Calendar of Events

August 21, 2010  @  10:30 AM

Present Yourselves Before the Lord!

by Jill Shannon

Jill Shannon is an anointed Messianic Jewish Bible teacher, author and singer/songwriter. Jill currently speaks and writes about experiencing God's glory, holy living and intimate friendship with the Lord, the biblical Feasts, Israel and the Church. She has written several books including "A Prophetic Calendar: The Feasts of Israel," 2009 and coming out September 1, 2010; "The Seduction of Christianity: Overcoming the Lukewarm Spirit of the Church."

Her website:    http://www.coffeetalkswithmessiah.com/

 

   Last night at 1:45 AM, August 2, 2010, the Lord came to me in a dream. I believe it was the Father speaking to me. All I remember was that something was happening, something was stirring in the Spirit. And I felt joy and anticipation, but also a strong, sacred feeling of awe, a feeling of “biblical proportions” was on me. It was serious, yet also not without joy.

    The Lord said to me, “Tell the people to present themselves before the Lord. I am going to judge My people. This is an early Judgment Day.”

   I immediately saw a scene of people bowed low on the floor before Him. It looked like a biblical scene, although these were modern people. I sensed that He would come and walk through His House, searching every heart, every life, judging His people in the “early judgment” which is granted to the household of God. Just as Peter said that “Judgment begins with the household of God.” I felt Him say in my heart, “I cannot judge the world, I cannot judge America, I cannot judge the powers of evil until I judge My own house.”

   When I heard Him say “I am going to judge My People,” I felt two things: I felt excited and privileged that He was going to walk among His prostrated people; but I immediately sensed that some (not a lot) would die in this judgment. He does not desire to harm even one, and all that is required is to come to this Day with our hearts bared, low, honest and transparent before Him. With such a heart, this judgment will not harm, but will expose, cleanse and purge the heart of His people.

   To take part in this early judgment is a GIFT and a PRIVILEGE. This is a Grace to every church that will do this. Those who will not heed this word will be judged differently. I do not know how, but I know it will be worse for them.

   His command made me feel like I was in the Book of Exodus, and it was the set time for the people of God to present themselves before Him. I knew that each church, each House of the Lord, would congregate to do this as a church. It would not be a huge group meeting of churches all coming together. I believe He will walk among each church and judge each individual within that church at this moment in time.

  

HOW AND WHEN DO WE DO THIS?

    We are entering the season of the Lord’s Fall Feasts. I believe He is saying that each church can choose the day and the time. It is the Lord’s will that this meeting will be accomplished by the setting of the sun on the Feast of Trumpets, which ends at sunset September 9^th, 2010. However, there is a 10 day period of Grace, which extends up to the Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur. If there are scheduling difficulties, God’s people may accomplish this sacred meeting during those last 10 days, but it MUST be completed by the sunset of September 18^th. I believe there is a “cut-off” point for the church at sunset, the end of Yom Kippur.

   For this sacred hour of judgment, there will be no worship team, no music, no sound technicians, no children’s ministry. (I will address the issue of children below.) All will be equal and lowly before the Lord. No one must be doing any other church business during this sacred hour of the Judgment of the Church. No one is exempt from this, or “above” doing this.

   At the designated moment, a shofar should be blown in the church, to begin the period of judgment. If a church does not have a shofar, then the Pastor must simply say, “Present Yourselves before the Lord Your God.” And then the pastors must be as the people, on their faces before the Lord. All people who are able, should either kneel or lay prostrate, or bow low on the floor before the Lord. Mothers holding babies, and those who are infirmed may sit on chairs before the Lord. (more about the children below.)

   Once this hour of judgment begins, NO ONE MAY SPEAK or have any conversations in the sanctuary. Before the shofar is blown, the Pastors may speak or instruct the people as much as feel led by the Spirit to do. But when the moment comes, they must not speak anymore, until the second Shofar is blown. They are to wait before Him in silence for one hour. During this hour, their hearts must be intentionally, deliberately open to the searching eyes of the Lord. They may pray in their hearts, their lips moving in repentance and supplications, but their voices must never rise above the softest whisper.

   At the end of the first hour, the Shofar is to be blown again. If there is no shofar, the Pastor should rise up and say, “You may leave quietly, or stay one more hour, as you feel led. Remain silent as you leave, but you may have conversations with each other outside of the sanctuary.”

   Then, one more hour of silence should be granted to those who wish to remain in the sanctuary, who are doing business with their God and their Maker. During the second hour, they may leave whenever they feel they have finished their work with the Lord. They are not obligated to stay the full second hour. At the end of the second hour, the Shofar should be blown again, or the Pastors should announce that we have completed our time of presenting ourselves before the Lord.

   After that, normal conversations can resume in the House of the Lord.

 

CHILDREN

   Children under the age of 7 are not required to come to this meeting, but they are permitted to come. If parents are able to find help, they may come without the younger children. Children 7 and older are required to come and remain silent for this hour. The Lord holds accountable children above the age of 7, for they know the difference between right and wrong. However, parents are responsible for their children. There will be no church workers to “watch them” in another room; they must remain with their parents.

   If there are two parents, then one of them may take a younger child out of the sanctuary if they are making noise and being disruptive. The Lord will be gracious to this parent, who is leaving the room so as not to disrupt the other worshipers. They can remain in a humble state before the Lord in their heart, even as they take the child to another room in the church, while their spouse prostrates himself/herself before the Lord. When the first hour is over, the other spouse should be relieved of watching the younger child, and have a chance to come before the Lord.

   The Lord will cover all children under the age of 7, with the righteousness of His Son, Jesus, and they will not be judged in this early judgment. He will count them as innocent, because of the work of the cross. But He will deal justly with all children over this age. They must be instructed at home before they come, of the seriousness of this biblical act we are doing. God has not changed. This is the hour for Him to judge His own household.

May the Lord bless and confirm this word to your hearts, and may you obey the Word of the Lord.

Jill Shannon

May 3, 2010