What in the World Is Going On? Part 2
Around the end of September 2023, Yeshua pulled me aside and by the end of October 2023, I was pulled aside completely.
It felt like I was being crushed. Nothing worked, and nothing seemed the same…like I could never go back. I felt abandoned.
Everything within me was shutting down spiritually. All I thought I knew and had known…none of it mattered or was even sufficient. I had to see the thing God desired for me.
It was imperative for me to shed the old nature and shred spiritual fat.
This was beyond a wilderness season. “Didn’t I just go through this, like all of this stuff, Lord? I mean, I just listed all of this in my book. Why does it feel like I am dying? Why does it feel like You have forsaken Me?” I exclaimed.
I shared with twelve people what I was experiencing. They understood as best as they could…some more than others.
Well-Meaning Words
Then, of course, there were those who discerned the hour, yet like Job’s “friends” their words were neither comforting nor accurate to what Holy Spirit was saying.
There was one person who said that “God is not angry with you.” True. He isn’t. The person continued, “He’s not judging you, and you feel like He’s forsaken you but He hasn’t. He loves you. He sent His Son to take on the crushing meant for you. So, tell the Devil to…”
I sat there and thought, “You mean well, but you’re not hearing well.” Perhaps, many Christians at that time might have felt that they were in an hour of judgment, i.e., condemnation. Nonetheless, make no mistake as soon as 5784 (2023-2024) hit, we were in “the hour of judgment”.
In fact, there was no comfort neither Job’s friends could give him nor anyone or anything give to Yeshua.
Job was destined to forerun and foreshadow both what Yeshua underwent and how God uses discipline and pain to bring us into promotion. No cross, no crown!
For Yeshua was destined to be bruised for our iniquities and crushed for our transgressions.
He faced the ultimate “judgment” meant for us and the world, becoming an enemy of God on our behalf. Yeshua, our High Priest, our Chief Intercessor forever.
What Is Judgment?
The first time judgment is used in the OT is in Exodus 12:12 in reference to punishment on Israel’s oppressors and the Egyptian gods. Yet, equally, it meant vindication for the Hebrews.
The Hebrew root word used there is šāp̄aṭ, which means vindication, punishment, govern, judge.
The first time judgment is in used in the NT is in Matthew 5:21 in reference again to punishment for those who practice evil. Yet, this time it is in reference to Israel and the Levitical law.
The Greek word used there is krisis, which means separation, sundering.
Now, understand these two definitions aren’t the only ones associated with judgment. We’re applying “the law of first mention” here, with the exact usage of judgment.
The Dark Hour
The “dark hour” in Scripture refers to a specific event during the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. According to the Gospels, at the sixth hour (around noon), darkness fell over the whole land for three hours. This event is recorded in the books of Matthew (27:45), Mark (15:33), and Luke (23:44).
This supernatural darkness was viewed by early Christian writers as a sign of God’s judgment on the sinful world. The darkness is said to have lasted until the ninth hour, which is about 3 p.m.
When Jesus hangs on the cross, despised, suffering, and dying, he has upon himself the entirety of all sin. God cannot look upon sin, so he turns his back and withdraws his favor. The burden is now fully upon his Son and the reality of God’s wrath for sin reveals itself in full. Here is where Jesus cries out “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” In this moment there is the despair of death, but in the words of the Psalm that he references, there is also hope for deliverance. Jesus still has trust in the God of the Universe. He has submitted to God’s will to that very last moment. There is a terrible beauty in this death in that it shows us that God loves us by taking our place on the cross and dying in our stead.
My God, My God, Why Have You Forsaken Me? Meaning of Jesus’ Words (biblestudytools.com
The “dark hour” of Jesus’ crucifixion is a pivotal moment in Christian theology, marked by profound suffering and divine abandonment.
As Jesus hung on the cross, he cried out in Aramaic, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” which translates to “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?”.
This utterance, recorded in both Matthew 27:46 and Mark 15:34, is a direct quotation from Psalm 22:1, a messianic psalm that prophesied the suffering of the Messiah.
In this moment of extreme physical and spiritual agony, Jesus, bearing the weight of humanity’s sin, experienced a sense of abandonment by God.
This was not a sign of a lack of faith or despair, but rather a profound expression of the depth of his suffering for humanity’s sake.
