Every year, as we watch the divine plan unfold, it begins shortly after the feast of Tabernacles with two periods of 76 days each.

The Year 2009

Last year these began on Nov. 5, 2008 when it was announced that Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois had won the presidential election. On the same day #666 was drawn in the Illinois lottery.

Most people only know this as meaning “Antichrist.” However, Rev. 13:18 says only that “the number is that of a man” (NASB). Six is the biblical number of man, and a triple six is an enhanced form of it.

In history, it was the time between 597 B.C. and 70 A.D. In 597 B.C. the Babylonians took the vessels of the temple from Jerusalem to Babylon; and in 70 A.D. the Romans did the same. So to me, it speaks of a particular activity of man. It is man taking over the worship of God.

Psalm 118:22, 23 says,

²² The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner. ²³ This is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes.

The term “head stone of the corner” has a gematria of 666. Once again, it has to do with how one treats the “head of the corner.” The verse is quoted in Matt. 21:42 in the context where the vineyard keepers killed first the prophets and finally the Son in order to “seize His inheritance” (vs. 38). It was the act of rejecting Christ that makes it a 666.

But in that same context, Jesus spoke of another stone that would grind the image of Babylon to powder, saying in verse 44, “on whomever it falls, it will scatter him like dust” (NASB).

Both stones represent Christ, but in a different role. In the NT era, Christ was rejected, and the worship in the temple in Jerusalem was taken over by the will of man. But the second stone fell on Jerusalem and ground it to powder in 70 A.D.

That was then, and this is now. President Obama was the first president (that I know of) to make a public statement saying that America was NOT a Christian nation. In so stating this, he went against the Supreme Court rulings of the past, which technically have never been overruled, though they have been severely eroded. Nonetheless, the President stated the truth, because America has become secularized, beginning with President Roosevelt.

In other words, America has rejected Jesus Christ in the same manner that the temple priests rejected Him many years ago in Jerusalem.

Yet keep in mind that there is always that second Stone operating at the same time. It represents Christ, both Jesus as its Head, and the Body of Christ with it. This Stone is NOT rejected by the Body, and the Body is receiving the anointing to grind the Babylonian system to dust.

The Anointed Vessels

This anointing culminated on October 13, 2009 in a very remarkable manner in Pensacola, FL.

Most of you are aware of the Joshua-Elisha ministry that God is raising up in these times. The “Joshua” phase began with our Jubilee Prayer Campaign in 1993 and extended 13 years to October of 2006.

A year later came the prophetic word that God was raising up Elijah. I recognized it as the Moses-Elijah company. But Moses had morphed in these last days into Joshua. And Elijah has morphed in these last days into Elisha. So it is really the Joshua-Elisha company, insofar as it applies to the second work of Christ in our time.

On April 12, 2009, while we were in Manassas, VA for the Passover conference, “Elisha” was commissioned. Since then, we have seen the story of Elisha fulfilled in the months up to now, each story in succession prophesying of things occurring in 2009. I have written of these things in past months. Finally, on October 13, while I was being driven to a meeting in Pensacola, I was pondering over the next sign of Elisha—the vessels being filled in 2 Kings 4.

I wondered if we might possibly see that fulfilled at the meeting in Pensacola. When Pastor Vinnie began to speak, he had chosen 2 Kings 4:1-7 as his text. It was the story of the widow woman whose sons were about to go into slavery because of debt. The prophet told her to borrow vessels from the neighbors and to fill them with oil, sell the oil, and pay off the debt.

He could not have chosen a more pertinent text. I knew then that the time had come for this sign in the life of Elisha to take place. After the teaching, I stood up and said, “I am a vessel that wants to be filled.” Hands were laid upon me with the word of prophecy, bearing witness of the Elisha calling. Though the immediate circumstance was personal, I understood that I was merely the focal point for the larger Body, the Joshua-Elisha company.

This was the final sign of Elisha to occur during the prophetic year 2009. It was the positive side in regard to the vessels of the Temple. Whereas Babylon has taken over the vessels of the temple, God has set aside vessels of His own, filling them and empowering them to carry out the work that is still ahead.

So I was able to bring a good report to the Tabernacles conference in Sweetwater, TN a few days after I had been filled in Pensacola. At Sweetwater, the song “Fill Me” was played as a prophetic statement to confirm the word.

FILL ME

I am the fountain, Lord you are the water,
The water of life forever
I am the riverbed, You are the river,
The river that runs dry--no never.

Chorus:
I am the messenger,
Lord, you are the message,
The message that sets every bound captive free.
Come, Holy Spirit and fill every vessel,
I am but one vessel,
Here I am, FILL ME.

I am the lantern, Lord, you are the flame,
The flame that will die--no never.
Holy, unchanging, one ever the same,
The same Heavenly Father forever.

