Revelation 1:7 Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of Him. Even so. Amen.
The New Moon was sighted this evening, Friday, September 18th, 2020 by many observers who were looking this evening…
Reports received from various observers in Israel:
“Moon sighted (naked eye) at 6:51 (then lost to sight, then seen again) from Poriya Illit by Becca Biderman.”
“From Jerusalem at 6:54pm by Devorah Gordon, followed by Rebeca Corlan, Ion Corlan, Cristian Pricop, Dawn Austin, Grant and Reidar.”
This means sunset on Friday, 18 September 2020 marks the beginning of the new month and the Feast Of Trumpets!
Sighted By:Denis, Maureen Chkolnik. Yoel Halevi and his son. Becca Biderman…. Rebeca Corlan, Ion Corlan, Cristian Pricop, Dawn Austin, Grant and Reidar.
Date Sighted: Friday, September 18th, 2020.
Time Sighted:7:06pm Jerusalem, Israel time.
Biblical Hebrew Month: This will be the Seventh Biblical Hebrew Month, also known as Tishri or Ethanim.
The Feast of Trumpets/Yom Teruah begins at sunset Friday, September 18th 2020.
Atonment/Yom Kippurim: Monday, September 28th Tabernacles/Sukkot: Saturday, October 3rd – Friday, October 9th Last Great Day of the Feast: Saturday, October 10th
Have a very blessed and happy Feast season! Chag Sameach!! ~ Brother Mark Harris
Art Installation to Memorialize Victims of Human Trafficking in Lykins Park, By Abby Hoover
A permanent public art installation is in the works for Lykins Square Park memorializing victims of human trafficking. The memorial will consist of four lighted panels of painted Venetian glass created by artist Hasna Salam.
Salam got the idea for the installation about two years ago when her friend told her about Christine McDonald, a blind survivor of commercial sexual exploitation in Northeast, who now works to bring awareness through telling her story.
Join us for our Fitness Fundraiser!! Thank you Sheri Pettit and The Port KC Fitness and Performance for hosting an all age/all fitness levels workout on Sept 26th at 10 a.m. for Relentless Pursuit to help raise awareness against human trafficking here in KC!! Everyone is welcome!! Come out and help support a local organization that is fighting this horrible epidemic right here in KC!! Donations can also be made at our website www.rpor.org
Psalm 122:6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem! May they be secure who love you!
Washington, D.C., September 15, 2020: United States President Donald Trump hosted Bahrain Foreign Minister Abdullatif al-Zayani, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and the United Arab Emirates’ Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan for the signing of the Abraham Accords at the White House.
The Abraham Accords were signed in Hebrew, Arabic, and English.
For the raw video of the event, see the YouTube link below provided by the U.S. State Department.
“This day is a pivot of history. It heralds a new dawn of peace,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel said.
“Peace requires courage, and shaping the future requires knowledge,” Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan of the United Arab Emirates said. “We have come today to tell the world that this is our approach.”
“Today is a truly historic occasion—a moment of hope and opportunity for all the peoples of the Middle East,” Abdullatif bin Rashid Al-Zayani of Bahrain said.
“The people of the Middle East will no longer allow hatred of Israel to be fomented as an excuse for radicalism or extremism. After decades of division and conflict, we mark the dawn of a new Middle East,” President Trump said.
Prior to the signing ceremony, President Trump commented on the momentum of peace in the Middle East.
“We’re very far down the road with about five additional countries… Frankly, I think we could have had them here today. We’ll have at least five or six countries coming along very quickly… They want to see peace. They’ve been fighting for a long time… They’re warring countries but they’re tired of fighting. You’re going to see a lot of very great activity. It’s going to be peace in the Middle East. Most of the countries… in the Middle East want to sign this deal.”
Trump later went on to say up to nine (9) countries look to normalize relations with Israel.
1 Thessalonians 5:3 While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.
The Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah/Yom Teruah/Feast of Trumpets, begins at the sighting of the new moon in a few days.
How is a new moon or a new month determined on the Hebrew calendar? God operates on a lunar calendar. Jews have utilized the following procedure every month for thousands of years. It is called Rosh Chodesh which means “head of the month”.
