As we enter 2014, the focus of my heart is set upon the face of Jesus.

Understanding where we are in time and history is vital to understanding the movement of the Holy pirit in this hour. !t has "een a year since ! "egan teaching again. #uring that year, we focused on a mandate received in prayer to $now the %ord intimately unto the #ay of the %ord. !t was&is, in essence, a call to "ecome a "urning heart, carrying the "urden of the %ord for His glory and not our own. 'he phrase He spo$e into my heart was a Song of Solomon identity lived out of a Sermon on the Mount context in Acts 2 proportions. ! $now the phrase may sound trite. (onveniently, it is a three)part sentence that we can easily remem"er. ! am also aware that after a year of saying it, it can "e easy to dismiss it "ecause we mista$enly assume we are living it out due to familiarity. However, it is very much a call to action, not to a clich*. 'he phrase is directional. 'herefore, ! want to reiterate it in "ite)si+ed pieces so we can move forward with it as a "lueprint for our hearts as we serve the %ord on "ehalf of %ong !sland through worship) filled prayer. ,A ong of olomon- identity has two aspects that are a re.uired in order to view our role appropriately. 'he first is a heart continually set upon the revelation of the /ridegroom and a fervent commitment to $now Him, His heart and His mission. 'he second is to live as a deeply loved /ride e0pressing His love for us and our love for Him through love e0pressed to our neigh"or. 1eally, it is the first and second commandment in the correct order of priority. 2uch of the "ody of (hrist in the region has "een focused upon discovering what role we each play, as the /ride, in the fulfillment of our $ingdom desires, as one who is loved "y 3od. However, though the %ord loves us dearly, the %ord4s focus has never "een upon that. !t has always "een upon the fulfillment of His promises to His own 5ame and 3lory "ecause it ultimately demolishes every thread of idolatry and draws man to the highest e0perience of true pleasure. !n !saiah 46718)21, He says, I am the Lord, and there is none else. I have not spoken in secret, In some dark land; I did not say to the offspring of Jacob, Seek Me in a aste place!; I, the Lord, speak righteo"sness, #eclaring things that are "pright. $ather yo"rselves and come; #ra near together, yo" f"gitives of the nations; %hey have no kno ledge, &ho carry abo"t their ooden idol 'nd pray to a god ho cannot save. #eclare and set forth yo"r case; Indeed, let them cons"lt together. &ho has anno"nced this from of old( &ho has long since declared it( Is it not I, the Lord( 'nd there is no other $od besides Me, ' righteo"s $od and a Savior; %here is none e)cept Me. %"rn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth; *or I am $od, and there is no other. I have s orn by Myself, the ord has gone forth from My mo"th in righteo"sness 'nd ill not t"rn back, %hat to Me every knee ill bo , every tong"e ill s ear allegiance. %hey ill say of Me, +nly in the Lord are righteo"sness and strength. !Men ill come to ,im, 'nd all ho ere angry at ,im ill be p"t to shame. In the Lord all the offspring of Israel &ill be -"stified and ill glory.. !n !saiah 49710)12, the %ord continues to ma$es his purposes clear to !srael. He will turn her from idolatry and fulfill his promises for one reason7 He is faithful to uphold His name.

