Terminal 2008

{Hyperlinks and highlighting added by us}

I just read a story of a Japanese man sitting in a Mexico airport terminal for the past 3 months. He has a return ticket home, but hasn't used it yet. He doesn't know why he hasn't returned home, and he doesn't know why he's staying there. He doesn't know when he will return to Japan. He is a minor celebrity now, living off the food courts and the kindness of strangers, along with news media and an interpreter they have hired. This story has stuck the deep-down string of my heart, and I know there is a message in it from the Father. The story is called, "Terminal 2" , like the sequel to Tom Hanks "The Terminal".

Terminal:

1) A station on the line of a public carrier, as in a city center or at an airport, where passengers embark or disembark and where freight is received or discharged.

2) The point of current entry to, or point of current departure from, any conducting component in an electric circuit.

{These definitions were obtained by sister Wendy from dictionary.com}

The Terminal - Tom Hanks: 2004.

2008, REAL LIFE TERMINAL EAST MEETS WEST. FOUR YEARS LATER FROM THE MAKE-BELIEVE TERMINAL TO A HUMAN EXAMPLE. HISTORY REPEATS IN REAL LIFE, 2009 (meant to type in 2008)-2009, D DAY

When searching Shamah-Elim to find the words "Terminal 2008", the "Sand Dunes" word popped up. The following direct quote is at the end of that word:

"It has been decreed that America, as a corporate entity, shall indeed give up the ghost and enter into the latter-rain dimension of her calling. The soulish within her who refuse this decree shall be pulled down to an ignominious [humiliating, disgrace; dishonor; public contempt] death. Those within her who remain shall see the coming of the Glory of the Lord."

"⁷Behold, therefore I will bring strangers upon thee, the terrible of the nations: and they shall draw their swords against the beauty of thy wisdom, and they shall defile thy brightness. ⁸They shall bring thee down to the pit, and thou shalt die the deaths of them that are slain in the midst of the seas. ⁹Wilt thou yet say before him that slayeth thee, I am God? but thou shalt be a man, and no God, in the hand of him that slayeth thee. ¹⁰Thou shalt die the deaths of the uncircumcised by the hand of strangers: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord GOD." (Ezekiel 28:7-10)

I then heard the following:

Amos 9:9 9 -10

"I'm still giving the orders around here. I'm throwing Israel into a sieve among all the nations and shaking them good, shaking out all the sin, all the sinners. No real grain will be lost, but all the sinners will be sifted out and thrown away, the people who say, 'Nothing bad will ever happen in our lifetime. It won't even come close.'"

{Quoted by sister Wendy from the "The Message" Bible version, available at biblegateway.com}

To the Remnant:

"I will change thee and give thee a voice to be heard. From the high heavens, the blue skies, a rapid changing condition shall appear! You have to be changed in order to come up here and see the change and be where it is so that you can report with a voice to be heard!

Humanity, the ones who study and live with Me daily, seeking Me for their very existence, I will cause a Holy Agitation to come upon you in the coming weeks; a holy agitation following a proclamation, without hesitation to distract the constellations!"

Terminal one, 2004; Terminal 2008 with outward human manifestation; East meets West in the land of the dying sun. You, Remnant, shall be the living testaments of My Greatness!

Our comments

From the moon to the sun

There is a spiritual reason why the Japanese man remained "stuck" in the Mexico City airport instead of returning directly to Japan. The name "Japan" literally means "Sun's origin" in Japanese, and, according to wikipedia.org, it is believed that the name "Mexico" may come from 3 words meaning "place at the navel of the moon". As we have said before, when the sun is contrasted to the moon, the sun represents the spirit and the moon represents the soul. Therefore, the Japanese man's trip from Mexico to Japan represents man's transition from the rule of the soul to the rule of the spirit. This requires breaking the umbilical cord that ties humans to the motherly "comfort" and "stability" of a soul-centred existence. Since most humans (including believers) are reluctant to detach this cord from their navel, the transition from soul-centredness to spirit-centredness has been resisted and constantly delayed. This is the reason why the Japanese man (whose name is Hiroshi Nohara) remained unnecessarily bogged down in Mexico.