At the end of a lunar cycle, the moon is dark and is not seen for 2-3 days. So, the new moon could be identified during this 2-3 day period …of that day or hour no one knows…
By definition, a new moon is proclaimed when the first little sliver emerges from a darkened moon. It is a tiny crescent that is noted briefly at sunset on the western horizon. The month begins at the sighting of the new moon.
Two witnesses have to confirm the sighting. Upon agreement, the two witnesses report to the high priest. When the new moon is confirmed, the trumpet (shofar/ram’s horn) is blown. Why two witnesses? This concept is part of Jewish law.
Deuteronomy 19:15-21 A single witness shall not rise up against a man on account of any iniquity or any sin which he has committed; on the evidence of two or three witnesses a matter shall be confirmed. If a malicious witness rises up against a man to accuse him of wrongdoing, then both the men who have the dispute shall stand before the Lord, before the priests and the judges who will be in office in those days. The judges shall investigate thoroughly, and if the witness is a false witness and he has accused his brother falsely, then you shall do to him just as he had intended to do to his brother. Thus you shall purge the evil from among you. The rest will hear and be afraid, and will never again do such an evil thing among you. Thus you shall not show pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.
Two or more witnesses to the new moon are legally establishing as fact per the law.
Brother Mark Harris explains the Creator’s Calendar in the YouTube video below.
If this concept was applied today, would society be different? Would people spread lie(s) about other people if they knew the consequence would be the punishment of the lie(s) they were spreading?
In the future, God will have two people bear witness to the world that humanity is sinful. With these two witnesses, He is establishing a legal declaration of evidence. If God is wrong and lying about humanity, He would bring judgment accordingly upon Himself per the law in Deuteronomy 19.
Revelation 11:3 And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for twelve hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth.
God’s two witnesses will be falsely accused and put to death.
Revelation 11:11-12 But after the three and a half days a breath of life from God entered them, and they stood up on their feet, and great fear fell on those who saw them. Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here!” And they went up to heaven in a cloud, and their enemies watched them.
Revelation 8:7 The first angel blew his trumpet, and there followed hail and fire, mixed with blood, and these were thrown upon the earth. And a third of the earth was burned up, and a third of the trees were burned up, and all green grass was burned up.
This is the scope and scale of the first trumpet judgment. This event introduces the second third of judgments in the Tribulation. The context of the verse above is 1/3 of the earth… 1/3! 1/3 of the trees.
All green grass… If all of the green grass goes then you know all of the dry grass is gone.
This goes without saying, but this will result in a lot of smoke.
Currently (September 2020) we are not in the Tribulation. There has not been a seven year covenant with many brokered by the antichrist. There is no Temple on the Temple Mount for him to defile. We have not entered into the seven year time of Jacob’s trouble.
West Coast United States, September 2020: Wildfires on a massive scale continue to burn.
Photo: Copernicus Sentinel data 2020
As of September 11, 2020, a total of 7,718 fires have burned 3,175,523 acres, more than 3% of the state’s roughly 100 million acres of land, making 2020 the largest wildfire season recorded in California history. -California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
Over 1,000,000 acres have been torched in Oregon as of the writing of this post. Fires continue to expand.
Roughly 375,000 acres are up in flames in Washington.
Beirut, Lebanon; September 12, 2020: This is a breaking story out of the eastern Mediterranean Sea. As emotions are running high between Greece, Cyprus and Turkey, Russia is transferring significant naval forces to the region.
The following is from the Russian website Avia.pro. The feed was picked up by Al-Masdar News.
“experts are seriously concerned about the presence of at least 15 Russian warships and submarines off the coast of Syria. This is the first time such a large military formation has been seen here, which raises suspicions about whether Russia plans to engage in a military special operation against jihadists using the navy.”