/ehold, I have refined yo", b"t not as silver; I have tested yo" in the f"rnace of affliction. 00 *or My o n sake, for My o n sake, I ill act; *or ho can My name be profaned( 'nd My glory I ill not give to another. Listen to Me, + Jacob, even Israel hom I called; I am ,e, I am the first, I am also the last.!n John 1: ) 1;, we find that the idea of faithfulness to His 5ame has a person in mind< 'he %ord Jesus e0pressing 'he =ather in the power of 'he pirit. 'he full te0t is too cum"ersome to .uote. o, test me on the fullness of this thought in the conte0t of 1:)1;. Jes"s spoke these things; and lifting "p ,is eyes to heaven, ,e said, *ather, the ho"r has come; glorify 1o"r Son, that the Son may glorify 1o", even as 1o" gave ,im a"thority over all flesh, that to all hom 1o" have given ,im, ,e may give eternal life. %his is eternal life, that they may kno 1o", the only tr"e $od, and Jes"s 2hrist hom 1o" have sent. I glorified 1o" on the earth, having accomplished the ork hich 1o" have given Me to do. 3o , *ather, glorify Me together ith 1o"rself, ith the glory hich I had ith 1o" before the orld as. I have manifested 1o"r name to the men hom 1o" gave Me o"t of the orld; they ere 1o"rs and 1o" gave them to Me, and they have kept 1o"r ord.. John 1;71)> =ather, on and pirit are "ent upon each other4s 3lory. !t is the Holy pirit who now leads the charge of revealing His 5ame and 3lory in our day. %ong !sland has "een hampered "y a limited e0pectation of what a true move of the Holy pirit loo$s and feels li$e. !t has "ased its understanding, at least in part, upon the healing revivals of the 40s and 60s, the flower power of the Jesus people movement in the late >0s and ;0s, the prosperity of the 90s and the ,"ar room- e0perience of wine poured out in the mid)80s. ?ach were, in fact, "uilding "loc$s leading toward the fullness of committed love. (ertainly the move of the mid)80s was glorious fun and it renewed love unto inner healing. However, our very souls testify that there is still more to come. 'he true hallmar$ of mature revival is %ove< +ealous love for 3od first and then for humanity, "oth saved and unsaved. @e must press on to maturity in order to develop a fiery love that overcomes "y the "lood of the %am", the word of our testimony and not loving our life even unto death. A1evelation 12B 4"t me like a seal over yo"r heart, Like a seal on yo"r arm. *or love is as strong as death, Jealo"sy is as severe as Sheol; Its flashes are flashes of fire, %he very flame of the Lord. Many aters cannot 5"ench love, 3or ill rivers overflo it; If a man ere to give all the riches of his ho"se for love, It o"ld be "tterly despised.. ong of olomon 97>); ome of you may remem"er that when the wine was poured out there was also a prophetic word released saying that more would follow, as Acts 2 would "e poured out in reverse. !t was wine, fire, then wind. ! have no idea whether that was a true word from the %ord. However, ! am .uite sure of one thing, this hour is a call to fire, i.e., to passionate commitment in love. =ire alone is neutral. However, fire e0perienced is polari+ing. !t is either an opportunity for fervency to increase or pain that causes us to draw "ac$. !t cleanses, purifies and empowers and leaves no room for am"iguity. ! am confident of this, that we are called to wal$ out our healing in renewed fervency to $now %ord in

truth< e0perientially and not Cust in theory. 'he prayer movement was launched on the heels of this last outpouring as a call to fiery friendship with the %ord Himself. Dart of that friendship must "e e0pressed as a tenacity to move in agreement with the %ord4s mission and not our own. Eet we can only move in agreement when we understand the mission itself. o, what is the missionF Jesus told us the mission was the $ingdom. Daul e0pands upon that and tells us in ?phesians 178 that ,e made kno n to "s the mystery of ,is ill, according to ,is kind intention hich ,e p"rposed in ,im ith a vie to an administration s"itable to the f"llness of the times, that is, the s"mming "p of all things in 2hrist, things in the heavens and things on the earth. In ,im also e have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to ,is p"rpose, &ho orks all things after the co"nsel of ,is ill, to the end that e ho ere the first to hope in 2hrist o"ld be to the praise of ,is glory.o then, the mission is the summing of all things in the Ging e0pressed though His Gingdom. !t is to the praise of His 3lory, not our own. Here, we see that there is a ,mystery of His will- and the ,summing- is the fulfillment of the revelation of the mystery that was in 3od4s heart from the "eginning. Daul has much to say a"out this in (olossians and ?phesians in particular. 'his summing and fulfillment ta$es place in the culmination and conte0t of what the /i"le calls ,the great and terri"le #ay of the %ord-. 