Terminal 2

As sister Wendy points out, this story happened 4 years after the 2004 film starring Tom Hanks called "The Terminal". This "4 year period" points to the 4-year revival delay that America has been under since 2005. The "terminal" itself represents a "temporary stop", which points to the temporary stage "4" that America prolonged unnecessarily. In doing so, America forced God's remnant to suffer through a "wandering" and "homeless" condition for longer than was necessary. Whereas the remnant was uncomfortable at temporary stage "4" and longed to enter the fullness of stage "5", the American Church was more than comfortable remaining stuck in her temporary condition. Because of this, God declared civil war over America's spiritual realm, which correlates with the civil war in the country of "Krakozhia" that forced Tom Hanks' character to remain in a limbo situation at the terminal for 9 months.

In the film, Tom Hanks' character remained at New York's JFK airport. This points to the fact that New York was intended by the Lord to be the epicentre of a spiritual movement that would culminate in God's latter-rain revival breaking forth across America and the world. Yet, America's spiritual hesitation led to the remnant becoming stuck at New York's doors without being able to fully enter and ignite the latter-rain fire.

Steven Spielberg, who directed the Terminal film, travelled around the world to find an airport that would allow him to film the entire production there, but he found none (as indicated on wikipedia.org). This is a figure of how the remnant have been unable to find a host within the institutionalised Church. Because Spielberg was unable to find a host airport, he was forced to build a set in a massive hangar at the LA/Palmdale Regional Airport. This has prophetic significance. For one, the word "palm" in "Palmdale" points to the name "Tamar" (since Tamar means "palm tree"); a close study of Genesis 38 and other passages reveals that Tamar represents the remnant that are interceding incessantly until God's purposes are fulfilled on Earth. The fact that the hangar was built in the L.A. area also points to the spiritual role that the L.A. area will play in the remnant's "homeless" journey. As we have shared before, the Lord gave me a vision some 4.5 years ago of a space-shuttle-like aircraft that landed successfully in "Pasadena" after a perilous spinning descent. I have yet to understand the full significance of why the aircraft landed in Pasadena and how the L.A. area is relevant in the remnant's latter-rain manifestation, but, as these tumultuous months have gone by, I have begun to discern a message from the Lord, a message in the Spirit about the need to pay a price on behalf of a certain group of people in America who are represented by L.A.: recent immigrants, and, in particular, Latin American immigrants.

As we have said before, the Canaanite influence from Latin America was instrumental in hindering God's revival in America. The many unrighteous elements imported from Latin America through illegal immigration contaminated America's spiritual atmosphere, creating a barrier that hindered God's manifestation. However, not all immigration from Latin America is unrighteous. Amongst those who have migrated from Latin America, there are many who migrated out of love for America and its culture and who respect her law system and principles. Some of them may have broken the law when they entered the United States, but they still have reverence for her laws, and they do not see their time in America as an "entitlement", i.e.- as something they have a right to demand, as opposed to most illegal immigrants from Latin America, who believe that America "owes them big time", being interested only in raping America without giving something back. Those immigrants who do value America for what she is and not for what they can pillage from her are people willing to pay the painful transition price in order to forge a break with their cultural past, enabling a life in freedom for themselves and for their future generations. Yet, amongst those immigrants who do value America, there are some integrity issues that God is calling them to deal with before they can be "brought into the fold". Despite their overall good intentions, there are some integrity skeletons that they must get out of the closet. As they get these skeletons out and fully commit to truth and openness, God shall redeem them fully and bring them into the fold. He will honour their desire to change from a "Latin American" past to an "American" future, and He will enable their full transformation.

