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Explaining Paul's Teaching on Hagar and Sarah

Since the 2011 "prophetic year" began last November, we have had time to observe the two 76-day periods that give us the setting and theme for the coming year. This time it was about establishing our Identity in Christ, the Last Adam, which identifies those who are to inherit the Birthright.

One of the primary prophetic themes for 2011, then, is about establishing our Identity. Those who think that Ishmael is the true inheritor of the Birthright will want to identify with Ishmael. Those who think that Isaac is the true inheritor will identify with Isaac. But many are confused, thinking that Ishmael is really Isaac. It is this confusion that God is clarifying in 2011.

One of the most important cases of mistaken identity is the idea that the Jews are representing Isaac in the Middle East conflict with the Palestinians. The Apostle Paul says otherwise in Galatians 4, but few Christians really understand how Paul can be correct. Men's eyes glaze over when his words are read, and though they hear the words, they do not understand.

Paul says clearly that Hagar is the Old Covenant (Gal. 4:24).

²⁴ This is allegorically speaking; for these women are two covenants, one proceeding from Mount Sinai bearing children who are to be slaves; she is Hagar. ²⁵ Now this Hagar is Mount Sinai in ARABIA, and corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children (those of Judaism). ²⁶ But the Jerusalem above is free; she is OUR (the Christian) mother.

The Old Covenant was given at Mount Sinai in Arabia. Mount Sinai had become the God-given inheritance of the Arabs. The original Sinai (Horeb) is located in Saudi Arabia to this day. During the time from Moses to Christ, Israel was of Hagar, having Egypt as its mother. As such, they were children of the flesh (Gal. 4:23).

The divine plan was to bring Israel through donkey-hood into lamb-hood by the substitutionary Lamb. Hence, they sacrificed animals and Passover lambs as placeholders until the appointed time when the true Sacrifice and the true Passover Lamb might appear. Christ would then send the Holy Spirit to alter their donkey nature and transform them into lambs like Jesus Christ.

But a problem developed when Christ arrived. The chief priests of the temple rejected Him, even as they had rejected most of the prophets before Him (Matt. 21:34-36). When they saw the Son, they said, "This is the heir; come, let us kill him and seize his inheritance" (Matt. 21:38). In other words, they recognized who He was as the Heir of all things, and so they killed Him in order to usurp His inheritance.

In rejecting Christ, they also rejected the New Covenant which He had brought with Him. They decided that they preferred Moses and the Old Covenant. Of course, this was not really true, because had they really believed Moses, they would have believed Jesus (John 5:46). Even so, they wanted to remain under the Old Covenant.

They did not understand the consequences of their actions. The Old Covenant was at Mount Sinai, which God had given to the Arabs as their inheritance. Mount Sinai was therefore Hagar, not Sarah, and those who adhered to that covenant were Ishmael, not Isaac ("allegorically speaking").

As a matter of biblical law, when the chief priests of the temple chose to remain under the Hagar, they assigned Jerusalem to the jurisdiction of Hagar and Ishmael. Yes, they gave Jerusalem to the Ishmaelites, and they themselves also became citizens of the Ishmaelite community. Only the believers in Christ were able to make the jump from Hagar to Sarah and from Ishmael to Isaac, for they became citizens of the true Kingdom of God which recognizes Jesus Christ as the rightful King and Heir of all things.

There has been a conflict ever since that time between these two competing factions. We are now coming to the end of the age when this matter is being adjudicated. The Divine Court has been in session since 1993 to hear the evidence from all sides and to render its final decision. We have presented our case to the Court, and we know from the prophetic Word given April 3, 1998 that we will win our case.

Meanwhile, however, great portions of the Church are bearing witness for Ishmael, saying that Hagar-Jerusalem is the true "mother" of the Kingdom, that the Jewish Ishmaelites are God's chosen ones, called to rule the earth, that animal sacrifices are to be continued as prescribed at Mount Sinai, and descendants of Levi (Cohen, Kahn) are the true priests of God.

They have had ample time to present their case before God. We are now seeing the signs that they have lost their case. God is ruling against Mr. Strauss-Kahn. The ruling has arrived at the time of the Second Passover. Kahn was "selected" to be inspected for four days as the lamb of Hagar, and then he resigned from the IMF. The moneychangers in the temple have been overthrown.

In a broader context, this dispute began on May 14, 1948 with the establishment of the Jewish state calling itself "Israel." The only way they could get away with calling themselves "Israel" is because the real Israelites had forgotten their identity. This was prophesied in Gen. 41:51 when Joseph named his second son, Manasseh, "forgetfulness," saying that God had caused him to forget his father's house (his identity).

In 1948 the Zionist Jews declared their identity as Israel (i.e., Isaac). They did so apart from Jesus Christ. This is what we have challenged in the Divine Court since 1993.

The UN's Palestinian Resolution was presented on Nov. 21, 1947, debated for 8 days, and then passed on Nov. 29, 1947. Many Christians had already been prepared to accept this state as 'Israel," because the Dispensationalists (Darby, Scofield, etc.) had laid those foundational teachings a century earlier.

God had purpose for all of this, of course, so He allowed it go on for 46 years. This was the time frame associated with Herod's temple in John 2:20. In other words, the Zionists were given 46 years in which to build their carnal "temple" apart from Christ and the glory of God. Even as Herod's temple was devoid of the Ark of the Covenant, so also was the Israeli state devoid of God's glory.

Our Jubilee Prayer Campaign started 46 years later on Nov. 21, 1993. It was the final end of the appointed time that the children of the flesh had been given. They failed to bring the glory of God, because they had attempted to build their "temple" (nation) apart from Jesus Christ. For this reason, their time of judgment arrived, and we entered the Divine Court in spiritual warfare on Nov. 21, 1993. After eight days, we filed our case against them on behalf of the true inheritors (the overcomers) on Nov. 29, 1993.

The overcomers received a favorable ruling in the Divine Court, but because the opposing side continued to dispute the validity of our claim, we had to engage in spiritual warfare for another 13 years to Oct. 7, 2006. It was a "Jericho march" going 13 times around the city. But it also represented the 13 years of Ishmael, which ended when Abraham received revelation that the son of Sarah was to be born the following year, and he would be the true inheritor (Gen. 17).

Thus, in 2006 we reached the end of our 13-year warfare, and the following year (Tabernacles of 2007) we saw the birth of "Isaac," which in this case was also the birth of John, Elijah, and most importantly, ELISHA.

Then on April 12, 2009 the decree went out to establish the Elisha ministry, and we began to see the first eight miracle-signs of Elisha play out in the world. These were accomplished by July 9, 2010, and we now await the start of the second half of the Elisha signs (#9-16).