JOURNAL

Does Jesus Recognize Himself in the Way Our Family Champions Trump?

/ JSB / 4 Comments

A Sober Warning from Scripture, and An Ardent Prayer for the Church in America As Our Uncircumspect Defense of Trump Beguiles Us Deeper Into Unrighteousness

As the days, the weeks, and the months roll on, and MAGA continues to do headstands to sweep the ongoing eruption of evidence regarding Donald Trump’s long, sick record of sexual predation under the rug, it has become tragically obvious: there is nothing that can be found in this man that will restrain our family’s cultish devotion to him. A vast swath of American evangelicalism remains slavishly entrenched in the fog of a very great delusion – defending and championing “Trump” in all circumstances. The facts, contradictions, dozens of credible accusations, and even the quotes from Trump himself, no longer matter. All statements about Trump are measured in terms of whether they paint this one man with positive glory, or negative pall. And negative pall, of any manner, need not apply. All forms of judicious objection are dispatched with assumption, and usually an unhealthy dose of condemnation. We do not suffer one word of criticism being uttered against our President. But we don’t mind issuing many words of criticism against those who bring criticism.

Day after week, and episode after Tweet, our family busies herself explaining away ludicrous, hate-filled, boastful and self-incriminating statements, and executive orders from a man who has lived his entire life in blatant opposition to the Lord’s Sermon on the Mount. We explain away his maniacal aggression and pride. We fabricate story-lines to aid his ludicrous assertions about everything from culture, to religion, to economics to diplomacy. And when his pronouncements become too far-fetched (which happens with greater and greater frequency) we’ve become masters of turning a deaf ear, and a blind eye to the tumult and dysfunction that warps this man’s soul.

We spare no energy to keep this con-man’s golden image creditable. We have become the backstage enablers of Elmer Gantry.

The crux of the problem with this level of obeisance is two-fold.
1.) The redactions we prop up shape, and reinforce our family’s definition of what the anointing of God looks like upon a person, and/or this is how the Spirit of God moves in government;
2.) The way we defend and champion this man and his narratives tells our whole world, “this is what the Kingdom of God is like.'”

And so, when Trump announces that “I myself am peace.” (November 1, 2024 • Warren, MI) and the church remains silent, the world hears our consent: “The ways of Trump are what peace, and achieving peace look like in God’s Kingdom.”

When Trump incessantly threatens other sovereign states and territories, and the followers of Christ nod their approval, we are telling heaven and earth, “Jesus approves of hostile, even militaristic measures, to seize other nations and resources. These actions are compatible with how God’s Kingdom advances in our world.”

When those around Trump claim that he is “saving Christianity”, and even “saving God” Himself, and our evangelical family give these statements a dismissive pass, we are tacitly declaring, “Our God needs aggressive, bold leaders like Trump to bully others into the honor and worship He is deserving of.”

When he and his administration rewrite U.S. history to diminish the truth about our “Christian nation’s” sins against blacks, and native Americans etc., our world hears, “Humility, repentance and contrition are not necessary to the establishment of a righteous nation.” Note that what’s of greatest concern to this Christian Nationalist argument is the glory of the nation – not the integrity of the Bride.

When he and his sycophants backtrack on exposing the truth about Epstein‘s human-trafficking ring, and millions of Christians, and Christian leaders ignore the cries of hundreds of sex-slave victims, while defending Trump from the plethora of incriminating evidence building against him, we are nakedly telling the world, “The Kingdom of God is OK with an individual engaging in sexual predation, chronic adultery, and even child prostitution, as long as he/she is fighting for our definition of “the well-being of our nation’.”

Our loud, confrontative, veneration of this man is the greatest subversion of the ideals of Jesus’ Kingdom in our generation, and one of the most consequential in the history of the Church in America.

However, the Lord has not been silent throughout this hour of hypocrisy and betrayal. The King of the universe has, in fact, been steadfastly judging, and disciplining a wandering Bride through this season. The Spirit has unveiled sordid detail after detail in this man’s character – patiently exposing the dissimulations between his unrighteous ways, and the righteous ways of God’s Kingdom. The length of this process has actually allowed for the fruit of our own unrighteous ways to become more and more evident to us – so we might see where our hearts, and arguments deviate from the way of our King, repent, This is what the judgments of the Lord are designed to do: a.) to show us the ways of righteousness (Isaiah 26:9), and to b.) increasingly pressure us into our own need to dialogue with the Lord (Isaiah 1:18), to c.) lead us to repentance (Revelation 2:21), and d.) to help us transform and renew our minds (Romans 12:2) bringing our thoughts and values into alignment with the mind of Christ (Philippians 2:5). We can either humble ourselves and wholly walk with intimate fidelity through His process of judgment in this midnight hour, or we can continue to make no room for repentance (Hebrews 12:17), bringing more and more dishonor to His Name, and risk losing our inheritance, being rejected by our King upon His return. This is a bonafide, Bible-based threat that looms before our evangelical family after a full, heated decade of adulterating ourselves to this man’s political power.

The New Testament is filled with references to those whose radical love for Jesus becomes diluted by other sanctities. We begin to fasten our allegiance to the promised results of lawlessness, and gradually, episode after episode, our devotion to the intensive, Spirit-empowered pathways of the Lord grows cold (Matthew 24:12). Eventually, we find ourselves drawing near to Him with our lips (Matthew 15:8), while the rest of our “selves” (dreams, expectations, strength, will, zeal and logic), remain enamored elsewhere, increasingly desensitized to the transcendent rhema of our King. The result is, our perspective regarding the health of our own faith becomes distorted, and our walk with Jesus becomes significantly out of step with what He, Himself is saying about our lives. This was the tragic condition of five of the seven churches that Jesus addressed in Revelation 2 and 3. (See Revelation 2:4; 2:14; 2:20; 3:1; 3:16-17). And it’s an arresting theme that is salted throughout Jesus’ gospel teachings.

In both Matthew 7:23, and Matthew 25:12, Jesus lays out two scenes at the end of the age when He will have bombshell confrontations with those who fully anticipate joining Him in eternity. He will end these conversations with the terrifying Words: “Depart from Me. I do not know you.”

These will be the most horrible face-to-face encounters in the chronicles of humanity.

“Depart from Me. I do not know you.”

Can you hear the deafening reverberation among the angels, and all of creation as the Lord of Life painfully, and with perfect justice, turns away church-member after elder, after prophet with this verdict?

Friends. It’s extremely wise for us to slow down, and consider these warnings from Jesus’ own lips. How does He mean for these alarming, future events to equip us to live soberly in the matters which are before us today, in 2026?

Notice. Jesus doesn’t make this pronouncement upon those who
a.) don’t know Him, who
b.) don’t seem to believe in Him, or
c.) desire to be with Him.
Jesus doesn’t say, “Depart from Me, you never knew the right things about Me.” He makes these determinations to those who have been doing the stuff in His Name (Matthew 7:23), and in the face of those who genuinely want to be with the Bridegroom. (Matthew 25:12)

In both of the Matthew texts, JESUS TURNS AWAY THOSE WHOM HE DOESN’T KNOW. This phrase may have one or two meanings. Both of them are terrible.

The first meaning of this statement could apply to those who, in spite of their rhetoric, their theological assertions, and/or their vaunted Christian ministries, actually end up thinking, acting, and looking nothing like Jesus. In essence, Jesus is saying, “I don’t recognize Myself in you.” These ones don’t value loving unconditionally. They don’t forgive. They force their own way. They don’t prize the fruit of the Spirit. They fudged on the holiness they could have enjoyed. They refuse to walk in the deep ways of lowliness. They never cultivated a love for the Father more than everything else in this world. Jesus is saying, “I honestly don’t see Me reflected in the way you live your life.”

The second potential meaning is even more intrinsic and personal than the first. Jesus’ pronouncement is saying, the ones He’s rejecting neglected to make themselves known and vulnerable to His holy and gracious gaze. They never discovered the wisdom of coming to Him with a broken spirit. They never applied the Words of the prophets. They refused to expose their baseline selves to the light of His purifying love. They devalued lives that were intimately pliable, and dependent upon the “new every morning” (Lamentations 3:23) mercies of the Lord.

In essence, Jesus is saying to the ones He’s rebuffing, “You withheld your self from Me. You did not bare your soul, your sin, your proclivity to sin and unrighteousness to Me. You never let Me in to recalibrate your carnal way of thinking and treating others. You kept returning an eye for an eye – living according to the hostile, anti-meek, unholy spirit of the world that you were born in. You gave yourself to conspiracies, bitterness, idolatries, and self-exonerating rhetoric, and never let Me change the root-loyalties of your heart.”

Friends. These texts should trouble us to prayer, and a boat-load of honest counsel with the Spirit of internal Truth.
…
Selah
….

Am I saying that anyone who continues to defend Trump is doomed to hell? Or am I seeking to divide our Lord’s Bride?

This is what I’m saying. When Jesus breaks into our reality, (Luke 18:8) tells us that He will be looking for bonafide faith within His Bride; one that exalts, and trusts, celebrates, and looks like the values that exist in the heart of our King.

The Bible calls that which is not of faith, “sin”. (Romans 14:23) And all sin, is unrighteousness – it is contrary to the character, the ways, and the values of our King.

This is what Ephesians tells us about this unrighteousness.
“Sexual immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be mentioned among you, as is proper among saints. And there must be no filthiness or foolish talk, or vulgar joking, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. For this you know with certainty, that NO sexually immoral or impure or greedy person, which amounts to an idolater, HAS AN INHERITANCE IN THE KINGDOM OF CHRIST AND GOD. SEE THAT NO ONE DECEIVES YOU with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not become partners with them; for you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord; walk AS CHILDREN OF LIGHT (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), as you TRY TO LEARN WHAT IS PLEASING TO THE LORD. Do not participate in the useless deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them.” (Ephesians 5:3-11)

Ephesians also informs us that the Lord Himself is actively removing this disqualifying unrighteousness from His redeemed people – His Bride – through “the washing of water with the Word” . (Ephesians 5:26)

(1 John 3:6-8, 10) tells us, “No one who remains in Him sins continually; no one who sins continually has seen Him OR KNOWS HIM. Little children, MAKE SURE NO ONE DECEIVES YOU; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous; THE ONE WHO PRACTICES UNRIGHTEOUSNESS IS OF THE DEVIL; for the devil has been unrighteous from the beginning. THE SON OF GOD APPEARED FOR THIS PURPOSE, TO DESTROY THE  (unrighteous) WORKS OF THE DEVIL… By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother and sister.”

In light of the vision that’s in the heart of Jesus for us, His Bride, it is supremely wise (Ephesians 5:15-17) for us to take every thought captive (2 Corinthians 10:5), in order to fastidiously remain true to our King.

As the enemy of our souls continues to tempt us to pitch our faith in Christ, and embrace the wide, forceful ways of unrighteousness, my ardent prayer for myself, and our family is the one the apostle Paul prayed for the saints in ancient Turkey: “We do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that you may have a walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and long-suffering with joy; giving thanks to the Father Who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light.” (Colossians 1:9-12)

The potential retribution for our faithlessness is great. But the rewards for our deep, and vibrant faithfulness to Jesus through this hour is immeasurably greater.

____________________
JSB • (Update) January, 2026

Waiting and Hastening: The Bridal Paradox of Prayer

/ JSB / 1 Comment

9 The LORD is not slow concerning HIS PROMISE, as some regard slowness, but is being PATIENT toward you, because He does not wish for any to PERISH but for all to come to REPENTANCE. 10 But the DAY OF THE LORD will come like a thief; when… the earth and EVERY DEED DONE on it will be LAID BARE… (therefore) WHAT SORT OF PEOPLE SHOULD YOU BE, CONDUCTING YOUR LIVES IN HOLINESS AND GODLINESS, 12 while WAITING FOR and HASTENING THE COMING OF THE DAY OF GOD? … According to His PROMISE, we are WAITING for new heavens and a new earth, in which RIGHTEOUSNESS truly resides. 14 Therefore, DEAR FRIENDS, since you are WAITING FOR these things, STRIVE to be found AT PEACE, WITHOUT SPOT OR BLEMISH, when you COME into HIS PRESENCE. (2 Peter 3:9-14)

The Lord’s preparation of the Church is one of the most overlooked, New Testament dynamics that is (day by day) impacting the people of God right now. Whether we see it or not, the truth is, the closer we get to the return of Jesus, the more the heart and the collective mind of the Bride is being refined to both understand and champion the reign of our King!

Jesus is not coming to “take us home”. If we’re in Christ, we’re already home! He’s coming to rule and reign on the earth, WITH HIS BRIDE IN GLAD-HEARTED CELEBRATION of the way He administrates His Kingdom. 

Right now, the Church is still “working the issues out” in our collective thinking. Our narratives are not filled with appreciation for the ways of our King. We don’t esteem the values of meekness, holiness, patience, and mercy-giving the way our King does. In fact, we count much of what He wants to work into our world as foolish, unpractical, and/or too religious. Where Jesus calls us to “serve”, we want to dominate. Where Jesus calls us to “pray”, we want to rush to action with human power. Where Jesus wants to aim at relationship, we want to build laws and structures. This disconnection from Jesus’ mind is what both Peter (here in 2 Peter 3:14), and Paul (in Ephesians 5:26,27) call “spots, wrinkles, and blemishes”. This is where the Bride is operating unlike Christ – where we are not Christlike!

So, how does the Lord bring us into like-mindedness? How does He conform us to His image?How does He cultivate both an understanding and appreciation of the ways of His leadership?

He shapes us by employing two living and active realities. The first are the affairs of 200ish nations, and the pressure points in our own lives. These are actually “grinding bearings” that the Lord uses to drive us to Himself. Where the answers are “out of our reach”, and “beyond our under-standing”, He nonetheless calls us to bring the tension points to Him, in both humility, and honesty. This means that we don’t allow other players to become the primary “shapers” of our narrative. It means that we bring what we see, what we know, and what we feel, into the “tent of meeting” with Him, and allow Him to illuminate our minds, and our hearts about both the facts of the storylines, and the issues they create in our own lives. He may or may not want to tell us the details about the nefarious activities of globalists. But He will most certainly want to talk to us about how these true or false reports are shaping our trust in Him, and our love toward others. Make sense?

The second living and active reality that He’s using to shape the Bride is His own Word. 

Paul writes: “He (Jesus) sanctifies her, and cleanses her by THE WASHING OF WATER WITH THE WORD, that He might present to Himself the Church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless.” (Ephesians 5:26-27)

Jesus uses both the crises in our world, and our daily, disciplined commitment to engage Him in prayerful dialogue with His Word, and in this kinetic mixture, He shows us how He leads, how He redeems, how He analyzes, how He rewards, and how He purges humanity, and the human spirit. And then He calls you and I, His Bride, to agree in prayer with Him about the ways and the intents of His government.

It’s in this turbulent forge that our Bridegroom King forms and purifies our thoughts, responses, attitudes, countenance, and will. As we bring our outrage, passivity, temptations, and promises in the context of these worldly, national and personal crises into His courts, with truthfulness, a spirit of yieldedness, a dash of expectation, and a will that is prepared to give Him the gift of repentance, He is faithful to remove the impediments (the spots, wrinkles, and blemishes) so that His authority can freely work in, and through our lives. This is how we, the Bride, are conformed to His Image. This is what it means to be aligned to the “true righteousness” (v.13) that He will manifest on the earth when the fulness of His Kingdom comes. We do this by faith, now, in anticipation of it fully coming when He comes. And this is, according to 2 Peter 3:12, (wonder of wonders) how we “hasten the coming” of that Day – His Day – when He rules in our physical presence!

Until that Day comes, 2 Peter 3 tells us to “wait” three times! This is an exhortation to
a.) abide in, and not lose touch with this truth,
b.) to walk in growing patience and peaceable confidence in the Lord, and what He is accomplishing, and to
c.) give ourselves to these conforming dynamics with abandon. 

However, the Kingdom of God is always a paradox. In the context of patiently “waiting”, v.14 also charges us to “strive”. (This paradox keeps us from turning the dynamics of the Lord into a math equation – and keeps us close, and reliant upon the nimble, intimate, breath-by-breath leadership of the Spirit.) It is by the Spirit that we “strive” toward coming to the place of “peace” with the Lord’s Bridal purification process. We are in His more than sufficient Hands. We belong to Him. We are in His care. He knows how to get ahold of us. He has our number. He knows how to call us out. He isn’t perplexed about how to bring you, your family, your Bible-study group, your community, and your nation into agreement with His ways. v.14 is the Spirit’s loud encouragement to “TRUST THE KING’S PROCESS!” He will bring us forth, into His Presence, without “spot” or “blemish”; purified; like a sacrificial lamb; ready to be offered up to Him; wholly yielded to His majestic reign.

This is His goal: that we come forth, by His power, united to Him, and each other, loving Him and His ways with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. (Mark 12:30)

This has massive implications for HOW WE “DO CHURCH”. It underscores the vital necessity that we become a people of daily, reliant PRAYER. WITHOUT BEING MUCH IN PRAYER THE BRIDE WILL NEITHER BEHOLD NOR YIELD OUR HEART AND OUR WAYS TO THE LORD’S REFINING WORK. NOR WILL WE LEARN TO WALK IN THE AUTHORITY OF HIS DIVINE ORDER.

This brings us to the other side of the coin. And it is the reason that spurs the apostle Peter to write these injunctions in the first place. Should we neglect, and/or withdraw from Jesus’ capable, prayerful, purifying process; should we instead, give ourselves to spiraling conspiracies, spouting our own opinions, -becoming rigid in our carnal thoughts, we will not come forth in mature love. We will actually come forth with a mutant love – shaped by our world, the devil, and our own corrupt soul. Perhaps, (or perhaps not) filled with “Christian-sounding” rhetoric – but no substance, and no fruit.

When we neglect Jesus’ prayerful, purifying process, and instead, give ourselves to spiraling conspiracies, opinions, and rigid carnal thoughts, we will not come forth in mature love. we will come forth with a mutant love.

The wretched truth of the matter is, when we refuse to give ourselves to His ongoing refining process, we are in essence saying to Jesus: “WE REALLY DON’T LOVE YOUR RULE AND REIGN in our world. We would rather continue to have our own way, under our own power, than have You remove the SPOTS and BLEMISHES from our hearts… We’d rather You NOT do what You want to do to manifest Your vibrant RIGHTEOUSNESS through our lives.”

This is the spirit of antipathy. This is the spirit Peter calls us to “strive” against. This posture will produce endless enmity (and never “PEACE”) in our lives. And, truth-be-told, it is the sentiment, and slant that accounts for SO MUCH of the hostility in the Church today.

Beloved, the Lord is not relenting. He will not let us sleep-walk through the fires that He has kindled in our world. He is a holy-disturber of our “false peace” Who is making every provision for us to be aligned to Himself, in joyful unanimity with His Kingdom.

Let’s go into the place of prayer, and wholly give ourselves to His refining process. Let’s hasten the return of our King!

____________________
JSB • December 12, 2025

The Great Crisis Coming to MAGA

/ JSB / 1 Comment

Proclaim this among the nations: “Prepare for war!” (Joel 3:9)

One of the two greatest crises of the soul is fast approaching our MAGA brothers and sisters in Christ. Faster than I would like to believe. Right now, the topics of Antisemitism, Zionism, the nature of Islam related to the God of Abraham, Replacement theology, etc. are steaming through a plethora of statements, debates, exposes, and teachings from Tucker Carlson, Candace Owens, Nick Fuentes, Joel Webbon, Glenn Beck, and thousands of evangelical leaders – unlike any time in the history of the American Church. THE controversy of the nations: “WHAT ABOUT ISRAEL?”, is about to reach a boiling point within the ranks of Christian Nationalism.

Here’s the alarm: When Donald Trump finally turns on Israel, MAGA believers will be confronted with the consequences of the decisions and talking points that they’re cultivating now. Will they act in fidelity to the God of the Bible Who is pressing His character through the affairs of this tiny nation? Or will they (once again, as they have with Canada, Mexico, Greenland, the Ukraine, Denmark, Panama, NATO etc.) come up with a defense for Trump’s storylines, and take up this man’s offense against Israel?

It’s coming. As sure as every part of the Bible is true, it’s coming, friends.

What makes this inevitable internal, “anfechtungen” most alarming is this:

1. MAGA has spent nearly every day of the last decade developing spin redactions and apologetics to defend Trump’s outrageous unrighteousness. That’s a LOT of gravity to go against. I believe the devil has purposefully accrued this inertia for the sake of ultimately bending the will of many sincere MAGA Christians re: Israel when all the chips are on the table… in spite of the fact that millions now ardently protest: “But we will never betray you, Israel.” In the day of great threat and temptation, MAGA will walk in the pattern of deception, and have cultivated no integrity of will to stand against this lawless man’s hot displeasure.

2. The second alarm deals with the realty that it is God Himself Who is going to be behind the crux of this confrontation. (See Joel 3 below) MAGA won’t be fighting against political opposition. It will be wrestling with God Himself. It is His penultimate test to the faith of the Bride. “Will you stand with your Bridegroom, and with Israel? Will you believe My promises for Zion are true? Will you even let go of your fascination with an unrighteous leader in order to remain champions of My heart, My expressed plan, and My vision for the redemption of the people of this land, and the nations?”

This is the way the question will be framed: “Will you betray MAGA? Or will you betray Israel?”

It’s coming, beloved. As crazy as it seems that a controversy over this one, small, resilient people-group could embroil the whole earth, it’s coming…

AND, it’s coming to a church near you.

JOEL 3:9-21
9 Proclaim this among the nations: “Prepare for war! Wake up the mighty men, let all the men of war draw near, let them come up.
10 Beat your plowshares into swords and your pruning hooks into spears; let the weak say, ‘I am strong.’ ”
11 Assemble and come, all you nations, and gather together all around. Cause Your mighty ones to go down there, O Lord.
12 “Let the nations be wakened, and come up to the Valley of Jehoshaphat; for there I will sit to judge all the surrounding nations.
13 Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Come, go down; for the winepress is full, the vats overflow – for their wickedness is great.”
14 Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision.
15 The sun and moon will grow dark, and the stars will diminish their brightness.
16 The Lord also will roar from Zion, and utter His voice from Jerusalem; the heavens and earth will shake; but the Lord will be a shelter for His people, and the strength of the children of Israel.
17 “So you shall know that I am the Lord your God, dwelling in Zion My holy mountain. Then Jerusalem shall be holy, and no aliens shall ever pass through her again.”
18 And it will come to pass in that day that the mountains shall drip with new wine, the hills shall flow with milk, and all the brooks of Judah shall be flooded with water; a fountain shall flow from the house of the Lord and water the Valley of Acacias.
19 “Egypt shall be a desolation, and Edom a desolate wilderness, because of violence against the people of Judah, for they have shed innocent blood in their land.
20 But Judah shall abide forever, and Jerusalem from generation to generation.
21 For I will acquit them of the guilt of bloodshed, whom I had not acquitted; for the Lord dwells in Zion.”

____________________
JSB • November, 2025

Praying for Israel

/ JSB / Leave a comment

The Holy Spirit is leading millions of believers around the world to accelerate intercession for Israel, and agree with the eternal promises that He has established with the sons of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

7 Reasons to Pray for Israel

1. We believe the best thing that could happen in the Middle East is for millions of both Jews and Arabs to make covenant with the God of the Bible, through the blood atonement of His Son, Y’shua of Nazareth.

2. When the Lord touches the Jewish people with salvation through their Messiah, the whole earth will be provoked to wonder and receptivity re the unique claims of Y’shua.

3. The Lord is serious about intercession. He wants His own people (the Church) to partner with Him as He accomplishes His promises on the earth. He wants us to read about them in the Word, believe that He wants to do them, and then pray with faith, believing that He will do what He’s promised to do.

4. The more we look into the scriptures and see His heart for Israel (and the Middle East), and the more we understand Israel’s key role in the end times of this age, the more the Church will “purify” ourselves (1 John 3:3) “make ourselves ready” (Revelation 19:7) and “hasten the return” of Y’shua to the land. 

5. We pray knowing the hearts of billions are gradually being drawn into intense contro-versy (Jeremiah 25:31) with the Lord re the promises that the Father has made to the Jewish people re His Son, Y’shua of Nazareth.

6. We pray out of respect and gratitude for what our “older brother” (Israel) has endured in order to display the love, the mercy, the faithfulness and the holiness of the Lord.

7. Praying for Israel prepares our hearts to learn how to yield, and trust, and celebrate the reign of a real Jewish Man Whose Kingdom is meant to be established in real human hearts, in preparation for His ultimate expected earthly reign in the Millennium.

NOTE: When we pray for Israel, we’re praying for the Jewish and Arabic-speaking people living in the Promised Land as well the Jewish people living in the nations (the Diaspora).

Scripture Prayers for Israel
Listed below are numerous prayers we can confidently pray for Israel that come directly from the Word of God.

1. Father of glory, APPOINT WATCHMEN, who will stand on the walls of Jerusalem, WHO WILL PRAY ALL DAY AND ALL NIGHT. Give them grace to never keep silent.(Isaiah 62:6)2. Father of glory, how shall they hear without a preacher? RAISE UP REACHERS AND SEND THEM FORTH. As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, who bring the glad tidings of good things!” (Romans 10:14-15)

3. Father of glory, POUR ON THE HOUSE OF DAVID and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem THE SPIRIT OF GRACE AND SUPPLICATION; let them they behold Your Son today whom they pierced. Cause them to mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn. (Zechariah 12:10)

4. “THE LORD BLESS YOU AND KEEP YOU [Israel]; the LORD make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you; the LORD lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace.” (Numbers 6:23-26) 

5. Father of glory, speak the Name of Your Son, Y’shua to Israel. “SAY TO THE DAUGHTER OF ZION, ‘SURELY YOUR SALVATION IS COMING… and His work before Him.’”(Isaiah 62:11)
6. Father of glory, ARISE AND HAVE MERCY ON ZION.. SO THE NATIONS SHALL FEAR THE NAME OF THE LORD… build up Zion; appear in Your glory… that a people may praise the LORD. Look down from the height of Your sanctuary… and hear the groaning of the prisoner, release those appointed to death, and declare the name of the LORD Your Son, Y’shua… and His praise throughout Jerusalem… (Psalm 102:13-21)

7. Father of glory, POUR OUT YOUR SPIRIT ON ALL FLESH; cause sons and daughters to prophesy. Cause old men to dream dreams, and young men to see visions… Show them wonders in the heavens and in the earth… Turn the sun into darkness, and the moon into blood. Let all of Israel know that whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved. Assure them that on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be deliverance… among the remnant whom You call.” (Joel 2:15-32) 

8. Father of glory, cause Your face to shine on Your sanctuary… Incline Your ear and hear; open Your eyes and see our desolations, and the city which is called by Your name… because of Your great mercies. O, LORD HEAR! O, LORD FORGIVE! O, LORD LISTEN AND ACT! Do not delay – for Your city and Your people are called by Your name.” (Daniel 9:4-19)

9. Father of glory, LET ALL OF ISRAEL SEE THE GLORY OF THE LORD, THE EXCELLENCY OF THEIR GOD. Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees. Say to those who are fearful-hearted, “Be strong, do not fear! Behold, your God… will come and save you.” Open the eyes of the blind, and unstop the ears of the deaf. Cause the lame to leap like a deer, and the tongue of the dumb to sing… (Isaiah 35:1-9) 

10. Father of glory, for Zion’s sake DO NOT HOLD YOUR PEACE, and for Jerusalem’s sake do not rest, UNITL HER RIGHTEOUSNESS GOES FORTH LIKE BRIGHTNESS… (Isaiah 62:1-2)

11. Father of glory, RAISE UP THE TABERNACLE OF DAVID, which has fallen down… Raise up its ruins, and rebuild it… that they may possess the remnant of Edom, and all the Gentiles who are called by Your name… (Amos 9:11-12) 

12. Father of glory, cause Your backsliding children to return… Remind them that You are married to them… Bring them to Zion. GIVE TO THEM SHEPHERDS AFTER YOUR HEART, who will feed them with knowledge and understanding… (Jeremiah 3:14-17)

13. Father of glory, RELEASE SINGERS THROUGHOUT ISRAEL WHO SHALL SING; FOR THE MAJESTY OF THE LORD and shall cry aloud… glorifying the LORD in the dawning light… Let the ends of the earth hear their songs: “Glory to the righteous!” (Isaiah 24:14-16) 

14. Father of glory, LEAVE IN THEIR MIDST A MEEK AND HUMBLE PEOPLE… a remnant of Israel that does no unrighteousness… Cause all of Zion to Sing…rejoice… as You cast out their enemy. O King of Israel… be in their midst… (Zephaniah 3:12-15)

15. Father of glory, SHEPHERD YOUR PEOPLE… the flock of Your heritage. As in the days when you came out of the land of Egypt, show them wonders. Cause the nations to be ashamed of their might… and to be afraid of the LORD… (Micah 7:14-17)

16. Father of glory, SAVE ALL OF ISRAEL. Cause them to look to You, and be saved… Tell them that You have sworn by Yourself; the Word has gone out of Your mouth in righteousness… Assure them that to You every knee shall bow, every tongue shall take an oath. Let them know that surely in You they have righteousness and strength. (Isaiah 45:17-24)

17. Father of glory, let wisdom and knowledge be the stability of Israel’s times, and the strength of their salvation. Show them that the fear of the LORD is their Messiah’s treasure… Arise, O LORD… CAUSE THEIR EYES TO SEE THEIR KING IN HIS BEAUTY. (Isaiah 33:17)

Let us know how YOU’RE praying for Israel! There’s SO MUCH to learn!

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JSB • November, 2025

Here’s a PDF copy of a tri-fold brochure of this article.

For those who wonder about praying for Israel, and the Church’s relationship to Israel.

Babylon

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The Babylon of the end of the age is Sodom with all the wealth, and commerce of the nations. It’s the consummate picture of the unfettered, dominant, excess-driven human heart. Babylon will be God’s way of showing all of human history: “See? This is who humanity will continually tend to become, apart from yielding to the reign of My Son.” 

Babylon is the spirit that refuses restraint; the natural spirit that lies within every one of us. Babylon is a mirror to our own uncrucified soul when we have all the wealth, all the power, all the freedom, and all the unifying potential to do, create, say, conspire, and believe anything we want. Babylon is the unsurrendered rich, young ruler on demonic steroids. 

There’s never been a generation on the earth that’s fit this category more than us. 

If this IS the hour of Jesus’ return, Bible believers need to spend much less time wondering “Who is the antiChrist?” – and MUCH MORE TIME inquiring of the Lord: “How are we (how am I) operating in the spirit of Babylon?” 

Instead, the Church (who claims to be experiencing great revival) is found blindly, and with seared consciences, trumpeting the dominion of Babylon. 

The difference between the court prophets in Jeremiah’s day, and the court prophets in our own day is that in Jeremiah’s day, the court prophets saw Babylon as the looming threat to Judah, and the covenant people of God. The court prophets in our day make no distinction between Babylon and the Kingdom of our God and King – and patently refuse to stand up to a Babylon who even claims to have the power to “save God” Himself – while they heartily defend and take part in her excesses. 

Friends. This is about SO MUCH MORE than politics. It’s an MRI into what’s at work within our souls. Where are the people of God who will come to the Lord in an hour of propaganda, and lavish abundance and ask, “Holy Spirit, show us our ‘whoredom’!”??

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JSB • November, 2025

Understanding Psalm 2 for Today

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The Drama of This Ancient Psalm/Prophecy Is Being Played Out Before Our Eyes. Are We Aligning Our Lives to Its 5 – Fold Exhortations?

Why do the nations rage, and the people plot a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the  rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against His Anointed, saying, “Let us break Their bonds  in pieces and cast away their cords from us.”

He who sits in the heavens shall laugh; the Lord shall hold them in derision. Then He shall speak to them  in His wrath, and distress them in His deep displeasure: “Yet I have set My King on My holy hill of Zion.”

“I will declare the decree: The Lord has said to Me, ‘You are My Son, today I have begotten You. Ask of  Me, and I will give You the nations for Your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for Your possession. You  shall break them with a rod of iron; You shall dash them to pieces like a potter’s vessel.’ ”

Now therefore, be wise, O kings; be instructed, you judges of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear, and  rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, and you perish in the way, when His wrath is kindled  but a little. Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him. 

INTRODUCTION:
Psalm 2 is a 4-part prophetic drama about the Father establishing Jesus’ leadership over the earth. God intends for this narrative to help us cultivate an appropriate, prayerful response today so that we have the grace to stand with Him in the hour when these events are being fulfilled.

Most Christians live largely unsettled and a little apathetic about the major features surrounding God’s end-times’ storyline.

Without a clear understanding of these realities we live unsure of the purpose of our lives, foggy about our  calling, uncertain of our priorities, unconvinced of God’s loving presence, prone to distraction, with little  appreciation for what’s “at-risk”, and little perspective on just how prayer contributes to our vitality.

Gaining “living understanding” about these “plot-points” is like erecting a strong framework within which we can cultivate passion, exhilaration, wisdom, power, and strength to persevere in our daily relationship with Jesus.

Psalm 2 provides us with a 50,000 foot overview of the essential elements contained in God’s end-times’ narrative.

(Act I) The Rage of the Nations (Psalm 2:1-3)

Psalm 2:1-3 prophesies that the nations will rage in anger against Jesus’ leadership. His standards of morality, righteousness, and His right to hold every heart accountable to His order of love and justice will be deeply opposed by a world steeped in the curse of sin. It will also be a stumbling block to many within the Church.

People from every political stripe, on every level of society will plot strategies, and use their influence to mobilize the masses to rebel against God’s righteousness, and resist God’s loving leadership.

The rulers speak of the leaders of the “culture”: socio/political,  economic, spiritual, educational, military, entertainment, media, arts, athletics, etc. They will use social unrest, hardship, conspiracy and injustice to exert pressure on each other to make lawlessness the cultural norm.

The kings of the nations will set their hearts to fully influence the faithless ways of the people under them. The term kings includes the heads of state,  e.g., presidents, prime ministers, and legislators. The term also refers to believers; those who have been called to be kings and priests to God (Revelation 5:10), but who have fallen under the sway of false teaching, and strong delusions.

The kings, rulers, and people will conspire together against the values and plans of the Lord which will be portrayed as foolish, “unenlightened”, and even “dangerous” to the  well-being of society, and in some cases, the Church within a society.

They will also lodge hostile arguments against the Father and His anointed One (Jesus); protesting, and compromising with the idea that Jesus is uniquely the Jewish Son of the Father, and the only One worthy to rule every nation.

The plan against God will be focused on casting away the authority of His Word (v. 3) (either through rejection of the Word itself, or through perversion of the application of the Word) throughout all aspects of society. These people will see a literal understanding of God’s Word as if it were “bonds” that enslave them and “cords” that bind them from being “authentically human”, or “unrealistic to the human situation”.

(Act II) The Father’s Response to the Rebellious Nations (Psalm 2:4-6)

God laughs because He is confident in His ability to fully accomplish His plan in spite of humanity’s resistance. We are small creatures who live for a mere eighty years. God’s whole Person fills 300 billion galaxies, and He has no beginning and no end. His laughter denotes just how small our power is to overthrow the intent of His heart.

One of the chief ways that the Lord will express His intent is through end-time, friends of the Bridegroom, who will primarily speak of the earth’s need to be prepared for the coming of the Bridegroom in His anointed glory.

The Lord will also use these ones to express His “deep displeasure” over the nations’ fierce opposition to the preeminent plan to have Jesus, and His unique manner of leadership reign over humanity.

Beloved, it’s vital that we let the Holy Spirit develop a theology of the fear of the Lord in us today, so that we possess a holy respect for His judgments, His wisdom, His redemptive love, and His sovereign ability to rule the heart, in the hours in which the Lord is, in fact, expressing His displeasure in our world.

(Act III) (Scene 1) Jesus Recalling the Inheritance He’s Received from the Father (Psalm 2:7-8)

In these 3 verses we hear Jesus recalling the divine decree that the Father has declared over Him. Jesus’ inheritance from the Father is a redeemed Bride and a throne in Jerusalem, from which He will rule the whole earth.

As He recalls the eternal dialogue that He and His Father have had, He is also giving us revelation of the desire that burns in His own heart. Understanding the Father’s decree, and the Son’s desire are vital if we want to faithfully partner with Jesus in praying for God’s purposes on the earth. 

The apostles drew on these realities when they prayed about the hostile leaders in Jerusalem. They asked the Father to manifest His power on the basis that the world was opposing the reign of His Son, the One He had anointed to rule the earth.
“For truly against Your holy Servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate,  with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, were gathered together…Lord, look on their threats and  grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word, by stretching out Your  hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done…” (Acts 4:27-29)

If we are to grow up in our prayer-lives, (indeed, if we are to grow up in our relationship with God) we must move from a “Jesus fix our lives” mindset, to a “Jesus, reign in my world” mindset.

One example of this mature intercession is found in (Acts 15:13-17) where God answers Cornelius’ prayer, and releases salvation to the Gentiles. This was God fulfilling one key dimension of His plan to have His Son rule the nations. In order to accomplish this, He actually looked for a human heart that was aligned with what He (the Father) had purposed to do on earth.

In (Acts 10:3-5) we hear about the Father responding to Cornelius’ prayers:
“About the ninth hour of the day he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God coming in and saying to him, “Cornelius!” And when he observed him, he was afraid, and said, “What is it, lord?” So he said to him, “Your prayers and your alms have come up for a memorial before God. Now send men to Joppa, and send for Simon whose surname is Peter.”

When Peter arrives at Cornelius’ house, he is also in prayer and receives revelation of God’s intent to bring “the nations” (the Gentiles) under the covenant reign of His Son.

The point is:“Who is Cornelius? Who is Peter? On earth they were simple men uttering weak prayers based what they saw in the heart of God. In heaven God saw them as a vital allies, through whom He would fulfill one major component of the promise that He had made to His Son.

The story of Peter and Cornelius’ prayers are profound encouragements to our own prayers.

(ACT III) (Scene 2) Jesus Judges the Rebellious Nations (Psalm 2:9)

In verse 5  David tells us that the Lord will judge the nations with “WRATH” and “HIS DEEP DISPLEASURE“. What does “deep displeasure” look like in a trillion galaxy God???

Verse 9 tells us:
“You (the Son) shall break them with a rod of iron; You shall dash them to pieces like a potter’s vessel.“

MOST of us western, Bible-believing Christians don’t have a theology of God’s WRATH that’s stable enough to keep our hearts secure in love through the “time of trouble” that’s erupting around us… What I mean by this is, when the judgments of God fully come upon the earth, they will stir up so much emotional hostility and accusation against others, and ultimately against God Himself. The essence of this hostility and accusation will sound like this in the human heart, “God isn’t fully just. His Word is too radical. His way needs to be more reasonable. All by itself, His plan is not good. It needs the help of human wisdom. His judgments are out-of-line with true love. etc.”

There will be SO MUCH HUMAN-CULTURAL PRESSURE to agree with these accusations against God’s character. If we don’t prepare our minds and hearts today for the social pressures we will face tomorrow, our “love” and “faith” in God will be severely crushed.

How do we prepare ourselves to face these social pressures?
David gives us four ways to prepare ourselves in Act IV of Psalm 2, but in a nut-shell, we need to pray-read the Word of God today with a spirit of humility and wonder.

(Act IV) David Prophetically Warns the Leaders of the Nations (Psalm 2:10-12)

In the final scene, King David issues a solemn, five-fold exhortation to the leaders, and all people of the earth. It’s wise for us to heed these divine admonitions as we prepare ourselves for the Day of the Lord. No one can say that they have not been warned, or don’t know how to respond to His purposes.

1. Be wise O Kings; be instructed, you judges of the earth
This is an exhortation to those believers, and unbelievers who think they already have enough information and “soul-resolve” to make sound judgments about God during the end-time pressures. We are wise to learn from our brother Peter, who believed he had enough inner fortitude to withstand the temptations to deny Jesus. We are wise to heed the Spirit’s warning now and cultivate humility, teachability; and seek the Lord (Psalm 27:5) for wisdom (James 1:5), divine might in the inner man (Ephesians 3:16) and grace to help in time of need. (Hebrews 4:16)

2. Serve the Lord with fear
This is a call to obedience. But it is based on the revelation that God is the eternal God and we are HIs creation made of dust (Psalm 103:14). It’s wise to cultivate the fear of the Lord regarding One Who is so holy, and greater than us, so that we can serve Him in the way that He has determined.
“Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by  which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. For our God is a  consuming fire.” (Hebrews 12:28-29) (For a more complete picture of the fear of the Lord  read Hebrews 12:18-29)

3. Rejoice with trembling
This is an command to mix our fear and awe with the joy and exhilaration that comes from beholding Him in His beauty (Psalm 27:4) and being made joyful as He engages us in His house of prayer. (Isaiah 56:7)

4. Kiss the Son, let He be angry and you perish in the way, when His wrath is kindled (in His judgment against evil) but a little.
a. One prominent greek word for worship is “pros-ku-ne-ow”. It literally means “to kiss toward”. To “kiss the Son” is an exhortation to live a life of adoration, worship and first commandment love.

Jesus is worthy (Revelation 5:12) to be loved, adored and worshipped. But He’s also gloriously beautiful. Our hearts were fashioned to (kiss) “adore” the wonders of Who He is. (Psalm 27:4; Psalm 45:2; Psalm 50:1-2; Isaiah 28:5; Zechariah 9:17)

5. Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him.
It is supremely prudent to do the hard work of cultivating great trust in God today, rather than to allow the subtle, mounting deception of the world to gain increasing sway over our minds and hearts.
“And because wickedness will abound, the love of most will grow cold.” (Matthew 24:12)
“Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord. Blessed are those who keep His testimonies, who seek Him with their whole heart.” (Psalm 119:1-2)

The Lord is gloriously orchestrating a prophetic voice in His Church that will amplify and give understanding to these 5 exhortations of verses 10-12. However, these voices will only be cultivated and strengthened through lifestyles that are plumb-lined to the priority of corporate prayer.

May God’s grace be upon us as we seek Him in the place of prayer, beloved.

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JSB • November, 2019

10 Good Things Our King Did On Saturday

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Instead of Protesting “NO KINGS” This Past Saturday, Our Little House of Prayer Came Before Our King In Prayer and Exaltation. Here’s 10 Things Our King Accomplished During These 3 Hours…

1. Our King amplified His glory and power in the hearts of 100,000 neighbors that we prayed for w/in our 100 mile radius. (One of my favorite times from yesterday was declaring 100 distinct, beautiful qualities about Jesus from the Bible into the atmosphere over our region.)

2. Our King humbled us under a contrite spirit of repentance, and the fear of the Lord, re: His judgments that are upon the earth – and upon all of us.

3. Our Lord filled us with increased zeal to bring ALL of our ways into obedience to His reign. AND He gave us increased power to do so.

4. Our King struck a blow against the rampant principality of rebellion and lawlessness in our hearts, in our relationships, and in our land.

5. Our King filled our hearts with increased tender loyalty to Him and His transcendent ways.

6. Our King manifest His tender mercies toward 100,000 individuals in our region: white, native, brown, young, old, believers, unbelievers, antifa, MAGA, and non-political

7. Our King gave many of us an increased vision of the eternal Kingdom power of prayer that He longs to extend through His Bride, in this age, and the next.

8. Our King fell upon us with a glorious love that fostered deep, humble, first-commandment love, unity.

9. We heard our King tell us that He likes us.

10. Our King prepared our hearts with a grace to bear our cross, and remain fiercely loyal to His heart through the intensity that’s mounting in our nation.

BONUS
11. Our King fortified a crystal clear resolve to take every thought captive against a tyrannical, antiChrist spirit that seeks to prostitute American evangelicalism.

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JSB • October, 2025