'he "oo$ of 1evelation tells us that on that day, the ,seventh angel- will sound his trumpet and there will "e ,loud voices in heaven, saying, ,%he kingdom of the orld has become the kingdom of o"r Lord and of ,is 2hrist; and ,e ill reign forever and ever.. At that moment, the twenty)four elders, who sit on their thrones "efore 3od, will fall on their faces and worship 3od, saying, &e give 1o" thanks, + Lord $od, the 'lmighty, ho are and ho ere, beca"se 1o" have taken 1o"r great po er and have beg"n to reign. 'nd the nations ere enraged, and 1o"r rath came, and the time came for the dead to be -"dged, and the time to re ard 1o"r bond6servants the prophets and the saints and those ho fear 1o"r name, the small and the great, and to destroy those ho destroy the earth.. 1evelation 11716 H 18 !t is immediately preceding this moment, where Ging Jesus ,comes on the clouds- with 3lory, when the mystery will "e accomplished. 1evelation 10 e0plains, then the angel I had seen standing on the sea and on land raised his right hand to heaven. 'nd he s ore by ,im ho lives forever and ever, &ho created the heavens and all that is in them, the earth and all that is in it, and the sea and all that is in it, and said, %here ill be no more delay7! /"t in the days hen the seventh 'ngel is abo"t to so"nd his tr"mpet, the mystery of $od ill be accomplished, -"st as he anno"nced to his servants the prophets.. @hat is the mysteryF Daul tells us that the mystery is tied in to 3od4s commitment to show himself faithful to the family that he covenanted with and the fulfillment of increasing his family to encompass every tri"e and tongue and nation. 5ot only that, "ut to reveal the riches of his mercies in unveiling the $ingdom in the depths of our hearts.

'he mystery finds its fullness in this revelation< that 3od has covenanted with humanity in marriage to His own 3lory. He intends to "e ,Ine- with us and our role as the church, in advance of that day, is to cooperate in prayer with the %ord unto that end AJohn 1;B. How did ! come to that conclusionF =irst, we see in 1omans 1171: that Daul says, It is m"ch as I am the apostle to the $entiles, I take pride in my ministry in the hope that I may someho aro"se my o n people to envy and save some of them. *or if their re-ection bro"ght reconciliation to the orld, hat ill their acceptance be b"t life from the dead(. 'hen in verse 26, he says I do not ant yo" to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers and sisters, so that yo" may not be conceited8 Israel has e)perienced a hardening in part "ntil the f"ll n"mber of the $entiles has come in and in this ay all Israel ill be saved.. o the first portion of the mystery is an unveiling of the interdependence of Jew and 3entile in e0pressing the $ingdom of 3od. !n ?phesians chapter :72 Daul says, s"rely yo" have heard abo"t the administration of $od!s grace that as given to me for yo", that is, the mystery made kno n to me by revelation as I!ve already ritten briefly. In reading this, then, yo"!ll be able to "nderstand my insight into the mystery of 2hrist, hich as not made kno n to people in other generations as it is no been revealed by the spirit to $od!s holy apostles and prophets. %his mystery is that thro"gh the gospel the $entiles are heirs together ith Israel members together of one body, and shares together in the promise in 2hrist Jes"s.. Additionally, the mystery is meant to reveal 3od4s wisdom to the powers and principalities that influence the earth. !n verse 10 he says, his intent as that no , thro"gh the ch"rch, the manifold isdom of $od sho"ld be made kno n to the r"lers and a"thorities in the heavenly realms, according to his eternal p"rpose that he accomplished in 2hrist Jes"s o"r Lord. In him and thro"gh faith in him e may approach $od ith freedom and confidence. I ask yo", therefore, not to be disco"raged beca"se of my s"fferings for yo" hich are for yo"r glory.. (learly, Daul has a multifaceted revelation of the mystery. He goes on to say in (olossians 172; that the mystery that has been kept for ages and generations. is no disclosed to the Lord!s people. %o them $od has chosen to make kno n among the $entiles the glorio"s riches of this mystery hich is 2hrist in yo" the hope of glory.. o, it is clear that the mystery is really a"out the unfolding graces of 3od4s salvation and a"iding love dwelling in the heart of humanity. 'he "iggest aspect of this mystery, which we overloo$, is that it Athe mysteryB is also in fact an unveiling of the /ridegroom to the /ride. He announces this clearly in ?phesians 67:2 when Daul spea$s of marriage and says, %his is a profo"nd mystery 9 b"t I am talking abo"t 2hrist and the ch"rch.. !n 1'imothy :71> Daul unfolds yet another part of the mystery in this statement,- /eyond all 5"estion, the mystery from hich tr"e godliness springs is great8 ,e appeared in the flesh, as vindicated by the Spirit, as seen by angels, as preached among the nations, as believed on in the orld, as taken "p in $lory..

