His people to gather as an ekklesia for a specific assignment or judgement, the entire authority of God’s Kingdom is brought to bear on the task and situation. Surely this is authority that we do not want to take lightly!

4. The Ekklesia Functions in Groups (Matt. 18:19–20)
Jesus has determined that no one believer is meant to function in silo when it comes to the level of spiritual warfare that the Ekklesia is called to wage. He has done this out of His heart to protect His people. Indeed, the warfare is real! This is something we cannot be flippant about! This type of spiritual warfare is not to be undertaken alone but in groups of at least two to three.

Another reason why the Ekklesia functions in groups is this — the leadership of the Spirit to Christ’s Body requires us to hear what He is saying and discern that it is He who is speaking. Often, each of us only sees and hears in part, and we need one another to discern corporately and correctly (1 Cor. 12:7–11; 13:9). There is safety and wisdom in a multitude of counsellors and this process requires great humility, love and mutual submission from all (Prov. 11:14; 15:22).

5. All Are Invited but Only Some Qualify
Last but not least, while the whole Body of Christ is invited to arise as Jesus’ Ekklesia, not all will “qualify”. Just like how the secular ekklesia did not discriminate between social class, political connections, or family background and was open to all male citizens (unlike other councils that were in existence), Jesus is no respecter of persons and invites every believer to be part of His Ekklesia.

However, a Greek male citizen had to be above the age of 18 before he could be part of the ekklesia. In the same manner, only believers who are of a certain maturity will qualify to be summoned as Jesus’ Ekklesia, as maturity is required for partnership with our God in carrying out the assignments to advance His Kingdom (issues #22 & #23).

Putting all of the above together, the Ekklesia of Jesus Christ therefore refers to an assembly of believers of a certain maturity who are summoned to advance His Kingdom through executing a God-given assignment, especially through prayer (decrees, declarations, and proclamations), with the spiritual governmental authority of God’s Kingdom given to them by Jesus the King.

Can you see how different this is from our current understanding of what “church” looks like?

Thus, the fundamental role and purpose of what we have been calling the “church” all along is meant to be primarily governmental. This is the divine shift that God is bringing to our understanding and expression of “church”!

The Requirement to Prepare Unto Being Summoned

While being called to partner with Jesus in kingly intercession and spiritual warfare is a glorious privilege, it is something we need to prepare for. There are real repercussions if we are not ready! In fact, Jesus is so zealous that He broke in earlier this year and spoke about the need to prepare. (This was recounted in issue #15.)

His exhortation was to be diligent and intentional to prepare ourselves to become the Daniel 11:32–33 people (issues #15 & #21).

Ultimately, it is Jesus who builds His Ekklesia. He is doing so today in every stratum of society and sphere of influence.

As people of God, our part is to grow up into the mature sons of God, make ourselves ready as the equally yoked Bride of Christ, and prepare ourselves as the John 17 Generation.

As we do so, Jesus Himself will build His Ekklesia!

And the gates of Hades shall not prevail against us!

Journey with Us | Build the Fire on the Altar

In this Isaiah 60:1–3 hour of escalating darkness and increasing glory, we are calling singers, musicians, worship leaders and intercessors to give a season of their lives to build the House of God and grow into becoming the Daniel 11:32–33 people.

We invite you to journey with us for 12 months to strengthen and establish an altar of worship and intercession in Singapore for the worthiness of Jesus and for the urgency of the hour. The hour has never been more urgent for the continuous fire of intercession to arise before His throne. It is the only answer for what is to come and more than that, this is the key that will usher in God’s fullness for His people and the nations at the End of the Age.

Find out More

The Lord is hastening His work in His people in these seven years as a pre-emptive strike against the kingdom of darkness… We will be the John 17 Generation who is in complete oneness with God and who fully expresses Him on this earth (John 17). (Issue #8)

In August 2018, the Lord gave Kay-Chong a prophetic dream regarding the young generation that would arise at the End of the Age to wage spiritual warfare in the heavenlies with great power and authority. Unbeknownst to him at that time, God was speaking about the “John 17 Generation” that He is raising up. Over the next few years, the Spirit has brought more clarity and affirmation from others in the Body of Christ about this glorious End-Time generation.

Allow us to recount the dream:

In the dream, Kay-Chong saw young people, especially in Asia, praying with great authority and insight. They prayed primarily from the Scriptures together with the leadership of the Holy Spirit. They were specific and targeted in their prayers because they had insight and understanding from the Lord. This stemmed from a foundation of intimacy with God that was established in their lives.

As they prayed, many ministers of God were lifted high and they soared in the Spirit.