Redemption from the Crushing
The cry is a poignant reminder of the extent of Jesus’ sacrifice, the severity of the punishment He bore on behalf of humanity, and the intense feeling of desolation that accompanied it.
However, Jesus’ cry of abandonment should not be understood as a sign of divine desertion. Instead, it underscores the depth of Jesus’ identification with human suffering and the cost of human redemption.
Even in His feeling of abandonment, Jesus remained obedient, trusting in God’s plan for salvation.
His cry from the cross, echoing Psalm 22, ultimately turns from despair to hope, affirming God’s deliverance and faithfulness. Thus, the “dark hour” is not only a moment of apparent abandonment but also a profound declaration of faith in the midst of suffering.
The Eclipse
Did you catch that the eclipses resembled eyes? How symbolic of this representing Abba’s eyes on the acts against His only begotten Son, but also His eyes watching the Earth!
The 2024 eclipse passed at (visited) various times dissimilar to “the dark hour” earlier mentioned. Nonetheless, can’t you see the striking resemblance that as the Father was up to something then, He was also up to something in 2024?
This truly was a deep spiritual matter of supernatural importance. Even I, as I regather the timeframe, I see clearer now Yahweh’s plans as opposed to any others.
I wonder if the recent eclipse was saying:
- I am visiting you, and My eyes are on you.
- This has a connotation of many things, but the first use is when God passed over to visit with Sarah to deliver a prophetic word to her of the promise He’d given her and Abraham.
- I believe God was making good on His promise, but also seeing if they were ready for it…if they still had faith.
- It was more than just an open portal to connect with heaven. It was a threshold moment. Thresholds are all about calling, destiny, fulfillment, and next level.
- The Hebrew word used here is pāqaḏ.
- Pāqaḏ has many meanings: visitation, vindication, judgment, pass by, etc.
- Could God have been saying with the eclipse to those He found faithful, “My people, hear Me: I am vindicating you!”?
- During the 2024 season of Passover, could the eclipse have been a spiritual phenomenon or God’s way of fulfilling Exodus 12:12 all over again?
Divine Visitation
In 2022, Holy Spirit spoke the word pāqaḏ to me. I heard it loudly in my spiritual ears. I jotted down a couple of notes regarding that moment and then also what I heard from Holy Spirit as I pressed into the Lord.
We are, indeed, in the hour of visitation. Therefore, we must determine how we stand as the Lord visits us. Will there be vindication or judgment? This includes capital cities and nations.
And I now understand what it meant as Holy Spirit said to me, “Let it form in you until it matures before you release it.”
Working Out Our Salvation
May our resolve be: Though, He slay me, yet will I trust Him. Because it is about faith. Will He find it when He visits you (pāqaḏ)?
He’s not looking for perfection. Rather, He’s looking for the remnants of an overcomer. The book of Revelation is replete of how we can and must overcome.
So many of us get razzled and dazzeled into perfectionism before the Lord, before others, and before the world. Before we know, we’re performing instead of being.
In performance, the undercurrent and undertone is: Look at me! See all I can do and what all I know! Do you like me? Do you like my performance? Devoid of sincerity. Vanity of vanities!
No finger pointing here. If we’re all honest, we all have had to work with God to work that out of us. And there is still the “look at me syndrome” we all must overcome as it’s a custom of the flesh, pride of life, and worldliness.
The Dark Night of the Soul
Thankfully, though, in God’s great mercy and grace He accounted for that syndrome. He still accounts for today.
As Wisdom calls to all who will hear and respond to her, Abba Father (Yahweh) calls us via Holy Spirit to respond to Him.
That call is the dark night of the soul.
Jesus and Job both experienced this. Jesus did it to redeem (purchase us back) us. Job did it to foreshadow Jesus bringing illumination and praise to His future works, and also to show those in the household of faith that we can overcome spiritual death.
The “Dark Night of the Soul” is considered one of the most important investigations into the power of the soul. It is a stage of final and complete purification, marked by confusion, helplessness, stagnation of the will, and a sense of the withdrawal of God’s presence
The “Dark Night of the Soul” is a concept that originates from a poem written by the 16th-century Spanish mystic and poet, St. John of the Cross. It describes a phase of passive purification of the spirit in the mystical development.
The term has come to signify moments of the soul’s deepest and most painful tribulation just before its liberation into the wonder and glory of union with God. The poem narrates the journey of the soul to the mystical union with God.
