©October 12, 2012 Revive Israel Ministries

A friend used to buy old jalopies and fix them up. He would essentially rebuild them from the inside out.  Then he would resell them for a profit as restored, antique cars. Once, an old car was brought in and I asked him how much it was worth.

He replied, "You don't understand. This car isn't worth anything. It’s a piece of junk. The value is all inside my imagination, my creativity and skills. I can make something out of it that is beautiful, stylish and worth money."

So it is with us and God.  Without His creativity we are without worth. It takes humility to understand that.  In His love, He sees potential in us that He can make something beautiful and worthwhile out of our lives. That takes faith. We have to believe in Him and let Him do His work in us.

How much are you worth?
Yeshua said, comparing us to the animals:

Matthew 6:26 – Are you not of more value than they?
Matthew 10:31 – You are more precious than many sparrows.
Matthew 12:12 – You are a lot more valuable than a sheep!

On our own, we may be just a pile of junk. But with God's grace in our lives, we become a masterpiece of His craftsmanship (Ephesians 2:10), just a little lower than God Himself (Psalm 8:4-6). Many psychological problems stem from a lack of self-worth. In Yeshua, we regain the image of God in our lives, and problems of self-worth should disappear.

Japan, China, Korea: 70 Years and the Fullness of Sin (Gen 15:16)

By Ariel Blumenthal

Last week’s Sukkot holiday marked a historic event here in Jerusalem:  the first international conference led by Mainland Chinese Christians together with Israeli Messianic Jews.  There was participation from local Israeli leadership, including an Arab pastor, as well as leaders from Korea and Japan.  It was 3.5 days of dynamic worship, intercession, and fellowship.  On the last night we focused on unity and reconciliation, including a foot-washing service followed by the Lord’s Supper.  During this time, I shared a vision that the Lord gave me last March in Iwaki, Fukushima—just 10 days after the earthquake/tsunami, at the height of the nuclear radiation crisis.

Background:  For non-Asians, it is hard to imagine the degree to which the wartime experience still taints the relationships between China, Japan, and both Koreas.  The very real (and perceived!) wartime sins of Japan against the Koreans and the Chinese—colonization, dehumanization, rape, and murder—are still very fresh in the collective memory of these peoples.  Deep wounds, lack of repentance, unforgiveness, and national/ethnic pride—on all sides—are leftover from the first half of the 20th century. (It is parallel to the depth to which the Holocaust experience still colors the Jewish/Israeli world view and our relationship with certain nations, especially Germany.)

The Vision:  After the triple disaster in Japan, Christian volunteers were streaming to Northeast Japan to help.

One day, during our morning worship time, I looked around and was struck by the beauty of the Japanese, Koreans, and Chinese worshipping together. Suddenly, I received a very clear vision/revelation: 

1. Daniel 9:1-3  Daniel discovers in the book of Jeremiah that the destruction of Jerusalem and the Babylonian Exile is to last 70 years.  The fullness of that time was approaching, and so the prophet committed himself to prayer and fasting
2. Exodus 20:5  The 2nd commandment against idolatry, declares that God is a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations. How many years is 3 or 4 generations?  In ancient Israel people were married already by age 20.  Thus, between one generation and the next is approximately 20, or maximum, 30 years—times 3 or 4 is also about 70 years. 
3. Next, like a neon sign, I saw the dates: 1945-2015—exactly 70 years.
4. Finally, I heard the Holy Spirit say, the time is coming for the fullness of Japan’s sin to be completed. 

There is something special about this period of time—70 years—in God’s dealing with nations.  Since national or tribal sins touch the destinies of so many people for an extended period of time, God’s justice requires that there be a kind of punishment for the guilty nation that is experienced for several generations, while the victimized nation is allowed to experience a period of blessing during that same time.  On the other hand, His mercy desires to forgive, erase the memory of sin, and extend the opportunity for a fresh start to new generations in each nation—even while the wartime generation is still alive.    

I submit this vision to leaders and intercessors throughout the world, but especially in Japan, Korea, and China.  I believe that the next 3 years are a special window of time in God’s dealings with these nations and their destinies.  Recent territorial controversies prove that God is allowing these old wounds to surface in order to be dealt with.
http://rendezvous.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/08/16/east-asias-sea-disputes-scar-tissue-from-war-wounds/?smid=pl-share

The enemy hopes to stir pride, hatred, and unforgiveness in order to bring war, conflict, and destruction to these nations again.  But God’s desire is for His people in each nation to humble themselves like Daniel, seek reconciliation and unity with each other, and to pray for one another’s governments.  We believe that just as wise men from the East (Mt. 2:1-12) were key in honoring Yeshua at His first coming, so there is a special role in the end times for the believers from East Asia in fulfilling the Great Commission, the restoration of Israel, and ultimately, Yeshua’s 2nd Coming (Rev 7:1-3).

Let us pray for God’s highest will and destiny for these nations to come forth in the coming years.

New Teaching from Asher on YouTube

The connection between Yom Teruah (Feast of Trumpets) and the second coming of Jesus at the All Nations Convocation. Click here.