"³⁷ Who is he that saith, and it cometh to pass, when the Lord commandeth it not? ³⁸ Out of the mouth of the most High proceedeth not evil and good? ³⁹ Wherefore doth a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins? ⁴⁰ Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the LORD. ⁴¹ Let us lift up our heart with our hands unto God in the heavens. ⁴² We have transgressed and have rebelled: thou hast not pardoned. ⁴³ Thou hast covered with anger, and persecuted us: thou hast slain, thou hast not pitied. ⁴⁴ Thou hast covered thyself with a cloud, that our prayer should not pass through. ⁴⁵ Thou hast made us as the offscouring and refuse in the midst of the people. ⁴⁶ All our enemies have opened their mouths against us. ⁴⁷ Fear and a snare is come upon us, desolation and destruction. ⁴⁸ Mine eye runneth down with rivers of water for the destruction of the daughter of my people. ⁴⁹ Mine eye trickleth down, and ceaseth not, without any intermission, ⁵⁰ Till the LORD look down, and behold from heaven. ⁵¹ Mine eye affecteth mine heart because of all the daughters of my city. ⁵² Mine enemies chased me sore, like a bird, without cause. ⁵³ They have cut off my life in the dungeon, and cast a stone upon me. ⁵⁴ Waters flowed over mine head; then I said, I am cut off." (Lamentations 3:37-54)

"²¹ Rejoice and be glad, O daughter of Edom, that dwellest in the land of Uz; the cup also shall pass through unto thee: thou shalt be drunken, and shalt make thyself naked. ²² The punishment of thine iniquity is accomplished, O daughter of Zion; he will no more carry thee away into captivity: he will visit thine iniquity, O daughter of Edom; he will discover thy sins." (Lamentations 4:21-22)

"A false witness shall not be unpunished, and he that speaketh lies shall perish." (Proverbs 19:9)

"Better is a little with righteousness than great revenues without right." (Proverbs 16:8)

"They that are of a froward heart are abomination to the LORD: but such as are upright in their way are his delight." (Proverbs 11:20)

"Better is the poor that walketh in his integrity, than he that is perverse in his lips, and is a fool." (Proverbs 19:1)

"He that walketh uprightly walketh surely: but he that perverteth his ways shall be known." (Proverbs 10:9)

Because of the above, Los Angeles is relevant to God in His latter-day plans for America. God does not want those who are rescuable to perish, and He has called His remnant to suffer a second time, this time for those in America from other lands, those who want to forge a better, cleaner future but who still have to deal with some issues from their cultural past, issues in which they compromised their integrity, issues they were somewhat comfortable with because of the unrighteous nature of the culture they grew up in. In 2005-6, the remnant were forced to remain stranded at the door of New York; that was "Terminal 1", where Tom Hanks gets stranded in New York's JFK. In 2008-9, the remnant are being forced to remain stranded in Los Angeles; that is "Terminal 2", where the Japanese man gets stranded in Mexico. As you may know, the city that most represents Mexican influence in America is Los Angeles. God's love is very deep, and He is willing to go with His remnant through another round of suffering in order to rescue from stagnation as many souls as He can.

Spain

As the Lord indicates in a previously posted dream, the remnant have been called to move back and forth between two environments, encountering a "guitar" in between. As I would meditate on the "guitar" in that dream, one of the things that would constantly appear in my mind was "Spain", since Spain is so intimately related to that instrument. However, I was unable to understand what the Lord was trying to convey. Even though the details remain unclear, it is becoming evident that there is a connection to His plans for Los Angeles.

As indicated on wikipedia.org, Los Angeles was founded in September 1781 by Spanish governor Felipe de Neve, and it became a part of Mexico in 1821 after Mexico became independent from Spain. It was until 1848 that Los Angeles became part of the United States, when California was purchased from Mexico at the end of the Mexican-American War. This purchase of Los Angeles and California points to the prophetic price that the remnant must pay on behalf of the immigrants from Latin America and other places in order to redeem them from the spiritual influence of the Matriarchal "Mexico" beast. Of all the countries in Latin America, Mexico is the country with the greatest combined influence of the Amorite spirit of pride, the Canaanite spirit that hates abiding by laws and judgements, and the Jebusite spirit of soulish, legalistic repression and criticism. As we have studied before, these 3 spirits comprise the spirit of the "first beast" of Revelation 13.