The journey is called “dark night” in part because darkness represents the fact that the destination is imperceiveable since God’s ways are unsearchable (Romans 11:33-36) and in this particular field, He is soverign.
The Dark Night of the Soul Cont’d
That’s the whole point: God’s sovereignty. His will for us and our lives and the events of the sphere(s) He’s placed us in to affect the world.
In modern times, the phrase has taken on a broader meaning, referring to a period of intense emotional or spiritual turmoil, often characterized by feelings of loneliness, despair, and a sense of disconnection from the divine. This experience is often seen as a necessary step on the path to spiritual [growth and maturity and a new awakening in Jesus Christ].
The dark night of the soul is not a one-time event, but rather a process that can occur multiple times throughout a person’s life. It is often triggered by a major life transition, such as the loss of a loved one, a traumatic experience, or a spiritual crisis.
Dark Night of the Soul: Understanding the Spiritual Crisis and Its Significance – Soul Integration Coach (emphasis mine)
A significant life transition…hmmm…
I discuss that in 2024, we’ve all come to this major shift. There was one first in September-October 2023 and we just had another shift between March-April. It was so subtle that unless you were in tuned, you’d have missed it. Find the shift discussion here: Python at the Threshold: Dealing with the Prince of Magic – Emergent Army Ministries
John Paul Jackson, a well-known Christian author and speaker, has spoken about the “dark night of the soul” as a gift in our lives as we grow into a deeper relationship with God. He suggests that we need to learn how to operate not according to our soul but learning to our faith. With this, we begin to mature into a faith that isn’t easily shaken. He sees the “dark night” as a time of growth and transformation, leading to a stronger and more resilient faith.
You can read more on the dark night of the soul from John Paul Jackson here: https://s3.amazonaws.com/fonteva-customer-media/00D61000000HJ0LEAW/Dreams-and-Mysteries-S3-E1.pdf
…and also watch the video linked below:
The Hour of Comfort…Abba’s Comfort
Although, unintentional, you can consider this a consecutive follow-up to Part 1. You can read it here: What In the World Is Going On? Part 1 – Emergent Army Ministries
Well-meaning words will not work in this season. As a matter of fact, they’re deemed to be in contempt of court. We require the words of life now. Just as Isaiah said to Zion: let there be comfort.
From the God of comfort, who’s Son, Yeshua, went through what we’ve been through, we must hear His voice for others. We must feel His presence and warmth that comforts us with all comfort.
And that’s what it’s all about. Job’s experience was meant to provide future generations solace that throgh the anguish of the dark night of the soul and spiritual death, God’s hand is yet upon us…
…and at the end, as we endure, there is the threshold for us to cross over into a new aspect of our calling. We’ve gotten closer and closer to fulfilling our purpose here in earth.
True comfort causes us to mature and produce the oil God placed within us, but also the oil He knows, as a Father, has been there all along like precious stones.
The comfort of God causes us to repair breaches and restore walls. It causes us to change and be transformed.
Conclusion
Can you hear the whispers from heaven, “I am your comfort even in your dark hour”? Jesus died so we would have faith in Him. He redeemed our faith.
Yeshua became our comfort with His finishing service up to the point of the cross then taking His final breath. There is hope and there is deliverance.
That comfort brings us to a place of the restoration of the house of God.
He shall judge between the nations,
And rebuke many people;
They shall beat their swords into plowshares,
And their spears into pruning hooks;
Nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
Neither shall they learn war anymore.
-Isaiah 2:4 NKJV
And, so, you see that as it was with Job: no God is not punishing His people. Instead, He is disciplining those whom He loves, proving them as sons.
Do you see the separation that has happened since the last quarter in 2023 and is currently happening? It is all about the house. We’re dealing with houses in 5784. You can read more about the prophecy for 2024 I released on houses here: Insights, Prophecies, & Revelations for the Year 5784 (2023-2024) Part 4 – Emergent Army Ministries.
In that proving, there is an invitation He presents to be separate from the flesh and the world. Though, at times, that separation feels like, and is, a surgeon’s blade that rips at skin, sinew and marrow, soul, and spirit.
Now, all discipline, while it is happening, does indeed seem painful, not enjoyable; but for those who have been trained by it, it later produces its peaceful fruit, which is righteousness.
-Hebrews 12:11 CJB
Even that, dear brothers and sisters, is comfort to us, for it draws us closer to God and away from the pleasures of this world.
