The Consequences of Prophecy-
The Politician Who Hid in the Shadows, but Saw the Light

While the concept of a corrupt self-serving politician is a universal icon, the righteous civil leader seems to be illusive. While Christ was publicly accosted many times by the religious and political heads of the region, one came under the cover of darkness. Rather than attack Jesus, this man wanted to know the secret to Eternal Life, and ended up witnessing the fulfillment of the Prophecy of the Resurrection of the Dead.

After Jesus had cleared the Temple courts of the money changers during the First Passover of His Ministry, He continued to preach and perform signs and many people began to believe in Him (ref. John 2: 13-23). One of these believers was Nicodemus, a Pharisee, who were known for their insistence on setting themselves apart from things and people they considered unclean.

Nicodemus came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do apart from the Presence of God.”

Christ understood what question was truly in Nicodemus’ heart and replied “Truly, I tell you, no one can see the Kingdom of God without being born from above”.

But this puzzled Nicodemus, who answered, “How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother’s womb and be born?”

Christ clarified, “Truly, I tell you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. What is born of the flesh is flesh and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. You shouldn’t be surprised at my saying ‘You must be born again’. Doesn’t the wind blow wherever it pleases? You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit”.

Nicodemus was still left jumbled, asking “How can this be?”

Jesus challenged him, “You are Israel’s teacher and yet you do not understand these things? We speak of what we know and testify to what we have seen, yet you still do not accept our testimony.”

Trying to help Nicodemus understand His frustration, Christ continued, “I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; why would you believe if I speak of Heavenly things? No one has ever gone into Heaven except the one who came from Heaven-the Son of Man”.

Alluding to the famous scene in the Wilderness to help explain His Point, Christ explained, “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the Wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have Eternal Life in Him”.

Answering Nicodemus’ silent question, Jesus famously quipped “For God so loved the World that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have Eternal Life”.

Challenging the prejudiced views of the powerful Pharisees who thought the Messiah was sent to judge and destroy Israel’s neighbors, Christ followed, “For God did not send His Son into the World to condemn the World, but to save the World through Him. Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the Name of God’s one and only Son”.

Recognizing that the Pharisees awaited the Messiah to serve as Judge over the Earth, Christ declared, “This is the verdict: Light has come into the World, but People loved Darkness instead of Light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the Light, and will not come into the Light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the Truth comes into the Light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God” (ref. John 3:1-21).

Nicodemus would remember Christ’s words concerning Light and Truth during a future confrontation that Jesus would have with the Pharisees.

Over a year later, during the Fall Festival of Sukkot, Jesus’ signs and wonders had the Jewish worshipers at the Temple wondering if He was a prophet or indeed the long anticipated Messiah. But there was division amongst the crowds which extended to the Chief Priests and Pharisees. They were in a rage and questioned why none of the temple police had arrested Jesus when people started to speculate about who Jesus was.

The guards replied, “No one has ever spoken the way this man does”.

The Pharisees criticized the Temple guards’ inaction, challenging, “You’ve been deceived by him too?! Do any of the rulers or fellow Pharisees believe in him? No! But these fools who know nothing of the Law-there is a spell upon them”.

Nicodemus, who had gone to Jesus at night during His first Passover, was amongst the Pharisees who heard the guards’ testimony and postulated “Does our Law condemn a man without first hearing him to find out what he has been doing?”

His fellow Pharisees tried to embarrass Nicodemus for the region he grew up in and where the majority of his landholdings were. Galilee was on the northern border of Israel next to their Gentile neighbors and because the land was near non-Jews, people from the region were considered unclean for living so close to Greek and Romans.

“Aren’t you from Galilee, too?” the Pharisees taunted, “Look into it, and you will find that a prophet does not come out of Galilee”.

But, they were wrong.

Despite their years of learning, their prejudice against outsiders had blinded them to basic Truths. Several prominent prophets had indeed come from Galilee: Micah (ref. Micah 1:1) (from Moresheth-gath, in Galilee), Elijah (ref. I Kings 17:1) (from Gilead), and Jonah (ref. II Kings 14:25 & Joshua 19:13) (from Gath Hepher, also in Galilee).

Though Nicodemus did not side with his fellow Pharisees concerning who Jesus was, Nicodemus did believe in the Resurrection of the Dead, which the Pharisees defended against their rivals the Sadducees, who did not believe in the Resurrection, nor angels, nor spirits (ref. Acts 23: 6-8).