1eturning now to our passage from 1evelation, we can see in the conte0t of this chapter that the coming of the %ord is entirely related to the fulfillment and culmination of His faithfulness to all generations, "eginning with Adam and ?ve and finding its pinnacle in forming the one new man AJew and 3entileB of ?phesians 2716. Eet that is only part one. Daul goes on to say, So then yo" are no longer strangers and aliens, b"t yo" are fello citi:ens ith the saints, and are of $od!s ho"sehold, having been b"ilt on the fo"ndation of the apostles and prophets, 2hrist Jes"s himself being the cornerstone, in hom the hole b"ilding, being fitted together, is gro ing into a holy temple in the Lord, in hom yo" also are being b"ilt together into a d elling of $od in the Spirit.. ?ph 2718 ff. o, it also means we "ecome the fulfilled 'emple of 3od. Eet all this is merely a ,prelude to a $iss- "ecause it is completely consummated with the now complete /ride meeting her glorious /ridegroom in ?phesians 6 where the two "ecome Ine even as He "rings Heaven and ?arth into Ine in preparation for the coming of =ather where we will "e Ine with Him and all will "e summed in (hrist. 5ow ! "ring up these passages to point our attention toward how we can cooperate with the %ord in worship)filled prayer. 'he %ord has intention and it has not yet "een fulfilled. #o you comprehend that truthF 'he %ord has an intention that is yet to "e fulfilled. 'herefore, our partnership as a /ride to the /eloved is to engage in prayer toward that end. 'hat would "e the most fruitful use of our time in prayer. 'his gives us a clear guideline and goal. 5amely, that the fullness of the mystery of 3od would "e accomplished through Jesus on "ehalf of !srael and the 3entiles to the 3lory of 3od before the 3reat and 'erri"le #ay of the %ordJ @e can "e "rought into all sorts of spiritual activities and "attles on "ehalf of %ong !sland and still miss the intentions of 3od. /usyness in ministry is not our friend. !t is not the antithesis of complacency. !t is a tyrant "uilt upon fear and it does not care whether you accomplish anything of worth. !f you desire to live in +eal for the %ord then ,focus- is a much "etter servant to your faith and His purposes !f you would li$e to understand the movement of the Holy pirit in this hour, then focus your eyes upon the revelation of Jesus, the (hrist and His mission. Dray according to His direction, namely ,Eour $ingdom come A=atherB,Eour will "e done-. %ong !sland, including the church and those yet to "e saved, desperately needs a revelation of the true authority and Gingship of the %ord Jesus (hrist as well as a heightened awareness and e0pectation that a very real Ging and 2aCestic /ridegroom is coming soon to this planet in the 3lory of His =ather. He is going to fulfill all of his promises to His name and His /ride, ,remnant !srael-. 5ow please note, this is not necessarily the e.uivalent of the current political nation per se. His promise was to !srael, the descendents of faith. 'hey are in fact his /ride, along with all those who hope in His coming as having "een grafted !5'I His /ride. 'hey have "een scattered to the nations and the %ord will show Himself faithful "y drawing each of them "ac$ home.

