CALL TO PRAYER & FASTING FOR AMERICA
ON AUGUST 6TH, 2011 -

MY IMPRESSIONS

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Shalom Everyone,

I’d forgotten about this prayer vigil that Governor Rick Perry of Texas has called for that is to occur on Saturday, August 6th - my birthday this year. It took a special e-mail from Joel Rosenberg this morning showcasing his participation in it to remind me.

Since I want to keep the Sabbath on the right day, I have decided not to celebrate my birthday on August 6th this year anyway, but to wait until August 7th. This means I probably won’t be able to do an Armageddon Show this Sunday and why I am doing a show tonight instead. Anyway, since I was born on Tisha B’Av or the 9th of Av on the Jewish Calendar in 1957, sometimes I wonder if I should be “celebrating” my birthday at all and why it seems many real tragedies in my life have occurred on that day. Hmmmm....

Fascinatingly, this Saturday is a special Sabbath on the Jewish Calendar that falls just before Tisha B’Av or the 9th of Av, which uncannily is on August 9th this year (August 9 is Av 9!). This is the Jewish National Day of Mourning over the destruction of the First and Second Temples to Yahweh in Jerusalem.

This special Sabbath before Tisha B’Av is called “Shabbat Chazon” or the “Sabbath of Foretelling”. On this day, Rabbis read the first chapter of the Book of Isaiah in the synagogues:

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Book of Isaiah, Chapter 1
King James Version (KJV)

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“1 The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.

2 Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth: for the LORD hath spoken, I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me.
3 The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master's crib: but Israel doth not know, my people doth not consider.

4 Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children that are corrupters: they have forsaken the LORD, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger, they are gone away backward.
5 Why should ye be stricken any more? ye will revolt more and more: the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint.
6 From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it; but wounds, and bruises, and putrifying sores: they have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment.

7 Your country is desolate, your cities are burned with fire: your land, strangers devour it in your presence, and it is desolate, as overthrown by strangers.
8 And the daughter of Zion is left as a cottage in a vineyard, as a lodge in a garden of cucumbers, as a besieged city.
9 Except the LORD of hosts had left unto us a very small remnant, we should have been as Sodom, and we should have been like unto Gomorrah.

10 Hear the word of the LORD, ye rulers of Sodom; give ear unto the law of our God, ye people of Gomorrah.
11 To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the LORD: I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats.
12 When ye come to appear before me, who hath required this at your hand, to tread my courts?
13 Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting.
14 Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth: they are a trouble unto me; I am weary to bear them.

15 And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood.
16 Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil;
17 Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.

18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
19 If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land:
20 But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.
21 How is the faithful city become an harlot! it was full of judgment; righteousness lodged in it; but now murderers.

22 Thy silver is become dross, thy wine mixed with water:
23 Thy princes are rebellious, and companions of thieves: every one loveth gifts, and followeth after rewards: they judge not the fatherless, neither doth the cause of the widow come unto them.
24 Therefore saith the LORD, the LORD of hosts, the mighty One of Israel, Ah, I will ease me of mine adversaries, and avenge me of mine enemies:
25 And I will turn my hand upon thee, and purely purge away thy dross, and take away all thy tin:

26 And I will restore thy judges as at the first, and thy counsellors as at the beginning: afterward thou shalt be called, The city of righteousness, the faithful city.
27 Zion shall be redeemed with judgment, and her converts with righteousness.
28 And the destruction of the transgressors and of the sinners shall be together, and they that forsake the LORD shall be consumed.

29 For they shall be ashamed of the oaks which ye have desired, and ye shall be confounded for the gardens that ye have chosen.
30 For ye shall be as an oak whose leaf fadeth, and as a garden that hath no water.
31 And the strong shall be as tow, and the maker of it as a spark, and they shall both burn together, and none shall quench them.”

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The spiritual meditation called for on this special Sabbath is inspired by the Prophet Isaiah’s words in the first chapter of his book. This is explained on the following web page at OU.org:

About Shabbat Chazon, From The OU.org Web Site:
http://www.ou.org/yerushalayim/tishabav/chazon.html

Excerpt from that page:

“The Shabbat before Tisha B’Av, is called Shabbat Chazon - the Shabbat of foretelling - as we read the Haftara portion from the prophecy of Isaiah (1:1-27), as the final of the "three of affliction," readings.

Rabbi Mendel Hirsch points out, the prophet does not lament because the Bet HaMikdash (The Temple in Jerusalem) was destroyed; rather he laments over the underlying causes of that destruction.

This annual lesson must serve to focus the national mourning of Tisha B’Av not to the past, but to the present.”

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So we can see that having a national day of prayer and fasting on Shabbat Chazon has a biblical and traditional Jewish precedent.

In light of this, I was thinking that maybe now would be a good time for all of us to stop celebrating anything and get on our knees and pray until God moves in America and the world in a big way before the Rapture! I don’t see a revival in our future because none are prophesied in the Bible’s Book of Revelation or in Matthew, Chapter 24 or Luke, Chapter 21.