On the final day of the Festival of Sukkot, the Pharisees brought forth a woman caught in adultery. When they tried to trick Jesus into condemning her, Jesus famously replied “Let he who is without sin throw the first stone” after which the crowd of blood-thirsty Pharisees began to leave one at a time, till all had left. After dismissing the woman and telling her to leave her life of sin, Jesus addressed the people, reminding Nicodemus of the conversation they’d had over a year ago.

Christ declared, “I am the Light of the World. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the Light of Life” (John 8:1-12).

It was at this moment that Nicodemus fully confirmed his belief that Jesus was truly the Son of God and the Messiah.

Around five months later, Christ triumphantly rose his friend Lazarus from the grave after four days. The report of Lazarus’ resurrection from the dead, filled the chief priest and Pharisee’s with a greater desire to kill Jesus. But Lazarus’ resurrection from the dead, confirmed Nicodemus’ belief that even if they succeeded in killing Jesus, He would not remain in the grave (John 11; 12:9).

A few weeks later, during the beginning of the Passover Ceremony, Jesus was killed.

After Jesus’s Crucifixion, His Body was taken by Joseph of Arimathea, a disciple of Jesus, who had followed Christ in secret because he feared the Jewish leaders. Nicodemus the Pharisee, who had also believed in Christ in secret, brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds, and they wrapped Jesus’ body with the spices, in strips of linen, in accordance with Jewish burial customs at the time, and placed His Body in a new tomb (John 19: 38-42).

Three days later, Nicodemus’s belief was confirmed when “the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. They came out of the tombs after Jesus’ resurrection and went into the holy city and appeared to many people” (ref. Matthew 27:52-53).

While Nicodemus had to conceal his belief in Christ, just like Joseph of Arimathea, he was able to see past the prejudices of his fellow Pharisees and recognized that Jesus was the Messiah. While he remained in the shadows, he saw that Jesus was the Light of the World, and was the first resurrected. As more and more Christians begin to see the Power of God working through His Believers today, we are excited to share in the emergence of those who have shed their previous religious expectations and fully participate in what God is doing prophetically in this Age.

Prepared by, Kent Simpson, Apostolic Prophet & Eric Sepulveda, PMT Administrator

The Consequences of Prophecy-
The Priest Who Lost His Voice for His Lack of Faith

It is often taken for granted that those who are deeply involved in church affairs, through ministering within churches or even holding high respected public positions, should have incredible amounts of Faith. But Zechariah the Priest, the future father of John the Baptist, doubted the prophecy delivered to him by Archangel Gabriel, inside the Temple. Despite being described as a righteous man, for his doubt, he was punished.

Zechariah had an extremely impressive heritage. Both he and his wife Elizabeth were from the priestly class of Aaron and were described as blameless in observing the commandments and ordinances of God. Though they were seen as honorable people, they had not been blessed with any children because Elizabeth was barren and were both well advanced in years (ref. Luke 1:5-7).

Zechariah, due to his priestly bloodline, was required to show up for ministerial service twice a year with the other members of his family line (the course of Abijah), and three additional times during Sukkot, Passover, & Pentecost with the entire priest class. Our previous article “The Voice Crying in the Wilderness” goes into further detail concerning when Zechariah served and how the rotating calendar can narrow the date of John the Baptist’s birth.

During his family tribes’ rotation week, Zechariah was chosen by lots to perform the incense offering in the Temple of the Lord. While Zechariah was ministering, within the Temple, an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the Altar of Incense. Zechariah was rightfully terrified at the angel’s presence, but the angel urged him to not be afraid, for God had heard his prayer for a child. The angel announced that his wife Elizabeth (relative of the future Virgin Mary, Mother of Jesus) would bear a son who would be a great joy and delight to his parents, and he was to name the child John.

John would be great in the sight of the Lord and many would rejoice because of his birth. John would not be allowed to have wine or any fermented drink and would be filled with the Holy Spirit before he was born. He would bring back the hearts of many Israelites to return to the Lord their God. He would go before the Lord, in the Spirit and Power of Elijah, to even turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the Wisdom of the Righteous-making the people ready for the Lord” (ref. Luke 1:7-17).

Despite his religious family background, despite his years of service in the Temple, despite previous stories of the patriarchs and matriarchs being able to conceive in advanced ages, despite having an angel appear to him as he was offering incense to the Lord; Zechariah was filed with doubt and unbelief.

Zechariah questioned the angel, “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.” (ref. Luke 1:18).