@e must wrap our thoughts around this glorious mystery that we have a role to play in the unfolding of the #ay of the %ord. !t is partnership in prayer. 'he %ord Jesus is intentional and He will employ every means necessary to remove what hinders love and restore relationship "etween His /ride on earth and His =ather in heaven. =ather does not need a restoration of love. He comes with that intact. However His children are different story. @e need to "e restored "y love, through love, to love. !t is in this arena that our prayers are "oth re.uired and most effective. 'he ,mystery revealed- has shown us that the %ord has already set His heart upon this. o we $now that the answer to our prayer is ,yes-. And yet, if we do not pray, although His intention will ultimately "e accomplished, we may re.uire more force, more hardship and more pressing in order to turn humanity than might otherwise e0ist if we simply o"eyed His re.uest that we pray. Iur prayer for mercy releases e0periential mercy. Iur prayer for salvation releases e0periential redemption. 'he softening of the hearts of men will decrease the proportion of suffering needed to turn humanity towards her Ging in alvation. !t will only come as we discipline ourselves to pray as a corporate "ody, "eginning with ,Hallowed "e Eour 5ame- and ,Eour Gingdom (ome- followed .uic$ly "y ,%ord of the Harvest, thrust out la"orers into the harvest field.- 'he harvest is insepara"le from this prayerJ 5ow, the idea of praying something that we $now 3od already wants ma$es little sense unless we understand that 3od has intentionally su"mitted creation to man$ind and simultaneously paired faith with ,as$ing-. 5othing ta$es place in the $ingdom of 3od, as it pertains to man, outside of the mechanism 3od put in place called ,prayer-. !t is rather simple, we see$ the %ord4s mission, we see its "eauty and wisdom, we as$ the %ord to accomplish it, and in the as$ing we grow in faith as we see that the %ord is faithful to fulfill our mutual desire for His glory. 'his cultivates than$sgiving and new ventures in partnership with the %ord. !t is oddly so simple it ma$es us stum"le. 'herefore it is with great passion that ! call each of us to set aside the many pulls we feel in prayer in order to focus and gra" a hold of the ultimate e0pression of covenant love, namely, to lay our lives down on "ehalf of the one we love "y praying for the fulfillment of His mission rather than our own. 'his is a very focused, intentional endeavor. ! $now that there are many ,wal$ing wounded- mem"ers in the "ody of (hrist here on %ong !sland. ! $now it is very difficult to come together in commitment over the things of 3od when those who were instructed to care for us taught us a"out leader)centric individuality in $ingdom activity. ome even employed control, manipulation and fear rather than modeling preference for one another and la"oring toward agreement. ! also $now that the call of our own flesh is difficult to su"due. However, if we cling to our independence and separate into intercessory campfires "ased upon what we "elieve the %ord is saying to our own tri"e rather than aligning our hearts with the clear mandates of cripture to corporately intercede for the region, and if we fail to come together in humility as one "ody in su"mission to the intercessory cry of His heart, then we will "e shipwrec$ed "efore we even launch. And, if we fight for our own leadership and identity rather than come together with a spirit of cooperation to uphold the %ord4s mission and support one another to serve in this arena, then we will most assuredly fold under the pressure that is coming to the planet.

(hec$ me on this. Unity does not come in conformity "ut in desire. @e are matched to Him "y our desire for His 3lory. !f %ong !sland responds to the call to turn from our own idolatry of self and e0alts the name of Jesus, glorifying Him at the e0pense of our am"itions, ! assure you that seeing Him e0alted "y every tri"e and tongue and nation will "e far more e0hilarating than any sense of success or accomplishment that the world has defined for us. 