For 286 years, prior to its independence from Spain, Mexico was known as "New Spain". This means that Mexico had a calling to become a renewed version of Spain that would break away from Spain's unrighteousness and allow Spain's good characteristics to blossom in freedom. Mexico, however, was unable to live up to this calling, since it allowed the unrighteous roots of the native Indian culture to grow like uncontrollable weed in its midst. These roots were never cut off because satan was able to weave them into the fabric of Mexico's pride and identity. Most Mexicans take great pride in the Aztec culture; this pride is prevalent even amongst white Mexicans who have virtually no Indian ancestry. This emotion-centred pride persists despite the fact that the Aztec civilization was a stone-age culture in the 15th century, even as most other cultures around the world had moved on to more advanced technologies. The Egyptians and the Romans were able to build massive structures such as the Pyramids at Giza and the Colosseum thousands and hundreds of years before the Aztecs built their pyramids. Whilst the Aztecs were still using spears and arrows, the Europeans and the Chinese had already developed gunpowder and had invented guns and cannons. Whilst the wheel was not even a thought in the Aztecs' minds, most other cultures around the world had already turned the wheel into a major means of transportation. Whilst the Aztecs were still moving about by foot, the Vikings, other Europeans, and the Chinese had already developed advanced shipbuilding technology and navigational know-how to travel around the globe. When the Spaniards set foot in Mexico in the early 16th century, the Aztecs were still stuck in rudimentary arithmetic. By contrast, the Greeks in Europe had already developed complex mathematical works such as Euclid's postulate system and Diophantus' work in algebra and number theory (over 1700 years earlier), and the Indians (from India) had already discovered the quadratic formula some 8 centuries earlier. The Babylonians and Egyptians had already developed sophisticated solutions to algebraic and geometrical problems thousands of years earlier. The Europeans and Chinese had also amassed thousands of years of formal political philosophy by the time the Spaniards found the Aztecs organised under a simple, hegemonic system of tribute rather than a single system of government (as indicated on wikipedia.org), and neither the Aztecs' writings nor the culture they left behind reflect any major depth in political or philosophical thinking. The fact that Cortes was able to subdue the "mighty" Aztec warrior empire with only 500 men is further testament to the relative backwardness of the Aztec culture. In the light of such overwhelming evidence, it is therefore amazing that anyone using analytical thinking would consider the Aztec culture to be a "superior" culture that one could take pride in, especially if you consider its brutally violent history. Thus, the reasons why Mexico takes such pride in its Aztec past is purely sentimental in nature. This sentimental pride exposes the need of some to base their sense of self-worth on minor accomplishments from the past, especially when the present accomplishments "ain't much to brag about".

"Say not thou, What is the cause that the former days were better than these? for thou dost not enquire wisely concerning this." (Ecclesiastes 7:10)

[In other words, it is not wise to ask "Why were the old days better than today?" To constantly look back and long for the "good ol' days" is a sign of foolishness.]

Mexico, therefore, is a figure of a transition gone awry due to soul attachments that were never broken. Since Mexico was unwilling to admit the shame of the Aztecs' backward past, and, since it has refused to acknowledge how the moral corruption of its culture has prevented it becoming a truly modern and prosperous nation, it has been condemned by God to a sputtering and insipid end.

Mexico is plagued by the same spirit of corruption that plagues all of Latin America. Corruption is, in essence, the misuse of delegated authority over other people's goods for purely personal gains, which at times may include caprices and personal vendettas. For this reason, corrupt people cannot be entrusted with greater things. This is why God has removed the mantle of forging the latter-rain revival from Latin America and has given it to others who are not corrupt.