The angel revealed himself to be Archangel Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God. Because Zechariah had received this message of good news, and did not believe Gabriel’s words, Zechariah would be disciplined by being unable to speak until John was born (ref. Luke 1:19-20).

Those outside the Temple who were waiting for Zechariah became worried that he was inside for so long. When he finally came out, he was unable to speak, but the audience understood that he had had a vision in the Temple (ref. Luke 1:21-22).

Zechariah finished his two weeks of service (course of Abijah + preceding Feast of Weeks), then returned home. Afterwards, his wife Elizabeth became pregnant (ref. Luke 1:23-24).

When Elizabeth finally gave birth, she did indeed have a son, like Gabriel prophesied. Elizabeth’s neighbors and relatives celebrated this miracle with her, recognizing that the Lord had shown her mercy. On the eighth day, when the baby was to be circumcised, Elizabeth informed the family that the boy would be named John. When asked what to name the child, Zechariah motioned for a writing tablet and wrote “His Name is John”.

Immediately after this, his mouth was opened and his tongue was set free and he began to speak, praising God. Those who witnessed these signs and miracles were struck with awe and word spread through the region, with people asking what would become of this child who had the Lord’s Hand upon him (ref. Luke 1:57-66)

Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and began to prophesy. His revelations became known as the “Benedictus” or the “Song of Zechariah” (ref. Luke 1:67-79).

Zechariah the Priest was perfectly positioned to eagerly and faithfully accept the prophetic message that Archangel Gabriel gave to him regarding his future son. Not only was Zechariah a part of the priesthood class, but he would have known the stories of the previous Great Men and Women of Faith who were blessed with children in their later years. Zechariah had served in the Temple for years and both he and his wife were considered to be upright and perfect in keeping God’s Commandments and Statutes. Even as he was ministering and offering incense in the Temple and had an angel appear to him, Zechariah’s human side presented itself and he doubted the prophecy he received.

In our modern age, many of our ministers are more highly educated than ever before, often having to earn Masters or Doctorate Degrees in Theology, with years of previous experience, before they are considered to lead even small churches. Some of them even have dissertations focused on aspects of Prophecy, yet, despite all this human learning, when confronted with the Prophetic, they stumble and question God’s Messengers.

Unfortunately for many of these Great Learned Men and Women of God, their disbelief will cost them. Because they have been blessed with higher status, greater positions, and more responsibilities, they should lean on the Lord far more than their own understanding or schooling. In the case of Zechariah the Priest, his voice was taken away for nine months. Modern Pastors and Church leaders have much more examples of God’s Modern Workings than ever before, but their failure to hear His Messages will result in them losing far more.

Prepared by, Kent Simpson, Apostolic Prophet & Eric Sepulveda, PMT Administrator

The Consequences of Prophecy-
The Prophet that Challenged the Path of an Apostle

While Great Men of God are often given impressive commissions to carry out, their paths must constantly follow the direction of The Holy Spirit. Apostle Paul would carry the Gospel to the known world, but when he tried to return to Jerusalem, he was confronted by a prophet who tried to warn him of consequences of his journey.

Little is known about the life of the Prophet Agabus, but what is written about him shows his profoundly faithful character. He was one of the early followers of Christ and is listed amongst the Seventy Disciples/Apostles whom Jesus commissioned and sent to the towns ahead of Him to declare His Message (ref. Luke 10:1-24). Coptic Orthodox Tradition also states that Agabus was amongst the Apostles who were in the upper room on the day of Pentecost who were infused with the Holy Spirit and given the Gift of Tongues.

Agabus was among a group of prophets who had come down from Jerusalem to meet with the growing congregation at the Church in Antioch. While fellowshipping with his fellow Christians, Agabus stood up and through the Holy Spirit predicted that a severe famine would spread over the entire Roman world which would crush the economy during Emperor Claudius’ reign (ref. Acts 11: 27-28).