The Year 2010

The Prophetic Year 2010 began on Nov. 12, 2009. The date marks the 10^th anniversary of the beginning of the current economic crisis, because on Nov. 12, 1999 Congress abolished the Glass-Steagall bill. That bill had been passed in 1933 separating regular bank from investment banks.

Once this was abolished, it allowed the big banks to start using their money as investments other than mortgages. It was the beginning of the end. It occurred shortly after Jesus’ 2000^th birthday celebration that we held in Port Austin, Michigan the night of Sept. 10, 1999.

When the Father confirmed Nov. 12, 2009 as the start of the next Prophetic Year, it spoke volumes, revealing the connections to past years where Nov. 12 was important.

Nov. 12, 1981 was the beginning of spiritual warfare for the Net of Prayer, wherein the Body of Christ was called to pray, intercede, and conduct spiritual warfare for the defense of America. The call went largely unheeded, but my life was suddenly turned upside down. Though I did not know it at the time, God joined me with them.

Because of this, my entire life began to unravel, and each new twist came as a direct result of a new phase of spiritual warfare that was reported at the time. Of course, since I did not know of the warfare, I did not understand what was happening to me. It was not until July 1983 that I read the “Battle Reports” from that first warfare and realized what had happened.

That first war in the heavens was fought from Nov. 12, 1981 to January 27, 1982. It was precisely 76 days long, marking the start of the Prophetic Year at that time.

Keep in mind that though I kept careful records, I did not know much about timing in those days. I certainly did not understand anything about the 76-day cycles at the start of a Prophetic Year. It was not until 1991 that the revelation of timing was given to me, and this gave me understanding of this and many other things.

Over the years, I noticed how many important dates (such as Nov. 12) repeated themselves in later years. Each time they repeated, the event itself was never duplicated, but yet similar events would emerge. The context was always different, but the spirit behind it was the same.

For this reason, once I saw a particular cycle begin to repeat itself, I only had to see who the actors were this time around, and I then had a pretty good idea of what was going to happen next—and when.

With each new manifestation of the same time cycle, I was provided with new data, or new pieces of the puzzle, to see the bigger picture. I could also see how the “battle” had progressed over the years.

It is like driving in a huge circle. One year you may pass a group of workmen who are laying the foundation for new house. When you drive past the same location the next year, you can see that the house has been completed.

So also with us. It is as if we are on earth, traveling around the sun in a big circle while we conduct spiritual warfare. As we pass the same spot on the battlefield each year, we can recognize the same landmarks and see the same battle, but many things have shifted by this time, and there are many new people on the scene.

Remember the spiritual battle that Daniel was fighting in Daniel 10? Daniel was on earth, but his “prince” was involved in the heavenly battle (10:21). Essentially, Michael was Daniel’s spirit that was conducting spiritual warfare.

We are all involved in this battle. The spirits of men are on the battlefield, some on this side, and others on that side. Some fight for Christ; others fight against Him. There are Christians on both sides of the battle line. Whenever we fight the will of God or are disobedient to Him, we automatically fight for the other side.

We are fighting in the same war that Daniel fought. The spiritual dimension stands above time and space (distance), but here on earth we are bound by both. Each generation on earth is able to participate in the same battle in the heavens, because in the spirit, all time is one. We fight alongside of Daniel and the prophets of every generation.

The Nature of the Battle

There are many purposes in this battle. However, one of the primary purposes is to transform us into His image and likeness. Of course, not everyone will be so transformed at the same time, because there is more than one resurrection. But the ultimate goal is for the glory of God to fill the whole earth, as the prophets tell us.

Our involvement in this battle is to train us for Sonship. It is on-the-job training. We are learning to walk in the Spirit until we do nothing, say nothing, and even think nothing, unless it comes from the mind and will of God.

Our carnal minds, known as “the flesh” in the NT, hinder us from attaining to the goal of full unity with Christ. “The flesh” is not the physical body, but the carnal mind, which is the mind we inherited from Adam after he fell into sin.

Psalm 103:14 says, “He is mindful that we are but dust.” In Gen. 3:14 we find that the serpent eats dust. The job of the serpent, then, is to eat dust—the carnal mind, its ways, its thoughts, its desires to be disobedient to God.

This is the underlying purpose of warfare. Fighting the serpent is not what most people think it is. It is designed to remove dust from our character, so that we might come fully into the image of Christ. As this occurs, we become more successful in spiritual warfare, and the effects are seen not only in ourselves but in the world around us.

One cannot point to the stars and say, “See, the battle is being fought up there. That is the location of the heavens.” No, there is no space (distance) in the spirit. Heaven is not located at the other end of the universe, as is commonly thought. It is in a dimension other than this 3-dimensional world that we inhabit.

