The Mounting Controversy of Zion
There are three primary reasons why I consistently emphasize what Isaiah called “the controversy of Zion” (34:8 KJV) and oppose the idea that it is a peripheral and insignificant issue:
1. Jerusalem has been a point of intense contention and controversy throughout history
2. Jerusalem is a point of mounting contention and controversy in our generation
3. Jerusalem will be the greatest point of contention and controversy in the generation of the Lord’s return (Zech. 12:2-3, 9; 14:13; Mt. 24:15-31; 2 Thess. 2:1-10; etc)
Most Christians in the West are ignorant, apathetic, or indifferent towards the issue of Jerusalem because of rampant Biblical illiteracy, false teaching about Israel, and rabid cultural isolation. Without a global perspective infused with Biblical conviction they believe the world revolves around them and are oblivious to what’s happening on the other side of the globe.
The video above serves to burst our bubble of cultural isolationism and confirm what the Bible says about the “controversy of Zion” that is said to mount and culminate at the end of the age.
It was shot in Cairo and released Monday by Egypt’s Al-Nas TV. You’ll hear Muslim preacher Safwat Higazi telling thousands of Muslim Brotherhood supporters at a soccer stadium, “We can see how the dream of the Islamic caliphate is being realized, God willing, by Dr. Mohamed Mursi” (the movement’s presidential candidate), as Mursi and other Brotherhood officials nod in agreement.
“The capital of the caliphate – the capital of the United States of the Arabs – will be Jerusalem,” Higazi said, before leading the crowd in chants of “Millions of martyrs march toward Jerusalem.” Mursi responded, “Yes, Jerusalem is our goal. We shall pray in Jerusalem, or die as martyrs on its threshold.”
If you write this off as fringe and irrelevant you’re no different than those who were indifferent towards the preaching of Hitler in the 1930′s. It is in our face. It’s clear. And it’s bold.
For more resources about these issues check out http://thecontroversyofzion.com as well as my book “The Controversy of Zion and the Time of Jacob’s Trouble”
A Significant Update About a Significant Opportunity
As most of you know, my book “The Controversy of Zion and the Time of Jacob’s Trouble” was released this week. We’re so excited to see how the Lord is going to use it in the coming months and years.
As the English translation is trickling into different distribution streams in different nations over the next few weeks we’re now turning our attention to the task of translating the book into other languages and printing and distributing it in as many nations as possible.
In the last week or two the Lord has been opening up doors into a number of nations through some quality people who want to make it available to their mission field.
It appears that the first two translations will be a simple and a complex version that will be made available in mainland China. This is extremely significant.
There are a number of passages that indicate that when the conflict of the “time of Jacob’s trouble” begins with the invasion of Judea and the decimation of Jerusalem, the Asian Church will have a critical and decisive role to play both in the Land and in the nations.
Having been forged themselves in the fire of affliction and persecution, Asian believers will selflessly lay down their lives from Beijing to Jerusalem in a compassionate effort to minister to traumatized Jews in flight as the State is invaded and trodden down. They will give a bold, sacrificial, and unwavering witness to the Gospel among hostile nations that will be caught up in a demonic frenzy to wipe Abraham’s seed from the face of the earth. But this will require the Asian church to be prepared for what is to come.
Though most won’t be able to tell just by reading the book, this is one of the principal reasons I wrote it. The Asian church was constantly on my mind as we labored to get this project to print. So the fact that the first translation of the book will be for the Chinese church means a lot to me.
Both the translators and myself wish to give the book to China (and other nations in the future) free of charge. We aim to fund the printing and distribution through the sales of the book in the West and the generosity of mission-minded believers who have the resources and the desire to sow them. More on this in the future.
One of the best ways you can help us now is by getting the word out about the book in your circles. The more we sell the more we are able to give.
If you would like to help, post the link to the website and the video below on whatever social media you use. If you’re a pastor, would you consider playing the video to your congregation? If you have the means, buy a few copies of the book and give them to your friends and family.
As well, feel free to circulate this article in any way you see fit.
In the Beloved,
Dalton
1 – Introduction to John the Baptist’s Ministry as a Forerunner
DOWNLOAD
NOTES | MP3 (soon to be added)
______________________________
I. THE FORERUNNER MINISTRY
A. Human history is a succession of transitional generations. Throughout the centuries–from the creation of the cosmos to the exile from the Garden, from the calling of Abraham to the exaltation of Joseph, from the flood to the Exodus, from the drought in the days of Elijah to the deportation of the days of Jeremiah, and from the days of Anna, Simeon, and John the Baptist to the days of Peter, Philip, and Paul–we see that transitional generations are like hinges upon which the door of redemption and judgment swings.
B. And in every generation that witnesses such monumental transitions as those mentioned above we observe what we refer to as the forerunner ministry. The forerunner ministry is a prophetic and pastoral ministry that is intended by God to prepare people for the unique dynamics of the transition specific to a particular generation. Read more >>
Paul’s Teaching on the End-Times in 2 Thessalonians 2 – Ten Foundational Truths
DOWNLOAD
NOTES | MP3
More Than a Prophet
In Matthew 11 Jesus publicly vindicates the life and ministry of John the Baptist, the “greatest man born of a woman.”