Also, unlike Rick or Joel, I don’t think Yahweh is going to stop the Tribulation just because a few thousand people start praying for revival. According to the Heavenly Signs, the Tribulation has already started and Yahweh God intends to finish it in seven years (i.e. 2017-2018) just as His prophets foretold that God would. Nonetheless, it can’t hurt to call out to Yahweh God for one more revival while we still have breath to do so! Maybe God will allow it to happen before the Rapture and thus make the First Rapture a much bigger event. We can always hope…

A BIG word of caution, though. I just read that avowed Christian Governor Rick Perry is supportive of the Gay agenda in America and what they’ve done in New York to legitimatize Gay marriage:

Article: “Rick Perry Fooled Me” by Joseph Farah:
http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=%20326665

In light of this extremely sad and sobering news, we have to question the true motive behind the “Day of Prayer” that Rick is calling for. We need to ask the question: “Just what sort of revival is Rick calling for if he openly supports Gay marriage?”

Could it be that Rick called for this national day of prayer in a grandiose attempt to help secure Christian and Republican votes when he runs for President next year as he is considering? If so, should we support Rick’s day of prayer at all? After all, it could just be one big advertisement highlighting Perry’s supposed righteous worthiness to be President of the United States…

If you still think it will do some good and want to participate with Joel in praying and fasting for America on Saturday, August 6th, below you will find Joel's blog post about the Texas prayer vigil. I know I will be praying that day both for the future of America, my health and my ministry - not because of Joel or Rick, but because I care about America and about bringing as many people to salvation as possible before the end of this carnal and fallen world.

Your Sister in Yahshua,

Helena Lehman
Pillar of Enoch Ministry
http://pillar-of-enoch.com

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* * * * FLASH TRAFFIC: WASHINGTON UPDATE * * * *

http://flashtrafficblog.wordpress.com/


A CALL TO PRAYER & FASTING FOR OUR COUNTRY


“On Saturday, we need to stop everything we’re doing--stop working, playing, entertaining ourselves, texting, emailing, Facebooking, eating--and just spend it with the Lord in prayer for our country.”

By Joel C. Rosenberg

(Denver, Colorado, August 5, 2011) -- Here’s one sobering headline that caught my eye this morning: "Global stocks tumble amid recession fears: Market panic spreads across globe as investors fear double-dip recession." Here's another: “Dow’s losing streak now in ninth day; Dow’s losing streak unmatched since 1978.”

U.S. and global markets have been severely rattled in recent weeks by the inability or unwillingness of politicians in Washington to make the truly serious and dramatic reforms necessary to move our country back from the brink of bankruptcy. Our national debt now equals 100% of our GDP. America hasn’t faced a debt crisis this serious since we were fighting for our lives against the Nazis in World War II. Meanwhile, millions of Americans remain out of work. Millions are losing their homes. Nearly 46 million Americans are now on government food stamps. No wonder a stunning 73% of Americans say our country is on the “wrong track.”

America is in trouble, morally, spiritually and financially. Yet no one seems to have any answers. The politicians seem clueless. The media certainly doesn't have any answers. Academia seems more out of touch than ever. Sadly, far too many Church leaders are asleep, as well -- or too timid, or drifting off course spiritually and theologically - just at the time they could and should be powerfully proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ as the only real hope of mankind. God hasn't failed us. We have failed God. Christ is ready to come help us, care for us, get us back on the right track, if we would only turn to Him en masse. The Church's job is to be a light to the nations, ours and the world. But too much of the Church is sleeping. We need a wake up call.

America needs a revival -- a dramatic spiritual renewal like the “Great Awakening” of the early 1700s, and the “Second Great Awakening” of the mid-1800s. But such a revival has to begin first and foremost with the Church waking up and asking the Lord to purify us, heal us, and re-inspire us with the life-changing truths of His Word. Only then can we truly love our neighbors with Christ's love and be a blessing to our country in a time of severe crisis.

Today, I'm flying to Houston to participate in tomorrow's day of prayer & fasting for our country. The event was called by Texas Governor Rick Perry. It's based on the Book of Joel. And despite enormous opposition from liberal groups and atheist organizations, I believe this is exactly what we need right now. We need to take a day out from our normal lives and stop everything we're doing -- stop working, playing, entertaining ourselves, texting, emailing, Facebooking, eating -- and just spend it with the Lord. In His Word. With His people. In praise and worship. In prayer and fasting. Asking Him to show mercy to us...before it’s too late.

If you're anywhere near Reliant Stadium in Houston tomorrow, I hope you'll join us. If not, may I encourage you to take time out of your busy schedules to pray and fast tomorrow for a true, deep and powerful revival in America, beginning in the Church?

“‘Yet even now,’ declares the Lord, ‘return to Me with all your heart, and with fasting, weeping, and mourning; and rend your heart and not your garments.’ Now return to the Lord your God, for He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness and relenting of evil. Who knows whether He will not turn and relent and leave a blessing behind Him?” (Joel 2:12-14)

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* WAKE UP CALL -- Consider taking the next step, as well. There's still time to sign up to participate in the "Wake Up Call" event we're doing with Anne Graham Lotz on Sunday night, September 11th, calling the Church to prayer and repentance. You can participate in the simulcast as a church congregation, or at home with your family and friends. Please visit my blog for a link to more details.

>> For more details and links, please go to our English blog (http://flashtrafficblog.wordpress.com/) or the Hebrew blog (http://www.joelrosenberg.co.il). Thanks.

>> To watch the Epicenter Conference messages online -- or to pre-order the full DVD set of messages -- please go to http://www.epicenterconference.com