A Fresh Prophetic Vision for the Hebrew Roots Movement

 

A Spiritual Vision for the 2012 Messianic Israel Alliance Gathering in Orlando, Florida  (Aug 30 – Sept 2)

Natan and Sandi Lawrence with Angus and Batya Wootten, the co-founders of the Messianic Israel Alliance in Orlando, FL at the thirteenth annual MIA Gathering.

I read the following message on the opening evening of the gathering on Friday, August 31, 2012 to those gathered at the Rosen Plaza Hotel in Orlando, Florida. 

Where there is no spiritual/prophetic vision, the people perish: but he that keeps the Torah, happy is he. (Prov 29:18)

The Context

During this very week and at this time, Hurricane Isaac was taking aim at the west coast of Florida, then veered westward into the Gulf of Mexico and made landfall at and stalled over New Orleans before moving north and east over the midsection of the U.S. All this occurred prior to and during the Republican Convention to nominate a presidential candidate for the fall elections. At the same time, another convention was convening at the Rosen Plaza Hotel in Orlando, Florida—the Messianic Israel Alliance’s thirteenth annual international gathering.

Word Definitions

  • Orlando means “famed or renowned land or land of the famous or renowned.”
  • Rosen means “rose (of European Jewish origins).” Perhaps the most notable usage of rose in the Bible is the famous rose of sharon passage in the Song of Solomon, which is a taken by many to be a prophetic reference to Yeshua.
  • Plaza means “place where people gather.”
  • Tampa means “sticks of fire or place to gather sticks (that will be struck by lightening).” Interestingly, the Spaniards originally called Tampa Bay the Bay of the Holy Spirit. This name was dropped when the US acquired Florida from Spain in 1819.
  • Isaac means “laughter or he laughs (see Ps 2:2-4).”

Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us. He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision. Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure. Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.(emphasis added)

Analysis

YHVH seems to be laughing (through Hurricane Isaac) at men (the Republicans at their Tampa convention) as they are plotting and planning their strategies for national revival without taking him into consideration. This occurred as Tropical Storm/Hurricane Isaac brushed the Republican Convention in Tampa causing the convention to delay one day and casting a somber tone over the proceedings, and which should have caused them to pause and to reflect on higher spiritual matters. At the Republican convention, men are gathering their ideological sticks (a reference to the meaning of the name Tampa) as they establish their party’s planks to build their political platform, which YHVH laughs at (through Hurricane Isaac) and threatens to strike with the lightening of his judgment because this nation and its leaders are failing to make proper, true biblical teshuvah by returning to the Messiah, the roots and branches of our faith that are grounded in the Torah.

For certain, YHVH’s judgment is coming to this nation even as Hurricane Isaac slammed into New Orleans (a picture of this nation’s debauchery and vice) (on the seventh year anniversary to the day of Hurricane Katrina—Aug 29) and during the 38th annual Southern Decadence event occurring in New Orleans at the same time. This huge Mardi Gras-like event involves a huge number of sexual deviants uniting to celebrate pride in their sexual perversion all the while  thumbing their noses at YHVH Elohim.

Meanwhile, the same storm, while brushing the Republican Convention as if YHVH was trying to wake up the Republicans and to get them to make his agendas part of their plan to revive the country, slammed into New Orleans again on the seventh anniversary (to the day—Aug 29) of Hurricane Katrina. It’s as if YHVH was saying that conservative leaders need to beware and repent, for his judgments against the sins of this nation are coming hard and quickly, and that if they don’t repent, they might be next!

After Isaac left New Orleans, it moved northeasterly into the Midwest to deliver some much needed rain to this country’s parched mid-section where traditional biblical values remain the strongest, although some flooding is expected to occur. It’s as if YHVH through Isaac is first warning the political leaders to consider him in their political machinations, and next is punishing the truly wicked for their utter defiance of him, and then finally giving grace with some measured judgments to the conservative Christians in the Midwest urging all to repent and to turn back to him.

Here is the big overview: Isaac passed by Tampa Bay, originally named, the Bay of the Holy Spirit by the Spanish, as if to say: “America, you need a huge reservoir of the Holy Spirit to revive and empower you!” (This is one of our main themes at the MIA 2012 Gathering.) YHVH seems to be saying, “Republicans in Tampa, let the Ruach guide and direct you in your plans for America! Sexual perverts in New Orleans, let the Ruach bring you conviction of your sins, if not, you will be judged! Christians/Ephraim in America, let the rain of YHVH’s Torah-truth and Spirit fall on your drought-stricken physical and spiritual ground, so that you can yet bear much harvest fruit; Ephraim, repent and be doubly fruitful for your Elohim!”

Meanwhile, in Orlando, another group of spiritual leaders made up of the two sticks or houses of Israel are gathering together to do YHVH’s, business involving:

  • Leaders and lay people regrouping under the banner of devotion and obedience to Torah and Messiah to set in order their spiritual planks, and to establish a spiritual platform in the face of the spiritual apostasy, declension, and ecumenism that is currently engulfing this nation including the church and even Messianism.
  • People of prophetic vision who are uniting to help reunite the two sticks of Israel in preparation for the second coming of our Master and King.
  • People who want to make teshuvah for their Torahless ways.
  • People who want to help reestablish YHVH’s agenda (as opposed to men’s political and corporate kingdoms building, money making, power grabbing political and religious agendas) in hopes that the lightening of YHVH’s Ruach will ignite us spiritually, so that we can, with more power and resolve, proclaim the gospel message to the lost sheep of Israel in a united effort synergistically.