WHAT DID YOU GO OUT TO SEE?
The Lord charges the nation of Israel concerning the nature of the testimony of John saying:
9 What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. 10 This is he of whom it is written, “‘Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way before you.’ (Matthew 11:9-10)
Jesus defined John the Baptist’s life mandate and ministry by saying that he was a “messenger” who was “more than a prophet” “sent” to “prepare” the people for that which God was Read more >>
Living In Light of the Mounting Crisis in the Nations – An Exhortation for 2011
So far 2011 has been quite turbulent – the shaking of the Pacific Rim, the dangling global economy and the the volatility of the Middle East have profoundly disturbed us all. I expect things will only intensify as the year and this new decade unfolds. And as it does, opinions about what is and isn’t going to happen will become more and more pronounced. This mounting crisis between now and the return of the Lord over the coming years and decades will create a vacuum for both the authentic prophetic ministry and its counterfeit in all its various expressions.
Daniel 9 instructs us about how to live, love and lead as the confrontation, controversy and confusion covers the earth:
“…in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, perceived in the books the number of years that, according to the word of the Lord to Jeremiah the prophet, must pass before the end of the desolations of Jerusalem, namely, seventy years. Then I turned my face to the Lord God, seeking him by prayer and pleas for mercy with fasting and sackcloth and ashes.” (Daniel 9:2-3)
First, Daniel studied the written word of God and discerned what the prophets of his day were saying. He scoured the writings of the prophets of his parents generation (“the word to Jeremiah the prophet”). And he was incredibly grounded in the writings of Moses (as demonstrated through his repeated reference to Moses in the following prayer of 9:4-19). As he was a living contemporary of Ezekiel, Jeremiah and most likely Habakkuk and Zephaniah (as well as the false prophets who opposed them) he wrestled through their prophecies as one who was on the ground in the moment of their declaration. Bear in mind, these prophecies weren’t in the Bible yet. They had just been declared. He had to weigh them up and seek the Lord concerning their legitimacy and authenticity (a daunting task considering the tension between those who were prophets and those declared themselves to be; as in Jeremiah 23).
Second, Daniel discerned “the signs of the times” (to borrow a phrase Jesus used). He read in Jeremiah’s prophecy that Israel would be driven from the land (which Daniel personally experienced as a pre-teenager) and held in exile by the sovereign hand of God for “70 years.” Daniel read the prophecy, did the simple math and realized he was living in the hour in which prophecy was to be fulfilled. He was a faithful and diligent student of the written word. And he was sober minded about extra-Biblical prophecy (at that time anyway) that was being declared in his generation. He held the word of God in highest regard. And he clung to the promise that “God does nothing without revealing it to His prophets” as declared by the prophet Amos (3:7) a century and a half earlier.
Third, Daniel “sought the Lord” through prayer, fasting and the sweet embrace of humility. This is significant for two reasons: (1) Daniel understood that though the prophecy was sure and written, the Lord wanted him to engage in the prophecy coming to pass by standing with him (like Elijah before him) in asking the Lord to accomplish that which He promised. The Lord values our “face” being “turned” to Him (9:3). And in response He turns the course of history. The sovereignty of God and the call to prayer are not at odds. Daniel’s response to the revelation of the promises of God in history compelled him to lift his voice – not disengage as a mere spectator. (2) Daniel understood that the call to prayer in the hour of prophetic fulfillment is as important if not more important than the call to proclamation. This is why Jeremiah challenged the prophets of his day saying “If you are prophets of the Lord, make intercession!” (27:18) Daniel knew that prayer is the only place from which we can be prepared to proclaim prophecy. It’s important to notice the fact that Daniel’s initial response to the revelation of the soon fulfillment of prophecy was not to proclaim it in public but to wrestle with the Lord in secret. This both preserved Daniel’s personal relationship with the Lord (see Dan. 6:10) and empowered him as a messenger when he did step into the public spotlight. Additionally, Daniel understood that fasting is essential to the cultivation of discernment. If we seek to understand the written word of God and the subjective prophecies of our generation prayer and fasting is to be embraced as the cultural norm of the church of Jesus.
As we approach the near return of the Lord we should view Daniel’s response as a model and an example to follow. We must (1) cherish prophecy contained in the written word of God, (2) cling to the hope of God’s gift of the subjective prophetic ministry in the hour of transition and (3) give ourselves to the pursuit of the face of God through prayer and fasting. This is a lifestyle. A lifestyle we’d be wise to embrace now; in the relative calm before the storm.
This lifestyle fills us with confidence in God’s wisdom and sovereignty as the end-time events unfold, protects us from offense as we face difficulty and suffering and fills us with clarity and boldness to declare the word of the Lord to a generation caught up in a whirlwind of confusion with no anchor.
This is the heart of the prophetic ministry. And this is the only safe place to be as the Day of the Lord draws near.