The battle is not “up there,” but “in here.” Point to yourself. That is the true location of the battle. Your spirit is within you, and at the same time it is in the heavens doing battle in the spiritual realm. There is no distance between you and the heavens. Romans 10:6-8 says,

⁶ But the righteousness based on faith speaks thus: “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’ (that is, to bring Christ down), ⁷ or ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’ (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).” ⁸ But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart”—that is, the word of faith which we are preaching.

You do not have to “go to heaven” to bring the presence of Christ down, so that His glory can cover the earth. You do not need to die (“descend into the abyss”) in order to bring Christ up. Christ is already IN YOU, and His words are in your mouth and in your heart.

Paul also says that He is seated at the right hand of God in heaven (Eph. 1:20). Does this mean He is in two places? That is the way the carnal mind thinks, because it is limited by time and space. The fact is, He is in just one location and fills all things.

The same is true about Time. The battle was won before it even started. But from the human perspective, since we are born in different generations, our opportunity to engage in spiritual warfare is different on earth, but it is all the same “time” in the heavens.

In fact, when we really get down to the bottom line, there is no battle at all, because it was already won from the beginning. Yet from the perspective of our personal spiritual growth, we see progress in our character.

The Treasure

Last month I wrote about the signs regarding the treasure hidden in the field. In one way, the treasure is Joseph-Israel, God’s “peculiar treasure” (Ex. 19:5). But Paul speaks also of another treasure in 2 Cor. 4:6, 7,

⁶ For God, who said, “Light shall shine out of darkness,” is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. ⁷ But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the surpassing greatness of the power may be of God and not from ourselves.

What is this treasure? It is the “light,” or “the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.”

What does this mean? The context shows that Paul had been speaking of the glory that was seen in the face of Moses. He is comparing it to the glory that is seen in the face of Christ. This is the evidence of the glorified body, which Moses experience on his eighth trip up the Mount, returning (I believe) on the day on which the eighth day of Tabernacles came to be celebrated.

It is also the light of the torches in Gideon’s battle, when the earthen vessels were broken to allow the light to shine.

Moses had a fading glory, because he was restricted by the Old Covenant time in which he lived. But Jesus was the Mediator of the New Covenant and had no restrictions.

We have this “light” in us as well, and it only awaits the fullness of time to be manifested to others. This light is presently hidden (veiled) by the flesh (Hebrews 10:20). Manifestation of this light requires the veil of flesh to be torn.

The flesh is the only hindrance to the glory of God being revealed (“unveiled”) in us. The purpose of spiritual warfare is ultimately to remove the veil so that the glory of God can shine forth from us, even as with Jesus. But this requires a death of the flesh, the carnal mind. The flesh dies, and the spirit emerges with resurrection power. Paul’s prayer in Phil. 1:10 was,

¹⁰ that I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death.

The glory in each of us is resident in “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Col. 1:27). But the Christ in you has a little different calling than the Christ in me. We are all unique. Yet in general, there is a Joshua-Elisha calling that many have in common. Each person’s calling is their “treasure,” hidden in an earthen vessel.

When you find that treasure in your “field,” you hide it and sell all that you have in order to buy (redeem) your “field,” that is, your portion of the world. Because Joseph was a type of Christ, this treasure in you is also Joseph. Joseph himself had a dream from God that reflected the Birthright calling. He made the mistake of not hiding it in his heart. He told his brothers, who replied, “No way.”

Joseph was young and still carnally minded in many ways. So God used his mistake as the means of fulfilling the dream. He was sold to the Ishmaelites (Old Covenant) in order to train him in bondage. The bondage matured him and removed the carnality from his thinking, so that he could fulfill his calling twelve years later.

Present Time

As I wrote toward the beginning, the Prophetic Year for 2010 began on Nov. 12, 2009. This speaks volumes to me, because it shows that we are once again in a time of “death and resurrection.” I first saw this pattern emerge in 1981, but have seen it in later years as well. Each circuit involves spiritual warfare. Each circuit involves the death of the flesh to prepare us for the unveiling of His glory in us.

We are preparing for a time of Elisha, the double portion from Elijah. With the world situation as bad as it is, the only thing that can turn things around is a tremendous outpouring of the Holy Spirit. The enormity of the job requires men and women who have conformed to His death so that they might know the resurrection power of Christ.

We must be living sacrifices (Rom. 12:1) in order to renew our minds. Flesh was the main part of sacrifice. We must be willing to sacrifice flesh, because that is the only real hindrance to the resurrection power that is being given to the Elisha company in this day.

I now see that the anointing received in Pensacola was, in part, preparation for death, to be followed, of course, by resurrection. It is like we read in Mark 14:8, “she has anointed my body beforehand for burial.”

So the first 76-day period of this coming Prophetic Year is from Nov. 12, 2009 to January 27, 2010. The second cycle will end April 12. It is too early to know how all of this will play out, but the key dates have already occurred in past years. January 27, 1981 and again in 1986 were “resurrection” dates in the way the stories played out at those times.