When Apostle Paul arrived at Tyre, he and his companions sought out the disciples there and stayed with them seven days. The Holy Spirit moved through theses Brothers and Sisters in Christ who all urged Paul not to go to Jerusalem. But Paul was steadfast in his conviction that he should return to the capital city. At the end of seven days, the disciples and their wives and children accompanied Paul out of the city of Tyre and knelt on the beach to pray together before Paul and his travel companions boarded the ship (ref. Acts 21:3-6)

When they later reached Caesarea, they stayed with Philip the Evangelist, one of the Seven Deacons chosen to attend to the ministering of food in the early Church in Jerusalem. Philip had been blessed with four daughters who all prophesied. It’s unknown whether they gave Paul similar prophetic warnings concerning Jerusalem (ref. Acts 21:8-9)

While Paul was staying in Caesarea with Philip the Evangelist and his daughters, Prophet Agabus came down from Judea and confronted the Apostle and put on a prophetic performance, reminiscent of Prophet Jeremiah’s displays, for the group to fully understand what was being revealed. Prophet Agabus took Paul’s belt and tied his own hands and feet with it declaring “The Holy Spirit says, ‘In this way the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem will bind the owner of this belt and will hand him over to the Gentiles.”

When the audience heard the ominous prophecy, they begged and pleaded with Paul to reconsider his plans to go to Jerusalem.

But he would not be dissuaded.

Paul responded humbly “Why are you weeping and breaking my heart? I am ready not only to be bound, but also die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” Recognizing that Paul was resolved to go no matter what they said, they accepted Paul’s decision and declared “The Lord’s Will be done” (ref. Acts 21: 10-14).

Paul would later be subjected to riot violence, false arrest, was nearly illegally flogged, tried before the Sanhedrin, was the target of an assassination plot, was tried before the governor, tried again by the replacement governor, and finally tried by the King of Judea Herod Agrippa before finally being released after being acquitted.

Though Paul’s path was laid out for him by the Lord, it did not mean that he would never experience any troubles. In fact, Paul was warned at least twice by his fellow Christians through their Spirit provoked pleas for him to not go to Jerusalem. If that was not enough, the prophetic performance by Prophet Agabus before Paul and his companions further drove the point that Paul’s treatment in Jerusalem would be cruel and humiliating.

But Paul’s faith stood strong and he was ready to be imprisoned and even die on behalf of his mission to continue spreading the Gospel.

Perhaps one of the hardest things to distinguish prophetically is the difference between the Spirit warning of punishments for being disobedient, differentiated from the Holy Ghost telling us that there will be pain and suffering while obeying.

At first glance, Prophet Agabus looks to be trying to turn Paul away from Jerusalem, just as his companions in Tyre had done and how the audience in Caesarea similarly reacted to Agabus’ prophecy. But it seems that through his previous experience prophesying the famine, as well as his time associating and learning from his fellow Prophets of Jerusalem, Agabus came to realize that this epic cataclysmic event damaged both believers and heathens alike. When warning Paul of his impending arrest, Agabus recognized that Christ’s Followers were not immune to trials and tribulations, even when following God’s Will. Unlike Paul’s well-meaning companions, Agabus doesn’t insert his personal feelings into what the Holy Spirit is trying to communicate; he simply prophesies what he has been told and performs exactly as he has been shown.

You will constantly hear in our recordings and read in our articles that “it is not enough just to hear God, you also need to know what He means”. Unfortunately that cannot come from simply reading the scriptures, but through an intense relationship with Him, spending time with other mature prophetic people, as well as by experience practicing the gift of prophesying.

When Agabus confronted Apostle Paul, he was not chastising him for going to Jerusalem, he was ensuring that he was mentally and spiritually prepared for the figurative and literal trials he was about to endure. Likewise, many prophesies foretelling of future troubles are not meant to stigmatize you for having been unfaithful or disobedient to God, but are blessings letting you know in advance of the things to come and how you can prepare yourself.

Just as the world has been thrust into chaos as we navigate through this pandemic, we must recognize that it is not necessarily meant as a punishment. Both Believer and Unsaved alike have been affected, just like the famine during Emperor Claudius’ reign. There will be future cataclysms and if we listen to God’s Modern Prophets, we can prepare ourselves materially, mentally, and spiritually for them and come through stronger just as Apostle Paul after his own trials.

Prepared by, Kent Simpson, Apostolic Prophet & Eric Sepulveda, PMT Administrator

The Consequences of Prophecy-
Inauguration & Responsibilities of a Prophet

While more and more modern Christians are beginning to recognize the beautiful gift that our Creator has provided us through His Modern Prophets, many fail to recognize the tremendous duty placed upon them. Through the Prophet Ezekiel, we see both the awesome glory of being exposed to God’s Voice and/or Presence, but also the insanely heavy burden entrusted to those God speaks through.

Ezekiel the Priest’s first experience with the prophetic began under extremely stressful circumstances. The Southern Kingdom of Judah had already had the first wave of exiles forced out by Babylon and Ezekiel was amongst the captives. At the Israelite settlement at River Chebar, Ezekiel began to have visions.