"⁴⁵ But and if that servant say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to beat the menservants and maidens, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken; ⁴⁶ The lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers. ⁴⁷ And that servant, which knew his lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. ⁴⁸ But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more." (Luke 12:45-48)

"²⁸ Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents. ²⁹ For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath" (Matthew 25:28-29)
 

As the remnant pay the required ransom on behalf of the immigrants from Latin America and other places, they shall help forge these immigrants' full transition from their unrighteous cultural past into the righteous elements of the American culture and system of thought. The immigrants on behalf of which this price is being paid are those who have been brave enough to initiate the transition but who have found themselves hindered by past ties they have been unwilling to let go of. The remnant are paying a price to cut these unrighteous umbilical cords.

{For a small glimpse of Mexico's current condition, consider the article posted at groundreport.com}

Japan and Germany

According to wikipedia.org, the terminal set that was built in the Los Angeles area for the "Terminal" film was based on the Düsseldorf International Airport. Curiously enough, the German city of Düsseldorf has had a strong relationship with Japan ever since the 1960s. According to wikipedia.org, many Japanese banks and corporations have chosen to establish their European headquarters in Düsseldorf. This has led to Düsseldorf having the third largest Japanese community in Europe, behind only London and Paris. Düsseldorf even holds a festival called "Japan Day", which is held every year between May and June to celebrate Japanese culture (according to wikipedia.org). Düsseldorf (which is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and is located on the River Rhine) is often called "Klein-Tokyo am Rhein", meaning "Little-Tokyo at the Rhine (according to virtualtourist.com). Thus, it is no spiritual coincidence that it was a Japanese man who starred in "The Terminal 2", the real-life version of the "Terminal" film.

The fact that the Lord has us talking about both Japan and Germany in the context of this prophetic word is no coincidence either. Both of these nations were enemies of America and the UK during World War 2. After they were defeated, they were forced to accept an unconditional surrender, with American forces remaining on their soil for decades. Both Japan and West Germany were forced to adopt democratic constitutions and free-market capitalist economies. Instead of resenting this imposition, both Japan and (West) Germany accepted the evil of their previous ways, and they gladly embraced a new set of values. They were willing to admit that there were unrighteous elements in their cultural history that were indefensible, regardless of how "Japanese" or "German" those values may have been. As a result, both Japan and (West) Germany thrived in freedom, and, despite being ravaged by World War 2, they are now economic powerhouses with stable democracies. Thus, they are examples of how a full break with the past can forge a brand new future. If you allow your pride or your emotions to tie you to the past, you are condemned to be an unwitting slave to it. The subtle trap of allowing your identity to be tied to human traditions and cultural values is what has kept Latin America in the swamp of underdevelopment. Avoiding that quicksand death-trap has allowed Germany and Japan to be amongst the most developed and influential nations on Earth.

The Reading outbreak

Düsseldorf has been a sister city to Reading in the UK since 1947. There is a prophetic reason for this. 1947 was the year when the Dead Seas Scrolls were discovered, and, as some of you may recall, the Lord had us speak on the "Dead Seas Scrolls" in the context of Spain some 43 months ago. The fact that Düsseldorf's sister city in the UK is Reading also has prophetic significance. If you read Wikipedia's article on Reading, you will notice how prominent the number "17" is in Reading's history and present. At the time of this writing, that article's text contained 17 appearances of the number "17"! Even more curious is the fact that 17% of Düsseldorf's population are foreigners (according to wikipedia.org). As we have said before, the number "17" speaks of a manifested remnant. Therefore, Düsseldorf's sisterhood to Reading in the UK since 1947 points to how the emergence of a remnant that have been hidden away in Britannia's spiritual realm shall require that the remnant pay a spiritual ransom on behalf of "foreign immigrants" who have tried to forge a new spiritual future for themselves but who have been unable to fully break with soul ties from the past. In the case of America, most such foreign immigrants have a strong influence from Spain, being that they come from Latin America.