'here is a day of Coy coming when the /ridegroom receives His /ride and His /ride is transformed into His image in glory. !t is for that end that the House of Drayer on %ong !sland was esta"lished. !t is to pray for %ong !sland to "e restored in fidelity to Him through mercy, to "urn in adoration and to prepare the earth to receive her Ging. ! long for a company of Jesus4 friends who will come together in humility and give themselves no rest until the mission of the %ord finds its fullest e0pression in the hearts of humanity agreeing with the greatness of His mystery unveiled. !s the difference "etween small little campfires scattered across the land that are easily su"dued and a "la+ing inferno of adoration that "urns with unceasing prayer and adoration and draws the eyes men to Jesus. ! am telling you the truth, this will not ta$e place unless we come together corporately in worship)filled prayer night and day H not Cust as an occasion "ut as a lifestyle< a ermon on the 2ount lifestyle. ! $now that gathering together to pray in humility is challenging. !t appears terri"ly wea$ and ineffective compared to the vocal sharing of the gospel and practical deeds of mercy. @e must understand this though, nothing happens in the $ingdom without prayer. Jesus said that He would .uic$ly release Custice on "ehalf of those who prayed night day. A%u$e 19B 3od is loo$ing to show Himself strong in the midst of our wea$ness and He will do that in the conte0t of worship)filled prayer. 'hat is why He allows the shattering of our strength at the end of the age. He is intent upon turning our hearts away from the idolatry of our own power unto His 3lory. All of this hinges upon prayer in mee$ness. However, ! am running ahead of myself. %et me say this though, if ! were calling you to myself, then that would "e truly awful. However, ! am calling you to Jesus. ! am calling you into friendship and mutual affirmation in the pursuit of living out the invitation to live in a ong of olomon identity e0pressed in a ermon on the 2ount lifestyle in Acts 2 proportions. 'his really is the ultimate call to prayer. As ! said "efore, a ong of olomon identity is first a commitment to $now the /ridegroom intimately and from His perspective to live as one who is deeply loved, i.e., His "ride. 5ow let us loo$ for a moment at ,a ermon on the 2ount lifestyle-. 'his lifestyle lends to a lifetime of practice and my "rief summary will not do it Custice. =or the sa$e of "revity, $now that it means that we will em"race the mandate to wal$ in humility, to hunger and thirst for righteousness, to cooperate with the purification of our hearts so that we may see 3od, to live as one who is a peacema$er H in other words to "e a people who will wal$ in a ministry of reconciliation and em"race persecution and tri"ulation as our love language toward 3od and humanity to His glory. =inally, we land on ,Acts 2 proportions-. @hat does that meanF @ell, that chapter launches an initiation into what is promised "efore the coming of the #ay of the %ord.

Deter .uoted Joel 2, a clearly ,#ay of the %ord- passage as a result of the e0perience he and the 120 saints had with the Holy pirit. He understood the outpouring of the Holy pirit as something that was promised to !srael in the conte0t of the #ay of the %ord as a mercy stro$e to humanity. ,And it shall "e in the last days,4 3od says, K'hat ! will pour forth of 2y pirit on all man$ind< And your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, And your young men shall see visions, And your old men shall dream dreams< ?ven on 2y "ond slaves, "oth men and women, ! will in those days pour forth of 2y pirit And they shall prophesy. And ! will grant wonders in the s$y a"ove and signs on the earth "elow, /lood, and fire, and vapor of smo$e. K'he sun will "e turned into dar$ness and the moon into "lood, "efore the great and glorious day of the %ord shall come and it shall "e that everyone who calls on the name of the %ord will "e saved.- Acts 27 1; H 21 @e can see that this was only fulfilled in part "ecause the word is a promise to ,all fleshand it coincides with events that precede ,the great and glorious #ay of the %ord-. !t is clear that although Acts 2 was a launching of the outpouring of His pirit on ,all flesh-, it has not "een completely fulfilled. !t is still comingJJJ =or various reasons, we have "een taught to separate our present identity from the promises to !srael. !t is vital that we ree0amine our foundations and loo$ at all of cripture through the lens of His promises to that family. Additionally, it is a mista$e to sweep under the rug all of the glorious promises made to !srael and the 3entiles in the Ild 'estament as completed. @e must loo$ at every promise in light of the ,great and terri"le #ay of the %ord-. Although, there have "een multiple fractured fulfillments, the prophetic #ay of the %ord passages are so detailed that the final fulfillment of that day is unmista$a"le. 