“one of the last to appear off the coast of Syria was the tanker of the Northern Fleet of the Russian Navy ‘Akademik Pashin’; boats, and, obviously, this is far from the final number of ships of the Russian Navy located in the eastern part of the Mediterranean Sea.” -Telegram channel, Hunter Notes
Ezekiel 38:2 “Son of man, set your face toward Gog of the land of Magog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him…”
What does secular history say about the Magogians? Who are they? In the 7th century BC, Hesiod the Greek poet identified the Scythians as people of modern day southern Russia. Hesiod’s writings pre dated the Ezekiel the prophet.
The Father of History, Herodotus, labeled the descendants of Magog by their Greek name, Scythians. This occurred in the 5th century AD.
About 2,500 years ago, the prophet Ezekiel says Russia will be joined by several countries with their future invasion of Israel.
On August 15, 2016, Russia acquired its first permanent air base in Syria, the Khmeimim Air Base near Latakia, Syria. The Russians have been building and expanding their military presence in the region since.
Washington, D.C., September 11, 2020: United States President Donald Trump has announced a historic achievement in Middle East Peace between Israel and Bahrain. The two countries have agreed to full diplomatic relations.
Next Tuesday, September 15, President Trump will be hosting leaders from Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain. They will meet and sign accords of peace in Washington, D.C.
Photo: AP/Andrew Harnik
Back in June 2019, Bahrain was the host country for the White House “Peace for Prosperity” economic conference. Leaders from around the Middle East and Israel were in attendance.
President Trump took to Twitter for the announcement. Below is the official statement coming from the United States, Israel, and Bahrain.
Joint Statement of the United States, the Kingdom of Bahrain, and the State of Israel pic.twitter.com/xMquRkGtpM
Another HISTORIC breakthrough today! Our two GREAT friends Israel and the Kingdom of Bahrain agree to a Peace Deal – the second Arab country to make peace with Israel in 30 days!
Shaikh Abdulla bin Rashid bin Abdulla Al Khalifa currently serves as Bahrain Ambassador to the United States and non-resident Ambassador to Canada. Below is his tweet on behalf of Bahrain.
… It sends a positive and encouraging message to the people of #Israel, that a just and comprehensive peace with the #Palestinian people is the best path and the true interest for their future and the future of the peoples of the region. [2/2]
Of note, Trump Senior Advisor Jared Kushner received a lot of ink from the Jerusalem Post in their article. Here are some quotes from Kushner’s press conference.
“There’s a new momentum and new hopefulness in the Middle East. The agreement that we made with the United Arab Emirates and Israel was even more popular than we expected, which is why this next agreement came so quickly. We were not sure what the reaction would be, but it’s been overwhelmingly positive. And more and more countries are rushing to try to figure out how they can do good things for their citizens and create a paradigm for a much more peaceful and prosperous future.”
“The leaders in the region recognize that the approach that’s been taken in the past hasn’t worked and they realize that there are people want to see a more vibrant and exciting future. I do believe that it’s an inevitability that all countries in the Middle East will normalize relations with Israel. It’s a very hard thing. I don’t know the timing on it, but I think people want to see the Middle East move forward. They want to seize opportunity.”
“I think that this will help reduce tension in the Muslim world and allow people to separate the Palestinian issue from their own national interests, from their foreign policy, which should be focused on their domestic priorities. And so I think you’re going to continue to see momentum.” -Presidential Senior Adviser, Jared Kushner
The Palestinians have denounced the Israel/Bahrain peace plan. They called it a “stab in the back”.
Iran now has two countries across the Persian Gulf who are close friends with Israel.
Daniel 9:27 And he shall make a strong covenant with many for one week, and for half of the week he shall put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall come one who makes desolate, until the decreed end is poured out on the desolator.
For the record, it is my position President Donald Trump is not the antichrist. Trump is not an internationally loved and respected figure. Too many people want him completely removed from the equation.
It seems to be plausible conjecture we are in the process of gathering “many” to confirm “a strong covenant” in the future. It would appear “he” is not on the scene just yet.
At this time, I don’t think Kushner is the antichrist either. See my previous post below.
Revelation 16:12 The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river, the Euphrates; and its water was dried up, so that the way would be prepared for the kings from the east.