East meeting west

In the prophetic word given through sister Wendy, the Lord emphasises the phrase "East meets west". This speaks of a "clash of cultures" in which one culture is forced to confront its own deficiencies as it comes in contact with a stronger culture. Such a clash took place when Paul visited Athens:

"¹⁶ Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was stirred in him, when he saw the city wholly given to idolatry. ¹⁷ Therefore disputed he in the synagogue with the Jews, and with the devout persons, and in the market daily with them that met with him. ¹⁸ Then certain philosophers of the Epicureans, and of the Stoicks, encountered him. And some said, What will this babbler say? other some, He seemeth to be a setter forth of strange gods: because he preached unto them Jesus, and the resurrection. ¹⁹ And they took him, and brought him unto Areopagus, saying, May we know what this new doctrine, whereof thou speakest, is? ²⁰ For thou bringest certain strange things to our ears: we would know therefore what these things mean. ²¹ (For all the Athenians and strangers which were there spent their time in nothing else, but either to tell, or to hear some new thing.)" (Acts 17:16-21)

Notice how verse 16 speaks of Paul becoming indignant over what he saw in Athens. Instead of accepting the Athenians "just the way they were", and, instead of "respecting" the cultural differences between his Jewish monotheistic upbringing and their polytheistic, non-committal values, Paul became outraged in his inner being. The phrase "his spirit was stirred in him" was (poorly) translated from the Greek words pneuma, meaning spirit (which is used in the original Greek text when referring to the Spirit of God), and the verb paroxuno, meaning "to stir to anger, to provoke, to irritate"; paroxuno is derived from the Greek word oxus meaning "sharp, swift" and is related to the concept of "acidity". The word oxus is used 8 times in the New Testament: once in Romans and 7 times in the book of Revelation; oxus is the word used by the Holy Spirit to describe the "sharp two-edged sword" that came out of Jesus' mouth (Revelation 1:16). Therefore, paroxuno has the connotation of an anger that leads to words of judgement coming out of one's mouth. The "paroxuno-ing" that Paul experienced was in his spirit, not his soul, meaning that he was reacting as a spirit being who was not susceptible to either soulish pandering or soul-centred arguments based on emotionalism, not on "cold" truth.

When Paul arrived in Athens, he was first sent by the Spirit to the Jews, i.e.- to those from the "east" (Acts 17:17). Shortly thereafter, the "westerners" in Athens became interested in what Paul had to say, and they invited him to the Areopagus. Interestingly enough, the Areopagus was a rocky height northwest of the Acropolis, opposite the Acropolis' western end (as indicated on wikipedia.org), which emphasises the spiritual clash between "east and west" taking place in Acts 17.

The Areopagus, which was called "Mars Hill" by the Romans (after the Roman god of war) was, in classical times, the Athenian high court of appeal for criminal and civil cases. This shows that the Areopagus represents a place of conflict, a place where people and ideas were questioned and put on trial.

"²²Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars’ hill, and said, Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious. ²³For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you. ²⁴God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; ²⁵Neither is worshipped with men’s hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things; ²⁶And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; ²⁷That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us: ²⁸For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring. ²⁹Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man’s device. ³⁰And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: ³¹Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead."(Acts 17:22-31)

Notice how Paul confronts his audience regarding Athens' cultural views on religion, telling them to believe in a single God who could literally raise men from the dead. Such a notion was completely foreign to the Athenians, not only because they lived in a culture that believed in many gods, but because their "rational" minds were not used to hearing of events as supernatural as the resurrection of a dead man. Yet, Paul had been sent there as an instrument of conflict to openly confront the Athenian culture, and he was not about to back down due to soulish concerns, regardless of the consequences.