'he %ord tells us that it is unli$e any other. @e must live with the impending fulfillment of His instructions as ,ever "efore us- until it is completedJ !n order to do so, we must have a paradigm shift "ac$ to the central identity of !srael as the Apple the %ord4s eye. !srael is not grafted into ,the 3entile church-. 'he church is grafted into !srael. 'he /ride has always "een !srael. 3od is not a 3od of adultery. He did not divorce !srael. He instead found new ways to forge love in freedom for a /ride he has always loved. /ecause the great maCority of the church is 3entile, we have mista$enly assumed that we are His /ride and we replaced !srael. @e are His /ride "ecause we have "een grafted into !srael, His /ride. Ince we ma$e the shift into the purposes of the %ord and His commitment to her, we are adCusted "y His faithfulness to His first covenant. !n the same way that the church of ?phesus was called to return to her first love, we are also called to honor His first love. 5amely, !srael and the nations grafted into her. 'he criptures come alive when we see the pattern of 3od4s romance with a fragile and often)re"ellious group of people that He simply refuses to give up on. 5ow Cust "ecause !srael4s ways re"elled against the %ord4s, we should not "e "ra+en in assuming that we would do any "etter. !f we would loo$ at the history of our own heritage, we would find all of the challenges that !srael herself faced. !t is our humanity, "ent upon our own pride, power, shame and shared re"ellion that we corporately e0hi"it. !t is fully His grace and His mercy to sustain His commitment in covenant to !srael that gives the 3entile "eliever

hope. ?ach of us can come to Him in covenant "ecause of His faithfulness to His /ridal covenant with !srael initiated in ?0odus 18. 5ow, the culmination or consummation of this marriage ta$es place as a result of His coming to ta$e His throne in Jerusalem. @e must align our prayers and our lives now with this reality. #oes 3od want to awa$en %ong !slandF A"solutely. #oes 3od want to revive the churchF A"solutelyJ !s that the mission of JesusF 5oJJ 'hose are things that must happen in order to fulfill His mission. !t is not the end goal. 'he (onsummation of the 2arriage "etween !srael and the %ord of heaven and earth, fulfilled in (hrist, to the glory of 3od the =ather, in the fullness of Holy pirit is the goal. ?ver "irth pang, every tri"ulation, every pressing serves the "eautification process even as they simultaneously confine those who refuse so great an offer and choose worship of atan instead. As grafted in mem"ers of His /ride, it "ehooves us to pray for what is important to the /ridegroom. @e can pray in great confidence, ,%ord have mercy upon !srael and help her to wal$ in her "ridal identity.- 'he revelation of 3od4s fidelity to His promises will strengthen the saints in the time of tri"ulation. !t is a longing for the vindication of the /ridegroom e0pressed in the #ay of the %ord that "urns in our heart. ! tell you the truth, the tas$ of the church in this hour is to pray for Jesus to "e e0alted and for !srael to "e graced in 3od4s strength and not her own even as we pray for the fullness of the 3entiles. Eou see, while all !srael will "e saved Aas Daul declaredB, it will come to fruition in what the cripture calls the ,#ay of Jaco"4s 'rou"le-. 'his is a time of unprecedented distress and the %ord is intentional regarding this trial. He is "ringing an end to humanity4s pride and self)reliance< "eginning with his /ride. #aniel 12 descri"es this day in great detail. 3o at that time Michael, the great 4rince ho stands g"ard over the sons of yo"r people, ill arise. 'nd there ill be a time of distress s"ch as never occ"rred since there as a nation and so that time; and at that time yo"r people, everyone ho as fo"nd ritten in the book, ill be resc"ed. Many of those ho sleep in the d"st of the gro"nd ill a ake, these to everlasting life, b"t the others to disgrace and everlasting contempt. %hose ho have insight ill shine brightly like the brightness of the e)panse of heaven, and those ho lead the many to righteo"sness, like the stars forever and ever. /"t as for yo", #aniel, conceal these ords and seal "p the book "ntil the end of time; many ill go back and forth, and kno ledge ill increase. %hen I, #aniel, looked and behold, t o others ere standing, one on this bank of the river and the other on that bank of the river. 'nd one said to the man dressed in linen, ho as above the aters of the river, ho long ill it be "ntil the end of these onders( I heard the man dressed in linen, ho as above the aters of the river, as he raised his right hand and his left to ard heaven, and s ore by ,im ho lives forever that it o"ld be for a time, times, and half a time; and as soon as they finish shattering the po er of the holy people, all these events ill be completed.. #aniel 1271) 9. 5ote that statement ,shattering the power of the holy people-. @hy would he shatter their powerF @ell, there are a few reasons. Jo" 16716 says, ,He puts no trust in his holy ones, and the heavens are not pure in his sight.- ?+e$iel ;724 says ,! will ma$e the pride of the