While there are several artistic interpretations of what Ezekiel saw, ranging from everything being symbolic of Israel, to descriptions of engineering surpassing today’s advanced technology, it was awe inspiring and tremendous. Ezekiel’s inauguration as a prophet allowed him a brief opportunity to bask in the Glory of the Lord, where he was filled with the Spirit, and afterwards was presented with a scroll of God’s prophecies for Israel, which Ezekiel was ordered to eat and was surprised to discover was sweet like honey.

God overly stressed the fact that Ezekiel would be sent to prophesy to the people of his own nation, in his own language, with his shared history: the House of Israel. Though God is not sending Ezekiel to a foreign land with a tongue he did not understand, God knows that foreigners would be more willing to hear and change their ways compared to the Israelites, who were hard hearted and stubborn.

God declared that He had made Ezekiel’s face stronger than the Israelites, so that when he confronts them, Ezekiel can stand firm when they challenge what he says. Even more, God has strengthened Ezekiel’s will so that he can butt heads with the religious order who refused to align themselves with God. Ezekiel is not to be afraid as his spiritual forehead was made strong like adamant and harder than flint, so he would not step back when they try to push against him because of their rebelliousness. God equipped Ezekiel to go to the captive Israelites, but recognized that there was a very good chance that they would not listen.

After Ezekiel’s encounter, he returned to the camp at Tel Abib and sat there amongst his fellow captives in astonishment for seven days. After a week of reflecting on what he had seen and heard, God spoke to Ezekiel yet again, declaring that He had made him a Watchman over the House of Israel. Ezekiel would be responsible for warning the People and the consequences of his failure to do so would fall on his head.

If a wicked man was doing evil, and was told to turn away from his ways, but chose not to, he would be condemned for his actions. But if Ezekiel failed to warn him and the sinful man died wallowing in his inequity, then Ezekiel would be responsible and his blood would be on Ezekiel’s hands.

This would even apply to a righteous man, who had been known to do Good throughout his life, but had turned away from the Creator. If instructed by God, Ezekiel’s failure to try to correct their path was the responsibility of the prophet. If God placed a stumbling stone before a once faithful person, and they died, their good works would be forgotten and Ezekiel would again be liable for failing to give him the opportunity to turn back to God.

God warned Ezekiel that the people would bind and restrict him from going out and correcting the captives because of their stubbornness, but if given a Word, Ezekiel was only responsible for speaking and the people would decide whether they would hear or refuse.

Despite his current position as a captive of the Babylon Empire, Ezekiel had been called out by God to reach his fellow Israelites in exile. If he failed to instruct those walking out of line with God’s Will, Ezekiel would be punished for their wrongdoing. But, if they were corrected and still chose to do wrong, their blood would be upon their own heads.

Modern prophets are tasked with a similar responsibility of needing to heed exclusively to God’s Voice. Some are called to try to correct the actions of an entire nation or its leadership, while others are set apart to shift the actions of everyday men and women. In either case, if instructed to correct, they have an obligation to warn those who are heading towards damnation.

God sent His Prophet Ezekiel during a major national crisis, even after many years of warnings from previous messengers. The first wave of exiles had already been removed, but their hearts were still turned away from God even when in the midst of the punishment that had been prophesied. The foolish continued down the same path that had led them to their current situation, but the wise heeded the words of God’s Prophets and corrected themselves.

During this global crisis, many of the things that once made our lives comfortable and stable are no longer able to be relied upon. Our lives have been uprooted and many feel that they are at the whims of forces far greater than themselves. Our world will continue to change radically, but we know that Our Creator has control over all things.

It is no small comfort to know that God still talks to His Sons and Daughters today through His Messengers. While not every prophet will be able to directly experience the same intense vision of God that Ezekiel had, nor will they all be tasked with turning an entire nation away from the destructive path it’s currently on, they are responsible for delivering God’s Message faithfully for the benefit and salvation of their audience.Whatever may come in the next few days, weeks, and months, we know that aligning ourselves with God’s Instruction will bless our families, communities, and countries.