"³² And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked: and others said, We will hear thee again of this matter. ³³ So Paul departed from among them. ³⁴ Howbeit certain men clave unto him, and believed: among the which was Dionysius the Areopagite, and a woman named Damaris, and others with them." (Acts 17:32-34)

Notice how some in the Athenian crowd were able to overcome any soul attachment to their culture and accept the truth of the Spirit. They were willing to accept the truth, even if that meant recognising that the Athenian culture had deep corruption issues. Verse 34 above indicates that these men and women "clave unto him"; the word "clave" was translated from the Greek noun kollao, which is derived from the word kolla meaning "glue". Therefore, verse 34 literally says that these men and women chose to "glue themselves unto him", even as Paul had chosen to "depart from among them" (v33). This means that, even when they had the option to remain in the comfort of their culture, they chose to reject what that culture had been offering them all of their lives and to proactively go after the truth. By rejecting their culture, they were declaring it "inferior" or "lacking", which they were able to do because their sense of identity or self-worth was not tied to it. They understood that, as human beings, they were more than their culture. They did not believe satan's lie that says that your culture or racial heritage defines "who you are". You can abhor the culture you grew up in, and you can abhor the moral values accepted by your "ancestors" without losing your identity. You can take those values off like a worthless robe in order to put on a new robe, for you are not ultimately accountable to your "family" or to your neighbours but to Truth.

"¹⁷ This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, ¹⁸ Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart: ¹⁹ Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. ²⁰ But ye have not so learned Christ; ²¹ If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus: ²² That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; ²³ And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; ²⁴ And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. ²⁵ Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another." (Ephesians 4:17-25)

[The phrase "put on" in verse 24 was translated from the Greek verb enduo, which has the connotation of putting on a garment.

The word "conversation" in verse 22 was translated from the Greek word anastrophe, which actually means "manner of life, way of conducting yourself, behaviour". Therefore, it points to cultural values and paradigms that define the way people conduct themselves as groups. This is emphasised by verse 17, which points to collective behaviour that is easily imitated. As the Spirit declares in verse 22, the old cultural values and paradigms of the soul must be "put off" like an undesirable garment in order to walk as a renewed human, a renewed spiritual being (v23, 24).

Notice that verse 25 above emphasises our humanity, not our "nationality" or "racial background". We are "members one of another" because we are humans, not because we belong to the same "racial" or "ethnic group".]

"Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good" (Romans 12:9)

[The word "cleave" in verse 9 was translated from the word kollao mentioned above. The word "dissimulation" was mistranslated from the Greek word anupokritos, which literally means, "without hypocrisy". As we have studied in detail before, "hypocrisy" means to judge those whom your soul loves using a lower standard than you would normally use for others. This hypocrisy is common in those who are soulishly attached to their culture or racial group; anything that makes their culture look bad is automatically rationalised and discarded, and anything that makes it look good is blown inordinately out of proportion.]

"¹⁶ What? know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? for two, saith he, shall be one flesh. ¹⁷ But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit." (1 Corinthians 6:16-17)

[The words "joined" in both verses 16 and 17 were translated from the word kollao mentioned above. In a spiritual sense, the "harlot" in verse 16 represents the matriarchal "female" soul that obtains mammon (i.e.- self-worth) through unrestricted communion with those around them without passing judgements. This unrestricted communion is only done with those who will give the soul something in return, i.e.- acceptance and a "surname", which assures the soul the ability to "buy" and "sell" in its "community" (Revelation 13:17). This contrasts with those who "kollao" themselves to the "male" spirit of God (v17). Just like the Athenians who "glued themselves" to Paul, they may lose the privilege of a humanly recognised identity and access to the resources available to others, but they will begin to grow as spirits being, becoming conformed more and more to the full image and likeness of God.]

"¹⁰ But into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you not, go your ways out into the streets of the same, and say, ¹¹ Even the very dust of your city, which cleaveth on us, we do wipe off against you: notwithstanding be ye sure of this, that the kingdom of God is come nigh unto you. ¹² But I say unto you, that it shall be more tolerable in that day for Sodom, than for that city." (Luke 10:10-12)

[The word "cleaveth" used by the Lord in verse 11 was translated from the word kollao mentioned above. Therefore, the passage above speaks against having soul attachments to entire "cities" (i.e.- culture systems) when those "cities" unite against the truth. Cultures persist in the error of their ways because those imbued in them bind together against those sent to awaken them from their stupor. This "cultural binding glue" is very sticky, and you must make a conscious effort to ensure that none of it sticks to you. This is why God's messengers are called to consciously wipe the dust from off of their sandals.]