First things first. The current events to be discussed below are not the fulfillment of the Revelation prophecy. Currently, the seven year tribulation has not begun. The seals have not been broken let alone the bowl judgments poured out. Bet yet another example, we are trending in this direction.
Basra, Iraq: Salt water from the Persian Gulf is pushing inland due to the lack of water flow from the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers north of town. Farmers are going north looking for fresh water.
“Salinity has gone up in recent years and it’s killing the farmlands. Before, we could sell our dates in the Gulf and as far as the United States. Now, you can see with your own eyes. This whole river died.” Abu Shaker, a 70-year-old date palm farmer.
With the filling of the Ilisu Dam, Turkey is slowly cutting off water to Iraq. Water levels behind Mosul Dam in northern Iraq have dropped by three billion cubic meters. Water flow from Turkey has been reduced by 50%.
The Ilisu Dam is one of 22 dams being constructed in southeast Turkey. The dams are impacting both the Euphrates and Tigris Rivers. Syria is feeling the brunt of the decreased water flow of the Euphrates.
Iran is cutting off water from the Sirwan and Little Zab Rivers which dump into the Tigris River southeast of Baghdad.
To make matters worse, the water hyacinth is taking over the two rivers. The “Nile Flower” was introduced about 20 years as a decorative plant. The purple flowered plant is native to South America’s Amazon basin.
A plant is estimated to drink up to 1.3 gallons of water per day. The water hyacinth also blocks sun and oxygen from life on the rivers. As a result, fish are dying and water levels are dropping further. This has been devastating to carp fisherman. Carp supplies have been cut in half. Carp is a delicacy in Iraq.
A 1,000 square foot area weighs up to five tons. The thick vegetation blocks water from reaching fields for farming.
“During this harvest, our vegetable sales in the local market were down by a third,” Ahmed Yasser, farmer.
And with COVID-19, the wild flower is spreading unchecked.
God’s fall appointments are the Feast of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, and the Feast of Tabernacles.
Below is a brief 10 minute video that provides a framework for God’s fall appointed holidays. The video is compliments of T.W. Tramm. Check out his writings and his work. T.W. is always thought provoking.
Numbers 29:1 ‘Now in the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall also have a holy convocation; you shall do no laborious work. It will be to you a day for blowing trumpets.
See also Leviticus 23:23-25.
The first fall holiday has many names. It is called the Feast of Trumpets by Christians. It is recognized as the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah. Some refer to it as the “Hidden Day” or the “Wedding of the Messiah”. In Judaism, it is called Yom Teruah which means the “Day of Blowing”.
This is the beginning of the civil new year. This is the Hebrew month of Tishri. It is the Hebrew year 5781.
The date for Yom Teruah is near Friday, September 18 or Saturday, September 19, 2020 (traditional Gregorian calendar). This date is confirmed pending the sighting of the new moon. The new year begins when the new moon is confirmed by two witnesses. Yom Teruah ends two days later. The confirmation of the new moon will ultimately determine the dates of the subsequent fall appointments.
The second fall holiday is the Day of Atonement. See Leviticus 16. Yom Kippur or the Day of Atonement is celebrated on Tishri 10th. It is the last day of the 40 day period of Teshuvah or repent in the Hebrew. This holiday is viewed at the holiest day of Judaism. The day is a Sabbath day of rest. Yom Kippur is the only day a fast is required. The day begins at sun down. This is the busiest day of the year for the high priest with multiple animal sacrifices. The beginning for the Day of Atonement in 2020 is Sunday, September 27 or Monday, September 28 at sun down. This date is ultimately determined by the confirmation of the new moon 10 days earlier.
Leviticus 23:33-36 Again the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘On the fifteenth of this seventh month is the Feast of Booths for seven days to the LORD. On the first day is a holy convocation; you shall do no laborious work of any kind. For seven days you shall present an offering by fire to the LORD. On the eighth day you shall have a holy convocation and present an offering by fire to the LORD; it is an assembly. You shall do no laborious work.’”