Prepared by, Kent Simpson, Apostolic Prophet & Eric Sepulveda, PMT Administrator

The Consequences of Prophecy-
Destruction of the Nation that Rejected God’s Weeping Prophet

The Book of Lamentations is a collection of dirges (funeral songs) that Prophet Jeremiah wrote after the siege of Jerusalem, demolition of Solomon’s Temple, and exile of the Israelites to Babylon. While Jeremiah, known as the Weeping Prophet, poetically describes the terror and devastation that the city was experiencing, the people had had many opportunities to prevent the horror in which they had become engulfed. Despite being a people, city, and nation supposedly dedicated to God, they did not heed the symbolic warnings that His Prophets gave to turn away from their sinful practices. More importantly, the rejection of God’s Messengers and Prophets was seen as a rejection of God Himself.

Jeremiah, later known as the Weeping Prophet, conducted many prophetic performances to help demonstrate the need for Israel to turn away from their idolatry and the consequences of refusing to do so.

Perhaps Jeremiah’s most famous prophetic act concerned the wearing of a linen girdle and traveling to Perath (near the Euphrates River) where he was to hide the girdle in a hole in a rock. Jeremiah would have traveled some 350 miles each way from Jerusalem and back, only to be asked much later to by God to go back and retrieve it. When Jeremiah returned to where he had hidden the linen garment, he found that it was marred and because it was organic, had begun to decompose and was no longer useful for anything.

God explained to Jeremiah the prophetic significance of this now worthless belt. When Israel and Judah were closely and intimately bound to God, they served a purpose and were given renown, praise, and honor, but because of their unfaithfulness serving other gods, they had become rotten and useless. Ultimately, they would be taken out of their homeland and placed in this rocky region for a set period in during their exile (ref. Jeremiah 13: 1-11)

But because God is merciful, He ensured that those who turned back towards Him would be considered and spared.

God led Jeremiah to a potter’s studio where the artisan was shaping a piece of clay. While Jeremiah watched the potter working at his wheel, the soft clay pot he was fashioning became disfigured and distorted. Because the clay was still flexible, the potter was still able to save the clay and reshape it into a new vessel.

Explaining this prophetic sign, He declared that just as the potter is able to reshape the clay in his hands, God would shape and mold those whose hearts were still malleable and willing to turn back to Him. In comparison to the soft clay that would be taken gently in God’s Hands, the stiff necked and the hard hearted would be like a clay vessel that had already been baked in a kiln and no longer able to be molded (ref. Jeremiah 18:1-10).

God instructed Jeremiah to purchase a clay jar from a potter and to bring elders and priests with him to the Dung Gate and to prophesy the coming destruction that was about to befall the city. Because they had filled the land with the blood of the innocent, through their sacrificing of children to their false idols, God was going to bring about a great slaughter. The carcasses of the inhabitants of the city would be food for wild animals, the city would become desolate, and the besiegement of the city would be so great that they would be forced to eat their sons and daughters and eventually kill and eat each other.

After announcing such a horrific sentence on the city and its leaders, Jeremiah smashed the jar in front of the congregation. The prophetic performance was to clearly let them know that the Lord was planning on smashing stiff-necked and hard hearted Israel and Jerusalem so it could no longer be repaired just like the clay jar (ref. Jeremiah 19).

Though Jeremiah’s position as prophet had him mostly focused on Judah, God’s had him deliver a message to the surrounding kingdoms through their emissaries who were visiting the capital. Jeremiah was told to make a yoke out of straps and crossbars and wear it on his neck like a draught animal and in the presence of King of Judah Zedekiah and the neighboring kingdoms’ envoys declare that they must all bow before Nebuchadnezzar King of Babylon and be subject to him. If they would not humble themselves and place the symbolic yoke upon their necks and become vassal states, they would be destroyed.

Jeremiah not only performed this prophetic display for the King of Judah and his diplomatic guests, but also warned them not to listen to the false prophets who would try to deceive them saying that they would not have to be subjects to King Nebuchadnezzar. God was clear that any who went against this word were not sent from Him. Only the kings who bowed their neck under the yoke would be spared (ref. Jeremiah 27)

While the Book of Lamentations is filled with songs of grief and resentment for the destruction of Jerusalem and the Babylonian Exile, God revealed to The Weeping Prophet what was to happen if they did not turn their hearts back to Him quickly. Both in private and public settings, God used Prophetic Presentations and Performances to help strengthen His Word to His People. But despite these warnings to Judah’s elites and leadership, they continued to ignore the warnings that Prophet Jeremiah brought them and their people, city, and nation suffered accordingly. Great churches, communities, and nations will be brought to their knees if they do not heed the word of God’s Messengers and Prophets.

Prepared by, Kent Simpson, Apostolic Prophet & Eric Sepulveda, PMT Administrator