The Lord then lifted these young people to a higher level to see from His perspective, so that they could prophesy with great authority, insight, and understanding. Things began to shift and change when they did so. More than just pushing back darkness, light went forth as they prophesied and turned darkness into light (Isa. 42:16).

Wow!

However, the Spirit also impressed upon his heart that in order to move in this level of authority in prayer and the prophetic, the young people would have to be continually connected to and abiding in Christ. It would not primarily be about giftedness or anointing. Instead, they have to go through a season of preparation because there is a requirement to make themselves ready.

The young people would have to ground themselves in His Word and cultivate a real, deep, and authentic relationship with the Holy Spirit. They would have to wait in God’s presence and stand in His counsel (Isa. 40:31; Jer. 23:18). If they would wait and stand before Him, He promised to mark His word in their heart.

The young people in the dream are the John 17 Generation. There is a process of intentional preparation — these seven years — unto their arising, and this process cannot be hurried!

What Does the John 17 Generation Look Like?

Through His high priestly prayer in John 17, Jesus prophetically declared His and the Father’s heart and plan to raise up a generation of people who will fully express God on this earth. If this is God’s glorious destiny for us in the final hours of human history, we want to see with clarity who He has called us to be!

There are eight aspects of what the John 17 generation will look like and they are found primarily in John 13 – 17. The John 17 Generation will:

1. Walk in the fullness of the glory that Jesus had as the Son of Man while He walked on the earth (Jn. 17:22). They will be a generation who moves powerfully in the prophetic, the supernatural, the angelic, and the spirit realm, and they will have the character and maturity to carry the anointing of God. They will literally possess the glory of God and this will be evident to people around them (Isa. 60:1–3).

Wow!

2. Walk in deep intimacy and union with the Trinitarian God (Jn. 14:20). They will know the Father and the Son, and the eternal life of God will be manifest in and through them (Jn. 17:3). Because the life of God is the light of men, they will be the light in the midst of the greatest darkness, and the darkness cannot overcome them (Isa. 60:1–3; Rev. 12:11). They will be the ones who have the testimony of Jesus flowing out of their relationship with God.

3. Be the holy and righteous ones who walk on the Highway of Holiness (Jn. 17:16). From partaking of the superior pleasures of knowing God, they will live lives of total consecration and radical obedience in the fear of the Lord, and the world will have nothing in them.

4. Be the vessels and conduits of God who carry His glory, authority and power, manifest His presence, express His love, and do the greater works (Jn. 13:34–35; 14:12; 17:18; Isa. 60:1–3; Zech. 8:23).

5. Be one with the Trinitarian God and, as a result, be one with one another (Jn. 17:21). They will be one in spirit, heart, and values as a result of each being one with God. This oneness will transcend nationalities, cultures, and different ministry assignments and roles.

6. Know the Father’s love for them (which is the same love that the Father has for Jesus) and be rooted and grounded in this immeasurable love (Jn. 17:23; Eph. 3:16–19). Experiencing the extravagant love of God for them gives them strength to lay down their lives for God and for one another.

7. Have the Father’s love for Jesus imparted into their hearts (Jn. 17:26). This will empower them to love Jesus with the same measure and intensity of love as the Father loves Him. This fiery love will be supernatural and cannot be quenched by the floods of persecution.

8. Be perfect and mature in Christ (Jn. 17:23; Eph. 4:13). They will possess the full stature of Christ and be mature in character, values, and understanding.

What a glorious set-apart people God is raising up at the End of the Age! This John 17 Generation will partner with Him to advance His kingdom here on earth unto His Second Coming.

However, more than just seeing with clarity, we want to enter into the reality of being the John 17 Generation, especially at the end of these seven years of preparation.

How do we do so?

God’s Blueprint to Become the John 17 Generation

The Holy Spirit highlighted John 13 to 17 (also known as the “Upper Room Discourse”) as His divine blueprint for us to engage Him unto becoming the John 17 Generation. Even though these chapters were written 2000 years ago, they contain deep treasures for the End-Time generation. In fact, they contain hidden truths that the Holy Spirit is unravelling in a fresh way for us to prepare ourselves in this hour!

Chapters 13 to 16 contain more than 20 promises, instructions, and truth that we can engage the Lord with in prayer. As we allow the Spirit to take what belongs to Jesus and declare it unto our hearts, a progressive transformation will occur. We will undergo a “metamorphosis” unto becoming this promised generation (Jn. 16:13–15; 2 Cor. 3:18)! We will carry the glory of the Triune God and shine forth in the midst of deepest darkness! We will fully express the nature, character, and power of the Triune God perfectly as Christ’s Body!