To this end, may we, be liked Ezra who was given a divine mandate, favor and the physical resources by YHVH himself and the kingdoms of men to construct the house of YHVH on this earth in his day. That house was to be a house of prayer for all nations to gather—a place for the united sticks of Israel to gather together to seek their YHVH. This construction effort was only possible by YHVH’s favor and grace and because the fear of YHVH had come upon the leaders and people’s of the Persian empire. May that same fear of YHVH come upon those around us as we focus on going about our Father’s business.

In many of our spiritual endeavors, we are not unlike Nehemiah whom YHVH tasked with rebuilding the broken down and burned walls of Jerusalem to protect the house of YHVH (i.e., the temple) from the enemies of Israel.

Like Ezra, Nehemiah’s predecessor, he faced and had to overcome many physical and spiritual obstacles to complete his divine mission. His initial walk around Jerusalem to survey conditions was prophetic of the battles he’d soon be facing to rebuild the wall.

Before he could celebrate the victory of a completed wall, he’d have stare down the enemies of YHVH face to face.

First he passed through the Valley Gate, which is a prophetic picture of the valley of the shadow of death of David’s famous twenty-third psalm. This death may even include the death of our vision (i.e., the death to our own personal plans and wishes as opposed to those of YHVH).

Next he came to the Serpent Well, which is a picture of everything Satan, the Adversary and Accuser of the brethren, will throw at you to hinder you from completing the task YHVH has given you.

Then he encountered the Dung (or Refuse) Gate. This is a spiritual picture of  all the garbage the enemy throws at us to keep us from fulfilling our divine mission. This could include things such as physical distractions, false accusations, false brethren, the heathen around us, hindering demonic spirits, physical sickness, lack of finances, doubt, fear, discouragement and unbelief.

Next Nehemiah came to the broken down and burned gates of Jerusalem representing all the broken and failed dreams and attempts of our past to accomplish YHVH’s purposes in our lives including past personal failures and defeats at the hands of our physical and spiritual enemies.

It was necessary for Nehemiah to encounter and to overcome all these obstacles, which, in reality, he used as stepping stones to his success.  These passage points served to bring him to the place of victory resulting in the spiritual outpouring represented by the Fountain Gate and the King’s Pool, which he arrived at next. These last two spots in the ancient city of Jerusalem that are references to water are clear spiritual allusions to and are biblical Hebraisms representing the waters of YHVH’s Word or truth (i.e.,the Torah), as well as to the outpouring of the Spirit of Elohim. Spirit and truth combined are what all  true worshipers of YHVH need in order to lead them into the deeper waters of a spiritual relationship with the Father as Yeshua indicates in John 4.

In these times of trials and pressure from all sides, may YHVH grant you, as he did to  Nehemiah, the strength of vision and faith to overcome the obstacles in your life. May they become mere stepping stones to victory for the glory of Elohim and the advancement of his spiritual kingdom.

We are the Ezra’s and Nehemiahs that YHVH is raising up in our time to help rebuild the one house or stick of YHVH comprised of the two houses of Israel.

On a personal note, my family came to Florida a week ago to visit the Everglades and the Keys. We spent Shabbat in Naples, which to continue our sightseeing having no idea of the spiritual significance of this city. When we got there, we learned that this city was literally the birthplace of our nation in 1565. It was, at the time, in the direct path of Hurricane Isaac. We fled Naples at 6:30 AM last Sunday morning heading to St. Augustine was here that North America was claimed for Spain and the Christian church, that the first church was planted, the Indians were first missionized. Under the 100 foot, 70 ton cross that marks the exact spot where the Spaniards landed, I (on Wed, Aug 29th the day after the 547th anniversary of the Spainish first sighting the land and 11 days before they landed on the beach on Sept 7 and planted the cross claiming the land for the king of Spain), prayed, repented, and reclaimed this land in the name of Yeshua for the kingdom of Yeshua. On this very spot, I asked YHVH to give us another chance at missionizing the inhabitants of this land with the truth of Yeshua the Jewish Messiah and his Torah-Word. This all happened in Florida, the physical and spiritual birthplace of this nation.

The 100 foot, 70 ton cross marking the spot in St. Augustine, Florida where the Spanish claimed North America for Spain on September 7, 1565 and planted the first Christian church.

May what happens this weekend at this MIA gathering here in Florida begin a spiritual revival and spiritual restoration of Spirit and truth that  will help to usher in the coming of our Messiah, and may we be his instruments to correct what our Ephraimite ancestors, though zealous, but misguided began nearly 550 years ago.

Bottom Line Prophetic Message

YHVH’s severe judgments are coming on America. We as redeemed Israelites will not escape these judgments, but will be brushed (spiritually refined) by them. However, YHVH will preserve us from the full force of these judgments if we will return to the first principles of our faith (Torah and Messiah Yeshua), and continue to aggressively claim this land for our King Yeshua, and will continue to reach out to the lost and scattered Israelites around us in the name and for the glory of Yeshua. This will be accomplished as we gather together as the two sticks of redeemed Israel to seek the lightening fire of YHVH’s Holy Spirit anointing involving repentance and returning with a consecrated and rededicated heart to the first principles and first love of our faith—Torah and Yeshua as maturing believers. Our motto is, Commitment without compromise; mercy without measure.

A Call to Action and Prayer

If not here in Orlando, then where? If not now, then when? If not us, then who?

May YHVH Elohim, the King of all creation guide and direct our hearts and efforts; may his will be done on earth as it is in heaven during this gathering.

 

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