What The Lord Said To Me Today
10/27/2000
PROPHECY
Nothing Has Changed!
Every Sunday morning, in the little church where I gather with the saints of God to worship
our Lord, my place is in front, on a low platform, where I help to lead the people behind the
veil of the temple, in worship of our wonderful Lord Jesus.
This last Sunday, October 22, 2000, I was singing and the Lord stopped me. Since we have
several vocalists, the others simply continued and I stepped to the side. The Lord had spoken
a word to me. He said:
"Ye shall not see me until the time come when ye shall say, Blessed
is he that cometh in the name of the Lord."
I pondered this word and found it in the scripture at Luke 13:35. Beginning at verse 34, we
preface that scripture above with that which precedes it in the word of God.
"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee;
how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood
under her wings, and ye would not! Behold, your house is left unto you desolate"
At the time, last Sunday, I did not feel led to bring it forth as a word from the Lord. My pastor
saw me pondering the word, and he usually prods me to bring the words forth when he sees
me acting like this, but he did nothing of the kind on
this occasion. I took that as confirmation that more was to come and that I must seek my Lord
for the fulness of the word.
For the last several weeks, I have been diligently seeking my Lord for answers with respect
to Israel and the threats of war there. I have been looking with the greatest care in the
scriptures to see if, perhaps, the Lord might reveal to me something concerning the timing
of certain biblical events, and in particular, the timing of the Gog/Magog wars of Ezekiel 38/39.
In the past, God has opened the doorway of prophetic revelation to me when I am diligent and
very studious, combining this with prayer and seeking his face with some fasting also. Up
until last Sunday, I had felt no prophetic unction, but had merely been a prophecy student
with everyone else. But, you see, I know that I am different. God called me as a prophet to the
nations. He will reveal secret things to me, if in fact, he wants to reveal them. I must meet
the prophetic criteria of 1 Peter 1:10. And so, I have been diligent and have met the criteria.
That does not mean that God is obligated to speak to me or reveal secret things to me, but
if I am in proper position, at his feet, he may reveal what he is about to do to me. It has
happened that way in the past.
Prophecy is, according to the bible, the childrens food, or bread. It strengthens, encourages
and comforts the body of Christ. The prophecy that edifies is not a prophesying out of the soul,
but that which originates from the spirit of God, for many prophecy out of their soulish desires.
Listen to the rumble of the masses today and you will hear two expectations being voiced.
You will hear that "the rapture must be very close, perhaps before the end of this year."
You will also hear "the Gog/Magog war and time of Jacob's trouble are at hand". Michael
Rood is saying that, according to his calendar, the time of Jacob's trouble begins tomorrow,
that is Saturday night, October 28, 2000 at 6 PM.
I am telling you a day ahead of time that it is not so. It is not time. Nothing has changed.
This is what the Lord is saying.
I asked the Lord this morning if he had anything to say to me. He said, "ISAIAH 9". I complied
by sitting down and opening up this marvelous chapter. I spent more than an hour, reading
it over and over again, talking with the Lord, and inquiring why He was asking me to
consider this word today.
Verses 1 and 2 tell of the great prophetic turnaround. Verse 3 is a textual controversy between
the KJV and all the new versions. The KJV implies that you can have joy from prosperity
and victory in battle, but still not have real joy. The new versions leave this aspect out
and trample on the meaning that is clearly expressed in the Hebrew Masoretic text. But that
is not what the Lord had to say to me today.
It was as I read these verses from verse 8 to 14 that the Lord spoke to me:
"The Lord sent a word into Jacob, and it hath lighted upon Israel. And all the people shall
know, even Ephraim and the inhabitant of Samaria, that say in the pride and stoutness of
heart, The bricks are fallen down, but we will build with hewn stones; the sycomores are cut
down, but we will change them into cedars. Therefore the Lord shall set up the adversaries
of Rezin against him, and join his enemies together; The Syrians before, and the Philistines
behind; and they shall devour Israel with open mouth. For all this his anger is not turned
away, but his hand is stretched out still. For the people turneth not unto him that smiteth them,
neither do they seek the Lord of hosts, Therefore the Lord will cut off from Israel head and tail,
branch and rush, in one day."
As I read these words, over and over again, the Lord said to me, "Stephen, nothing has
changed! Nothing has changed in 2,700 years. My anger is still not turned away. My
people Israel still do not seek the Lord of hosts."
Syria is still before them. The Palestinians, who pronounce their name "Philistinim" in
their native Arabic tongue, are behind them. Nothing has changed.
We are not looking at Ezekiel 38/39 here. We are not looking at a war, at this time, where
Israel will be visited by the Lord. No, to the contrary, His hand is still against them. Nothing
has changed! This is what the Lord says, not me.
If it were up to me, I would love to prophecy to Israel that God was ready to bless them
and deliver them. I really would, because it would mean that my redeemer is drawing nigh.
But all I am able to prophecy to Israel is war and more rumours of war. And perhaps, if Israel
does not return to the Lord, they will once again go into captivity. Nothing has changed!
Yes, on that day, every expert of biblical prophecy will be set on their ear. Remember it.
This is what the Lord is saying, not me.
Just so you are aware, I love Israel and the Jews. I have served in churches that celebrated
the feasts of the Lord. I pray for the peace of Jerusalem. This word brings me no pleasure.
Tonight, as I entered our church for our Friday night service, my pastor asked me into his
office, asking me what the Lord was saying to me with respect to all of the events in Israel
and all that is going on. I told him what I had heard from God.
All at once, he stopped me. He said, "And let me tell you what else the Lord told you: He
told you that you will not see me until you say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of
the Lord." I told him that, yes, the Lord spoke that to me last Sunday at the initial outpouring
of this word.
What does this mean? We are still mired in Matthew 24:6-"ye shall hear of wars and rumours
of wars: see that ye be not troubled, for all these things must come to pass, but the end is
not yet." THE END IS NOT YET!
There will be no rapture this year. There will be no
supernatural deliverance by God for Israel in the near future. In fact, captivity is prophesied
for Israel if they do not return to the Lord their God.
In returning to the Lord their God, they
must receive and believe that Jesus of Nazareth, the only begotten son of God, is both
Lord and God over Israel. Ye shall not see me until the time come when ye shall say,
Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. Until we hear Israel saying this, they
will not see him. His hand is still outstretched toward Israel and his anger is not turned away.
NOTHING HAS CHANGED. Thus sayeth the Lord.
Stephen L. Bening
Note: As of 3/30/2003, it seems likely to me that the destruction of Damascus in fulfillment of Isaiah 17 will occur coinciding with this coming war. You can read an article entitled "The Damascus Prophecy" at:
"The Damascus Prophecy", with review by Stephen L. Bening
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