Hallelujah! How rich the glory of His inheritance in the saints!

Engaging God in this Revelation 3:20 Moment

Without a shadow of a doubt, what Jesus declared in John 17 will come to pass. However, whether each one of us is part of this End-Time move of God depends on whether we individually believe, fully embrace, and diligently engage Him in this Revelation 3:20 moment and in the sanctification process.

We have to consecrate ourselves unto becoming this people.

We fully embrace by fully believing and throwing ourselves wholeheartedly towards pursuing His end goal for us, and immersing ourselves in diligent and intentional preparation. To be that unprecedented John 17 Generation is glorious and a great privilege, but it requires us to totally surrender our lives to the Lord as the Owner of our lives and the Author of our destinies.

Will we do so in response?

Our Confidence in Preparation

It has always been God’s desire for His people to step into our fullness. However, only one generation will attain it — the generation at the End of the Age. Whether it’s the “John 17 Generation, the “David Generation”, the “Daniel 11:32–33 People”, the “Gideon’s Army”, or the “Finest Generation” etc., God is so zealous for our fullness that He has spoken about this generation through these various names. While these names emphasise and focus on different aspects of the End-Time generation, they speak about the same group of set-apart people that the Lord is raising up in the final hours of human history.

What zeal He has for our fullness!

Thus, even when we choose to respond to this invitation, our confidence is this: our Father is the One who has ordained our story and Jesus, our Chief Intercessor, is making intercession for His people to step into our spiritual, relational, and supernatural fullness. He who has begun this good work will surely bring it to completion.

May we cast off every weight and every snare that easily entangles us and spare no effort in pressing in, until we enter into this glorious destiny that the Father has lovingly prepared for us!

Preparation for the Times (Intro)

Preparation for the Times (Intro)

CONNECT Sessions – find out more!

Closing dates for Face-to-Face and IMMERSE tracks: 12 December 2023

“Scripture clearly defines the people Jesus will return for at the End of the Age … We will be the equally yoked Bride of Christ who so long and yearn for our Bridegroom that we will not love our lives even unto death (Rev. 12:11).” (Issue #8)

Since the 2000s, God has been progressively revealing the mystery of the Bridal Paradigm to His Church. It was the very beginnings of the Holy Spirit awakening the End-Time Church to our bridal identity. Back then, it was just a whisper; today, it is no longer strange to refer to ourselves as the Bride and Jesus as our Bridegroom. As the people of God, we generally understand that this has nothing to do with a believer’s gender, but describes the intimacy with and access to Jesus that He is inviting each believer — whether male or female — to.

In this decade of Preparation for the Times, the Holy Spirit is especially emphasising the call to grow into becoming Jesus’ equally yoked Bride, so that we can begin to step forth into mature bridal partnership with Jesus at the place of spiritual warfare when this decade comes to a close.

Of course, the fullness of who we will be as the Bride of Christ will be at His Second Coming. We will be wholehearted in love, mature, without spot or blemish, and in deep partnership with Him (Rev. 19:7, Eph. 5:27). Yet, in this hour, the Holy Spirit is highlighting this need for heightened and intentional bridal preparation.

If becoming Jesus’ Bride is so important to God, then we must ask:
Why the equally yoked Bride of Christ?
What does she look like?
How would she prepare herself for partnership with her Bridegroom?

Our Glorious Destiny as the Equally Yoked Bride of Christ

The Bride of Christ is actually the most emphasised identity of the Church at Jesus’ Second Coming. Revelation 19:7 and 22:17 both talk about the global mature Bride who will be ready at the End of the Age. She will fully agree with, fully surrender and fully yearn for Jesus, and cry out with the Holy Spirit, “Come Lord Jesus!”

Indeed, the Bridal Paradigm can be found throughout Scripture (Hos. 2:16, Isa. 54:5, the Song of Songs, Jn. 3:29) and is what the Apostle Paul calls a “great mystery” (Eph. 5:32). In fact, Jesus’ final public parable on the Kingdom of God was about a wedding (Matt. 22:1–14) and in the Olivet Discourse, Jesus likened His End-Time move and return to that of a bridegroom coming for his bride (Matt. 25:1–13). Surely, He must have been emphasising something to us if these were some of His final publicly preached words!

Why is there such an emphasis?

It is because Jesus’ heart is that of a Bridegroom’s! And as a Bridegroom God, He is looking for an eternal companion for Himself!

While the qualities that earthly husbands look for in their wives may differ from husband to husband, our heavenly Bridegroom is very specific in what He is after. Revelation 19:1–10 gives us a picture of what Jesus is looking for! He does not leave us guessing. He deeply yearns for a Bride who will:

• fully agree with Him because we fully understand Him (v1,3);
• fully surrender, yield to, and obey Him because we fully trust Him (v6);
• fully long and yearn for Him (especially His return) because we fully love Him (v7).

Put another way, He is looking for His Bride to be “equally yoked” with Him!

What does this mean and what does this look like?

Because being “equally yoked” means being joined together with something or someone that is the same or of similar quality, this means that Jesus is looking for a Bride who is like Him. He is looking for a Bride who is His “match” in love, character, values, understanding, power, and authority. When we are His “match” in all these, agreeing with Him, surrendering to Him, and longing for Him will not be an issue!

1. Equally yoked in love
In the same way that Jesus loves us with His all, He wants in us a Bride who will fully love Him back with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength. This is why the Holy Spirit is restoring the First Commandment to first place in the Church in this hour. He is committed to raising up the Bride with an undivided and lovesick heart for Jesus, men and women who will not even love our lives in the face of death (Rev. 12:11)!

2. Equally yoked in character and values
To be able to partner deeply with Him, our hearts need to be holy, righteous, humble, merciful, and pure like His. This will give us the strength to carry His power and authority that He wants to share with us as His Bride. We also need to love what He loves and hate what He hates so that we can pray and live in complete alignment with Him.

3. Equally yoked in understanding and agreement
Jesus our Bridegroom is also a Judge. As the End-Time Bride, this means we need to understand His heart that loves justice and agree with His righteous judgements that He will bring forth upon the earth at the End of the Age. Jesus is jealous for our agreement with Him especially in this, because He calls us to delight in His judgements (Jer. 9:24; 30:24) and is looking for oneness in our hearts and minds with Him.

4. Equally yoked in power and authority
Jesus is also a King. As His Bride, we can firstly have confidence in our Bridegroom who is fully in control over everything. Secondly, we also have the privilege of fighting alongside our Beloved at the place of spiritual warfare and being vessels that carry His power and authority. We will function as the Ekklesia from our identity as His Bride who has access to His heart.

Wow! If this is our glorious destiny, we want to make ourselves ready!

Keys to Bridal Preparation

Just like how earthly brides go to great lengths to prepare themselves to look their best for their wedding days, we too need to prepare ourselves for mature bridal partnership with Jesus at the End of the Age, and for our ultimate Wedding Day.

Our confidence is that the ultimate Friend of the Bridegroom (Jn. 3:29) — the Holy Spirit — is committed to preparing us as Jesus’ Bride. All we need to do is cooperate with Him! Certainly, He has been leading us and highlighting keys that will prepare us in this decade.

In this Revelation 3:20 Moment, one significant passage that is being emphasised by the Spirit is Revelation 2 and 3 (Issues #6, #18). These two chapters not only reveal the seven areas of spiritual maturity that Jesus is looking for in His mature Bride, but also specify the seven spiritual issues that the End-Time Church has to overcome. Jesus is so zealous for us to pay attention that He repeats Himself seven times — “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches…” (Rev. 2:7,11,17,29; 3:6,13,22).

Should we not then pay attention to our Beloved Bridegroom?

Additionally, these chapters also contain a key: Revelation 3:18–20. We are to repent zealously, open the doors of our hearts to Him constantly, and buy from Him diligently (Issue #18)! If we do so, He will adorn us with garments of white so that we will be spotless, without blemish and ready for His return!

It is Time to Forsake All Others

The reality is — many of us do not yearn and live as if we are Jesus’ lovesick Bride. Many of us do love Jesus, but also the things of the world, and our hearts have become dull and lukewarm towards our Bridegroom. In a very real sense, we are like the Church of Laodicea.

Nevertheless, Jesus has not given up on us! His deep and unwavering love and desire for us sustain His divine jealousy and zeal for a holy and wholehearted Bride. In this hour, He comes as One with eyes like flames of fire to impart His holy fire to us, so that our hearts will burn and be vibrant. All we have to do is keep responding to Him.

In this decade, it is time to forsake all others and run with our Bridegroom in preparation. It is time to throw off every sin and weight that entangles us and run this race. Our confidence is this — our Beloved who has begun a good work in us will see it to completion!

May we arise as the mature and equally yoked Bride who loves Him wholeheartedly, knows and understands Him perfectly, trusts and agrees with Him completely, and partners with Him fully!

“Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.” (Rev. 19:7)

Preparation for the Times (Intro)

Preparation for the Times (Intro)

CONNECT Sessions – find out more!