strong ones cease- and finally, Lephaniah :711 says, ,in that day you will feel no shame "ecause of all your deeds "y which you have re"elled against 2e< for then ! will remove from your midst your proud, e0ulting ones, and you will never again "e haughty on 2y holy mountain. , %et4s loo$ at Lephaniah : in conte0t, ,Sho"t for -oy of da"ghter of ;ion7 Sho"t in tri"mph, + Israel7 <e-oice and e)"lt ith all yo"r heart, + da"ghter of Jer"salem7 %he Lord has taken a ay his -"dgments against yo", he is cleared a ay yo"r enemies. %he =ing of Israel, the Lord, is in yo"r midst; yo" ill fear disaster no more. In that day ill be said to Jer"salem8 #o not be afraid, + ;ion; do not let yo"r hands fall limp. %he Lord yo"r $od is in yo"r midst, a victorio"s arrior. ,e ill e)"lt over yo" ith -oy, he ill be 5"iet in his love, he ill re-oice over yo" ith sho"ts of -oy. I ill gather those ho grieve abo"t the appointed feasts 9 they came from yo", + ;ion; the reproach of e)ile is a b"rden on them. /ehold I!m going to deal at that time ith all yo"r oppressors, I ill save the lame and gather the o"tcast, and I ill t"rn their shame into praise and reno n in all the earth. 't that time I ill bring yo" in, even at the time hen I gather yo" together; indeed, I ill give yo" reno n and praise among all the peoples of the earth, hen I restore yo"r fort"nes before yo"r eyes.. ,says the Lord. o we see that as %ord prepares for His #ay, He is in fact preparing Her for that #ay as well. He is preparing her to "e a"le to receive Him without shame and also without pride. !t is reminiscent of the ong of olomon when the .uestion is as$ed, ,@ho is this leaning upon her "elovedF- !n that passage, the "ride fully is emptied of her own power and completely filled "y His. 'his is actually what the Holy pirit is doing in this hour as the /ride readies herself for that glorious day. 1evelation 187; ,%et us reCoice and "e glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the %am" has come and His /ride has made herself ready. !t was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen "right and clean< for the fine linen is the righteous acts the aints.- Iur righteousness is in (hrist. @e are clothed in His righteousness not our own. Iur righteous deeds flow directly from Him and in this e0change, we are freed from our shame and our pride. 'his "rings us full circle. ,%ord, let us live a ong of olomon identity e0pressed in a ermon on the 2ount lifestyle in Acts 2 proportions.- !t is vital that we, as the church on %ong !sland, come together with a unity of focus upon the revelation of the %ord Jesus (hrist to this region so that she would "e prepared for the great and terri"le #ay of the %ord as a /ride who has made herself ready. Iur focus in prayer is7 that the eyes of our heart would "e loc$ed upon deeply $nowing our "ridegroom, Jesus in a ,first lovecommitment< that there would "e true, weighty revelation of the Ging and His Gingdom, that la"orers would "e thrust into the harvest field unto the salvation of the Jews and the fullness of the 3entiles grafted in, in order to provo$e remnant !srael to Cealousy for Him, that she&we will "e found a"le to stand, li$e #aniel, in the furnace of affliction, unyielding to idolatry and freed from shame and pride, for yet a greater purpose, i.e., to e0alt the fidelity and faithfulness of the /ridegroom and "y faith through grace as ,over comers-, to "e formed into a compati"le /ride< adorned with a diadem of precious Cewels forged in +ealous love and fidelity toward Him.

MI to see the sight, ne0t to (hristNs (oming in the clouds, the most CoyfulJ Iur elder "rethren the Jews fall upon one anotherNs nec$s and $iss each otherJ 'hey have "een long asunder< they will "e $ind to one another when they meet. I dayJ I longed for and lovely day ) dawnJ I sweet Jesus let me see that sight which will "e as life from the dead, thee and thy ancient people in mutual em"races. I that there were nations, $indreds, tongues, and all the people of (hristNs ha"ita"le world, encompassing his throne with cries and tears for the spirit of supplication to "e poured down on the inha"itants of Judah for that effect.M amuel 1utherford A1>>0)1>>1B