The third and last fall holiday on God’s calendar is Tabernacles. It is also called Sukkot, the Feast of Booths, the Festival of Tents, or the Feast of the Harvest because it was after the harvest in the fall. Simply put, it was also called “the feast” or “the festival”. This festival is a week-long festival from Tishri 15 to 21 on a Hebrew calendar. On our western Gregorian calendar, in 2020, the Feast of Tabernacles will be observed from Friday, October 2 or Friday, October 9, again pending the new moon confirmed at the beginning of the Hebrew month of Tishri.
There are seven God appointed holidays communicated through the Mosaic Law. The first four were fulfilled to the day by Jesus Himself with His death, burial, resurrection, and the giving of the Holy Spirit. If the first four spring holidays were fulfilled on the God appointed holiday, why would the fall holidays be any different?
Hopelessness, helplessness, and victimization can’t be narrowly defined, as proven by this conversation between two ultimately courageous human beings… These conditions exist across the broad spectrum of humanity, and there is only one place to find peace: from the Prince of Peace. —Mike Low (in response to the social media blurb I wrote about the following experience)
Only our God could have facilitated such an encounter. I think of these moments not only as winks from God, but as confirmation that folks are being reached from both sides. If I had not walked the path that I did, God could not have used me in the way that He has.
I spoke at a statewide summit on recovery practices held at a university. Among the other speakers were some people who were well–respected in my state and nationally. After I spoke, I was moved by the extended standing ovation from the audience. Even today, after having been honored with a number of them, such an ovation causes me to tremble in my soul. It is an extremely humbling and tremendous honor, moving me beyond words.
Soon after leaving the stage, I was approached by a woman. She informed me that she was not a professional but had her own reasons for attending the conference—reasons which she did not, at that moment, disclose. She asked me questions about the years I worked the streets in Kansas City, Missouri. She had seen photos of my mug shots. She shared that she lived halfway down the block of Independence Avenue and Spruce, a corner I had been known for working.
She said she and her son had lived there for a number of years. She described how the traffic from the working women kept her son up many nights. I said I was sorry for that experience for her and her family and her son. I validated her feelings.
She relayed that she hadn’t felt safe there. She went on to talk about the men picking up women, the women fighting with their pimps, the police stings, the beatings from the pimps, the numerous scenes she and her son had witnessed in their day–to–day life. Our trauma had become their demons.
As she spoke, she touched my hands. I rested my other hand on top of hers as she continued to speak. She remembered me very well. She remembered driving past me as she went home; she also remembered seeing me on the corner when her son would be getting off the school bus. She recalled watching me lose weight. She remembered the disruption in their home due to the women working that place we called Hooker Hill.
Then she paused, and I heard her sniffle. She gripped my hand and asked me for a hug. She confessed that she never saw past the prostitutes on that corner back then. She hadn’t understood their lives. While listening to my story and my words and watching the impact it had on the professionals who worked with criminals, she watched the crowd engage with every word. She said she saw hope in their eyes.
She thanked me for showing her that change and hope are possible among a population she had previously viewed as hopeless. She was glad I had survived and made it to the other side. She said she was honored to have met me.
We were each validated that day, but for different reasons. The conversation gave us both a chance to heal. Although I don’t remember her from my days on the streets, I do remember the school bus turning the corner. We would step back from the walkway as children would run past us, staring or calling us names or pointing at us.
There was a clear separation between us and the individuals who lived on the very streets where we had existed for years. Never once did we speak to them, nor they to us. Yet we were an everyday part of one another’s lives.
That day in that crowded university, a small chip of wholeness was restored, I believe, for the both of us. Only God’s divine direction could have facilitated such an encounter. Here we both were, so many years after I had worked that corner. It is almost unimaginable that we would encounter each other, miles away from Kansas City, in the most unexpected of places.
I believe that restoration takes on many facets. Wholeness comes in large pieces and small chips. Each one is equally valuable and necessary. That day I felt a connection to a stranger whom I had lived close to for the eight years she and her little boy lived in that house on Hooker Hill. One more little chip of healing took place.
Never underestimate the value of one small act, one simple glance, or one brief conversation. When God prompts your heart to reach out and touch another, do it. In responding, you might be part of the healing in someone else’s life—not to mention your own.