You are not defined by others; you are not defined by the culture around you, and you are not defined by your "racial ancestry". You are who you choose to be. You are the architect of your own identity, for you are a spirit being first, and everything else later. As a spirit being and a member of the human race (Acts 17:26), your true identity is hidden in the Father of Spirits, in the One in whose likeness you were created, in God Himself. Let the values you choose define the culture you are a part of, not the other way around.

After the 4th century BC, the Areopagus was a place where corruption was investigated, even though conviction powers remained with Athens' "Ecclesia", the public assembly for democratic votes in Athens. Therefore, the fact that God chose the Areopagus as a place of "cultural clash" in Scripture means that, when God sends a messenger to "clash with a culture", the inherent corruption in that culture will have to eventually surface (Ephesians 4:22). Those who have an unrighteous soul attachment to their culture will be quick to react against anyone who points out their culture's corruption issues, and, in doing so, they will miss out on God's visitation, thus sliding into spiritual oblivion.

Besides the fact that Japan points to the sun, there is another spiritual reason why God chose a Japanese man to play the leading role in "Terminal 2008". As we have said before, Japan has been blessed (at least economically) because it was the first nation in Eastern Asia to embrace western culture and values. Whereas China and other countries in the region clung to the traditions of their declining cultures, Japan began to send people to Europe to learn western technologies and ideas in order to adopt them in Japan. This deliberate commitment to adopting European values was so strong that Japan even began to shed their traditional attire and to wear western clothing as far back as the 1880's (as indicated on udel.edu). In that sense, therefore, they were becoming "sons of Japheth", even though they were not "biological" descendants of Japheth (like the Europeans). Because of this, Japan is a figure of a culture that allowed itself to be moulded by reality and not by cultural sacred cows.

As I meditated on the phrase "east meets west", the Lord prompted me to search that phrase on the Internet. That is when I "coincidentally" found a blog posting at scienceblogs.com titled "East meets west in NYC". Curiously enough, the posting was about someone who was stranded in a JetBlue terminal at JFK airport in New York. The fact that it was a "JetBlue" terminal points to the blue prayer shawl that remnant believers must wrap themselves in before being sent to death and to the temporary 5th-seal refuge.

March 21

In the middle of March, as I asked the Lord what He wanted us to write about next, He led me to reread this prophetic word by sister Wendy. As I read it, I was struck by the phrase "... a holy agitation following a proclamation, without hesitation to distract the constellations!" When I read the word "constellations", it became clear that this was the word which God wanted to speak about and post on the website.

On the days prior to rereading this word, the Lord had been impressing upon me the date "March 21". As the first full day of spring 2009, I knew that it had deep spiritual significance. As I tried to learn more about the significance of the date "March 21", I found (at wikipedia.org) that it is the "International Astrology Day"; this is due to the fact that it has generally been the date of the spring Equinox in the northern hemisphere (or fall Equinox in the southern hemisphere). The signs of the zodiac, which astrologers pervert for divination purposes, are actually a representation of the path that the sun takes across the sky, as designed by God. Each sign represents a zodiacal constellation in the sky, and astronomers have defined the boundaries of these constellations so as to create a clear coordinate system to describe the sun's movement in the sky. Interestingly enough, the movements of the moon and the planets also fall within these constellations. Along with the 12 traditional constellations, astronomers recognise a 13th constellation, Ophiuchus (which means "serpent grabber" in Greek).

As indicated on wikipedia.org, the Biblical writers were familiar with the system of 12 constellations known today, only that they used the name "Eagle" to refer to the constellation known today as "Scorpio". Curiously enough, the 4 spiritual faces mentioned in Scripture (both in Ezekiel and in Revelation) are the middle signs of the 4 quarters of the Zodiac: