Restoring the Lord's Life and Power to our Congregations
"War on Israel, December 2012"
The Original Prophecies, Apologies and Realities
Compiled by Hannah Weiss
Background
Over the year 2012, a group of prophets made definite time-based predictions concerning a sudden attack on Israel, describing consequences that were specific, drastic for Israel as a nation, and specifically tied to the prophecy in Zechariah 12. A summary of these predictions, which was forwarded to me several times within one week, urged concrete action among those Israelis who would heed the advance warning. This is the first item presented below.
I later tracked down the names of the “trustworthy prophets” mentioned in this letter, and found the four original prophecies. They follow after the first letter. As you will see later, there were significant contradictions among these prophets, but because this letter claims to summarize the prophetic message of all four, I will relate to it as such.
At the end I examine 2 follow-up letters which were released after the prophecy failed. I summarize their main points, along with my comments on key statements quoted from the originals (available on request).
The summary was (as I determined later) authored by Jill Shannon, an Israeli believer who travels abroad regularly to teach in churches, on TV shows and at “prophetic” conferences sponsored by Sundar Selvaraj, co-teaching alongside Bob Misst (two of the prophets involved in this prediction). She also writes music, and recently she collaborated with Bob on a worship CD. She is regularly endorsed by the above men, and she regularly endorses them. Go here for some examples of her own prophetic track record.
For those who don’t want to read everything, I have highlighted the parts that are out of touch with reality or misquote scripture, and those predictions which didn’t come to pass and/or were denied later.
[Date: Tue, Jul 24, 2012]
Dear Friends and Intercessors,
A few of you have received part of this difficult message from me a few days ago, as a private correspondence. But now this letter may be sent out to any who would benefit from this warning, and more importantly, to those who would pray and prepare for what is coming upon our beloved Israel. The Lord desires this warning to go out, so that His people will not be unprepared for what is coming upon us.
It has been revealed to several of the most trustworthy prophets on the earth, of the coming missile war that will bombard Israel. All of these prophets have received similar revelations of the same war, same warning. It is nothing less than the Zechariah 12 war, described in the book of Zechariah. This is the hour for that prophetic word to "become flesh," to be fulfilled before our tear-filled eyes.
I will share with you a summary of the main points of this prophesied war, which are in almost perfect agreement among these prophets, who have not consulted with each other, but who have received from the Lord over the past years, months, and now, as of the past two weeks.
1. This will be a devastating missile war from surrounding Arab nations again[st] Israel, and it will begin in December, 2012. It will cause much damage and loss of life in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, and possibly other regions in Israel as well.
2. Iran will attempt to launch a nuclear weapon on Tel Aviv. Only fervent prayer from the Lord's Bride, and cries with the cries of the Lord's heart for His Land and His people, will cause Him to restrain Iran from unleashing the hideous nuclear weapon. If the Lord, in mercy and in response to our prayers, restrains Iran, the nuclear horror will be spared us, but nevertheless, hundreds of missiles will reign upon the cities, targeting civilian populations, and our defense system will be overwhelmed at the onset of this barrage.
3. This will be the defining war for the building of the Temple. This war will set in motion the Lord's end time agenda/protocol, written in the pages of Isaiah, Ezekiel, Zechariah, Revelation, Thessalonians, Joel and other prophetic writings. It will set the stage for the unveiling of antichrist and the false prophet.
4. Even as Zechariah writes that "Judah will be besieged, as well as Jerusalem," so certain towns in Judea will be captured by the enemy briefly, before they are recaptured by Israeli forces. Zechariah wrote, "I will save the dwellings of Judah first."
5. The U.N. will force a ceasefire near the end of 2012, and will compel Israel to sign a treaty, dividing Jerusalem and (presumably) the Land, thus creating a Palestinian State. Part of the treaty will allow Israel to build the Temple on the Temple Mount, as a "reward" for the dividing of the Land. The political and spiritual atmosphere in Israel and its infrastructures will be dramatically different after this war is over. It will suffer economically from this war. It will be a short war, lasting no more than three months, and likely less than that.
6. Israel will fight back fiercely, will be supernaturally helped by the Lord, and will inflict much damage to the nations that have attacked her. However, Israel will suffer greatly in this war.
7. Prayer is desperately needed for Israel to survive and "win" this war.
Pray for minimized casualties.
Pray fervently against a nuclear weapon being permitted to hit Tel Aviv.
Pray for the innocent children, that God would be merciful and spare the lives of thousands of children and babies in harm's way.
Pray for the Bride to wake up and begin to pray intensely, night and day, with worship and fasting as well, for the deliverance of Israel.
Pray that believers will not be offended at the Lord for allowing this, as this is not His judgment on Israel. He is gravely concerned about this war, and desires fervent prayers and cries to rise up to His holy heaven. Know that the Lord will fight for Israel, even if it seems that He has not intervened as we would desire.
Repent on behalf of the evil deeds and idolatrous practices of our people and cities, especially Tel Aviv.
Pray the spiritual leaders in Israel will warn their flocks, and call for much prayer and weeping.
On a personal note, (for those who dwell in the Land,) ask the Lord to protect your families and loved ones. Warn those you love, especially those who live in Tel Aviv, as it will be hard hit. Remember that the Lord Yeshua warned His own beloved ones to flee the city of Jerusalem when they saw the signs of the devastating Roman war coming. They obeyed Him and left, even though some later accused them of betraying Israel. He loves His own. Remember that the Lord warned Joseph to take the baby Yeshua and His mother out of the Land, to save the baby's life. Sometimes, the Lord will do this to save His beloved. Just seek His face for His plans and strategies for each family you love in the Land of Israel. Those in other nations, cry out for many to be saved and delivered from harm, and for the harvest of the Jewish Bride to be protected and preserved.
I won't have time to answer personal questions about this war, as I have now shared almost all I have received from the prophets. Please just take it to the Lord for prayer, and seek Him as I must seek Him as well for those I love.
I love you and bless you with all my heart, for every prayer you pray for the Lord's Jewish people and for Israel, His beloved.
Your sister in tears and love,
“J” [Jill Shannon]
As we all know, none of this happened. But without the advantage of hindsight, could we have determined ahead of time that it would not happen? Yes.
The most obvious tip-offs are the factual inconsistencies. Some of these were also noted by respondents to the RZ survey, but what follows is my own personal list.
-- The war will “begin in December” and will have a cease-fire forced on it “near the end of 2012” – i.e. four weeks at the most; yet the war will last “no more than three months.”
-- The Temple will be rebuilt “as a reward [to Israel] for dividing the land”, presumably without objection from the rest of the world; this despite the Muslim history of rioting over far less provocation, and the firm stand in the West that any plan to rebuild the Jewish Temple is to be deplored.
-- Other elements are premature: the “harvest of the Jewish Bride” hasn’t even begun to take on the proportions described in scripture for the last days, Iran cannot yet deploy the weapons needed to play its part in the prediction, and the UN cannot enforce even its smallest decisions.
-- There is a call to “repent on behalf of the evil deeds and idolatrous practices of our people,” which implies that Israel’s sins are the cause of this uniquely devastating war; yet there is no call for sinful Israelis to repent as scripture requires. On the other hand, the reassurance that “this is not His judgment on Israel” and that “He will fight for Israel,” implies that Israel comes under attack not for her sins but because of her beloved position with God. Yet the best that can be expected from all the intercession and God’s “supernatural” involvement is to avoid “the nuclear horror” and minimize casualties. (This stand is radically changed in the follow-up letter, which tries to explain why no war occurred at all.)
There is also the strong scriptural dissonance. This prediction bears no resemblance at all to Zechariah 12.
-- Where Zechariah writes (12:6) that " Judah will be besieged, as well as Jerusalem,” it is clearly a failed siege that costs the enemy dearly: the Jews “consume…all the surrounding peoples,” while Jerusalem residents sit securely in their homes.
-- In this conflict, the Lord “will watch over the house of Judah” and “destroy the nations that come against Jerusalem” – not the other way around.
-- There is no call for intercession at any stage in this chain of events; the Lord is acting on His own initiative.
-- For those tempted to argue that there was simply a mistake in the chapter (i.e. the prophets had meant Zech.14 instead), that doesn’t work either. The day that Jerusalem is “captured, plundered and ravished” (14:2) is the same day that the Lord’s “feet will stand on the Mount of Olives” (v.4). This event ushers in His kingdom – not the antichrist.
Equally serious is the distortion of God’s promises and intentions towards Israel. The message envisions a new round of suffering for an already war-weary and globally ostracized nation, with no word of the comfort or the redemptive outcome expected in the last days.
-- This resembles a recent trend in Christian teaching that “Jacob’s trouble” (Jer.30:7) is not an attack that “he will be saved from”, but is rather one more punishment for his blindness (a blindness ordained by God – Isa.63:17, Rom.11:25). Meanwhile the church can look forward to leading the nations until the Lord returns. (Go here for relevant predictions by these prophets which show their agreement.)
-- Since the antichrist only appears at the End of Days, this prophecy leaves God’s restoration of the Jews in limbo at the first stage of physical return (Deut.30:3-5, Ezek.36:24) and ignores the rest of His promise (Deut.30:6-9, Ezek.36:25-33). Instead of finally receiving her inheritance in full along with national salvation (Jer.30:8-11, Rom.11:25-26), Israel is to serve as a doormat for the antichrist and (again) lose her independence.
-- Ironically, the very passage claimed as the foundation for this prediction describes a resounding military victory for Israel, which injures every nation except Israel. There is no sign of her being “hard hit” by anything except “a spirit of grace and supplication”; and the battle is followed by “a fountain opened for sin and impurity” (13:1), not a door opened for the antichrist! Therefore, the greatest distortion of God’s intentions towards Israel is the misrepresentation of Zechariah’s prophecy by calling this dismal scenario “the Zechariah 12 war”.
Finally, there is a lack of conviction about the predicted event among the prophets themselves. This is evident in the lack of any tangible love-response.
-- Consider the first-century believers when their prophets foretold a disaster (Acts 11:27-30): they immediately set out to do something for their at-risk brethren. Prophets who really hear from God are energized to get involved; they have been touched by God’s own heart and they seek tangible ways to express His love in action. In this case, we see some vagueness regarding exactly who in Israel is at risk and what kind of risk, but even those locations certain of being hit with disaster were given no offer of practical help.
-- The message, “Brothers in Israel, may you be evacuated and protected,” without supplying what is needed, is the same sort of thing that James pointed at (2:14-17) to show that “faith without works is dead.”
-- Sometimes, the only option available for showing love is to stand with those in danger. In many scriptural examples, the prophets who were interceding for Israel didn’t withdraw to safety – even Jeremiah stayed in the doomed city of Jerusalem when he could have escaped to his own village of Anatot. The only solidarity expressed in our case was prayer from a safe distance, along with advice that we ourselves pray about how to protect ourselves (with a hint that it would be wise to leave the at-risk areas, or leave the country altogether).
-- In short, the Israeli Body was directed – by word and by personal example – to focus on self-interest and abandon fellow Israelis in what was likely to be their hour of greatest need.
-- Besides being useless advice for the average Israeli family, who cannot afford to leave home, it also conflicted with the original prophets, who assured the Israeli believers of physical protection wherever they were (see below). Sundar Selvaraj, who ended his prophecy with the pledge: “We are not going to run away from Israel, we are going to stay with her in her hour of crisis,” did not come to Israel during the fateful month; but at least he paid lip-service to the idea.
-- As it was, none of the prophets gave any thought to the survivors facing the usual aftermath of a crippling war: disruption of basic services, shortages of food, fuel, medical care and cash. A simple gesture of adding a link to one of the many disaster-relief organizations operating in Israel (including some managed by believers) would have made the concern more believable.
Rather than call this non-response a callous disregard for the welfare of their brethren, I prefer to interpret it as evidence that no one involved really believed that God had spoken.
The Original Prophecies
Following are the predictions of this war made by the four “trustworthy prophets” cited in Jill’s summary and named to me afterwards.
Sundar Selvaraj is a preacher based in India, who has a ministry, a TV station and a steady lineup of appearances at “prophetic conferences”. Sundar travels to the USA and other countries to preach and prophesy, and many of his pronouncements are available on YouTube. He uses the title of “Sadhu” (the Hindu term for “holy man”) and wears the traditional robe of a sadhu when he speaks to Christian groups. Go here for background on his track record as a prophet.
The following prediction was transcribed by me from a video of the Open Heavens Conference, Jerusalem (6/dec/2011). Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Es6MZCislZM , with time marks added in case someone wants to verify the statements.
To help readers focus on the relevant parts, I highlighted the predictions that didn’t happen and/or were later denied , as well as contradictions with scripture and with Jewish history. The [sic!] notes are errors in “quoting” scriptures which do not actually say what is claimed here.
(1 hr:43 min) “There is a war coming over this city… specifically against Jerusalem, not Israel… taken into captivity… half the city … since 1967, Jerusalem has been guarded from being taken by the almighty God.”
[ tells stories about Israel being helped in war by God]
(1:49) “Now it’s going to be different.” [drew a parallel with Yeshua offering Himself to be arrested] “ Michael was the personal escort of Yeshua for His entire life… we don’t read about this, it’s revelation.”
[describes in great detail on how they let the Lord be taken before His crucifixion]
(1:53) “Now they [Michael and the angels] will all pull back from the city like they were restrained not to protect the Lord, because the city must be divided … But Israel must walk through that part so that other prophetic events can take place… she will cry out to God [Ps.22] during those moments of her crucifixion… then Zech.12:10 will be fulfilled, and the spirit of grace is poured out… it’s the Gentiles who have been coming to bless the nation, but the tears of the Jews must be mixed together with the tears of the Gentiles…”
(1:57) Except for JLM, the rest of Israel cannot be identified as holy… she must be crucified… then she will cry out to the Lord her God… Isaiah 37:35 [sic!] says the city will be taken and divided.”
“I saw Jesus standing at the balcony, looking at the city… ‘See how beautiful it is… this is where I did my work… ’ Suddenly a 10-story building exploded and crumbled with dust and smoke… a huge hi-rise hotel, a missile fell on it and it crumbled… like in 2001… and warplanes were flying all over the sky… Israel will put up a stiff fight amidst heavy losses… in the past, her losses were minimal because God was fighting on her behalf, but this time all the restraints have been removed.”
“The city will be beaten, slashed, butchered, dead bodies lying on the streets everywhere… a horrible sight to see… she will be deceived by those who love her.”
(2:02) “ Israel’s closest ally and her lover will set a political trap for the city to be captured. Then the son of perdition will come to offer peace… This happened once before. The UN passed a resolution 242, that Israel must retreat from Golan, give back half of JLM, land for peace… this time she will fall for the trap.”
“The prime minister will feel very helpless… they will have no choice but to give away half the city… the son of perdition will broker a peace… and they will get to build the temple.”
(2:05)“ The majority of Jews living in Israel today don’t care about the Golan Heights or JLM… if there is a referendum, they will vote to give up all the lands for peace… Dan.9:27 will be fulfilled at that time… when the peace treaty will be made… Even now I was told the son of perdition is making plans with the beast for this division of the city to take place…”
(2:07) “ Israel will be all alone with no friends but the church…The UN will gather all the nations to force Israel to divide JLM. This was prophesied by Amos (7:17) that JLM will be divided [sic!]…”
(2:09) “God will not just sit back… (compared it with Pharoah chasing Israel into the Red Sea – “the people cried to Moses, wasn’t there enough sea in Egypt?” [sic!] ) Great earthquakes will happen around the world when the city is divided, followed by great tidal waves… Japan is nothing compared to this.”
(2:12) “I saw what is going to happen to this other nation that is a prime mover… the USA… an angel pierced the center and the nation divided into two… I prayed very much about the righteous people in this land, the Messianic Jews, and they [the angels] all assured me, they will be protected – not a single hair will fall to the ground.”
(2:15) “ God will speak to Christians to move and stay in the Land, because the prayers of the righteous are needed…. So if you ever feel the slightest nudge to move to Israel, don’t doubt, don’t wait to delay. The Lord told us that we should have an inheritance in this Land. We are not going to run away from Israel, we are going to stay with her in her hour of crisis … just like John stayed with the Lord.”
(2:17) “If you’re a sheep, you know the Lord’s voice, you won’t need a second or third confirmation. If you’re a goat you will need confirmation…Don’t worry about [all the details of moving to Israel,] the first step is one of obedience.”
(2:19) “A might angel standing in our midst… says … if today you hear the voice of the spirit saying to you to come and stay, do not harden your heart… stand by Israel’s people… I feel this impression in my spirit – like Israel in the wilderness had food and water provided for them, all those called to stand by her people at this time, their food and water will be provided for them… there are those here today who are hearing the call… He wants the believers to move into this land to fulfill Matt. 25 (“I was hungry…”), you will have an opportunity to minister to these Jews … there will be some concerned for their children [Jesus says], ‘Won’t I be able to cover them?’ This is the assurance the Holy One gives to you.”
My comments:
1. Contradictions here with Jill’s announcement include (as mentioned above) an assurance that the Messianic believers would be completely protected (time mark 2:12), and a call for intercessors to come toIsrael (2:15) rather than for the believers to leave.
2. Sundar explicitly compared this war with the Lord’s crucifixion, implying that Israel is innocent, explaining (1:53) that the reason “Israel must walk through that part [is] so that other prophetic events can take place.”
The next day, however, he reversed his teaching about why Jerusalem was going to suffer like this. [the Open Heavens Conference, day 2, 7/dec/11 (mark 43min:35sec http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EPYdbWiBWwo ) His “crucifixion” imagery was replaced with deserved punishment: “I shared yesterday how the city will go into captivity. This is not something new… you read in the Bible how many times [sic!] the city had gone into captivity, the Lord turned them over for their disobedience, for their sins…"
3. Sundar also shows ignorance of Israeli history and society, imagining that the Israelis don’t care about the Golan and Jerusalem. But far worse is his very poor grasp of scripture. Amos 7:17 (2:07) was addressed to a false prophet, predicting that his own inheritance will be “parceled out”; nothing is said about a “divided” Jerusalem. Isaiah 37:35 (1:57) is God’s promise to Hezekiah to “defend” and “save” Jerusalem, not divide it. And Zech.12 (1:53) has no hint of a “crucifixion” in it other than the Lord’s own history of being “pierced”, which will be mourned by Israel at that time. And Sundar’s comment on the second day, about “how many times the city had gone into captivity” is shown in the Biblical record to be exactly once, with Yeshua prophesying a second time.
These errors are distressing in any Bible teacher, let alone someone claiming to be speaking by direct revelation from heaven.
4. Sundar’s urging of Christians to move to Israel without delay (2:15) is reckless at best, and even spiritually abusive – not only in light of the many legal and economic barriers preventing them from following his call, but also in the guilt trip (2:17-2:19) which labeled those who need God’s confirmation of this move as the “goats” condemned by Yeshua (Matt.25:41 taken out of context) who refuse to “hear His voice” and instead “harden [their] hearts” (Ps.95:7-8 taken out of context).
Again, his misuse of the written Word is a bad sign, as is the passive acceptance of these mistakes by his audience.
5. As far as I know, no one receiving Sundar’s prophecy acted on his urging to come to Israel and “stay with her in her hour of crisis”; not even Sundar. (His December 2012 schedule was packed with speaking engagements before Tamil audiences in his native India, all broadcasted on his Angel TV channel.) Jill, an Israeli citizen with family here, also remained abroad for the entire month.
Such a blanket non-response to a prophetic directive attributed to God logically means either that no one within earshot was interested in obeying God, or that no one (including Sundar himself) really believed God had spoken this word.
Bob Misst is based in New Zealand but appears to be originally from India. He authored a book about some of his revelation, and he claims to visit heaven on a regular basis. Bob doesn’t appear to use the Internet much, other than to promote his book and his “school of prophets”. My review of his track record can be found here.
He works with Jill Shannon; together they have produced a music CD, they are co-teaching in Bob’s online school, and they often speak at the same conferences. Both he and Jill were speaking at the above-mentioned Open Heavens conference (December 2011) where Sundar Selvaraj gave his vivid prediction of “dead bodies lying in the streets” of Jerusalem.
Below is the original prediction from Bob Misst, which was sent out to his own mailing list. This newsletter, which is reproduced here uncut, contains many strange things which I will pass over in silence, so as not to distract readers from the main issues. I highlighted only the part that relates to Israel with the failed predictions.
MPW JULY 16_17, 2012
The esteemed prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah and Zechariah) came in exactly at midnight. I joined them 15 minutes later s I was doing something on my laptop and Isaiah, smilingly said – “finish it.”
We greeted each other in the usual protocol (bowing from the waist to each other as I welcomed them). I noticed an angel in blue and gold was standing at the side opposite Isaiah waiting on us.
Isaiah said: The angel has come, let us go to the DC (Divine Council) meeting.
As we took off, my body began to feel very itchy. I could not concentrate on the journey and its purpose. I had to scratch where it was itching as it was really bad. I kept coming out of the spirit realm frequently. It reached a point where the angel said to me: “we must abandon this journey.” I was back in my body in my lounge. It was around 1.30 am. I fell asleep in the chair almost immediately. I got up from the chair around 3.30 am and went to bed.
I was deeply ashamed of my failure not to make to the DC meeting due to being distracted in my MPW. I went to bed depressed and afraid that I had failed the LORD.
At 6.45 am, my wife woke me from my sleep to say she was leaving to go to her workplace. I was still lying in bed when I noticed that same angel in blue and gold standing near my feet at my bedside. He said to me: “arise and sit up for I am here to take you to the DC meeting.” I was a bit shocked. I missed the DC meeting early this morning by being distracted over an itchy body, how could the meeting be still in progress, or was it delayed? I could not comprehend – time stand still in heaven. I knew it best not to argue nor question but to obey. I humbly closed my eyes and began to pray in the Spirit in my mind.
I was soon journeying with the angel, when I noticed in the spirit a few others with angels in similar colors (blue and gold) also making the journey, coming from different parts of the world.
On reaching the DC hall corridor, I was met by the 3 esteemed prophets as we walked together into the DC hall. It was filled with many prophets from the PC (prophetic councils) and with prophets that travelled as I had from the different parts of the earth, all over the world – I saw, Caucasians, Chinese, Indian, Africans, Asians and may other faces. I did not recognise them. (Possibly like the 7000 whom the LORD had hidden away as in the days of Elijah).
The LORD JESUS was on a platform which was slightly higher than were we all stood. It had 3 short flight of steps from the floor to the raised platform. HE looked very serene and grave and in deep thought. Looking at HIM caused waves of fear passing through my body, wondering what HE was going to say.
He then spoke: “Beloved Prophet and High Priest, Zechariah will brief you on the coming war prophesied by him, known to most of you as the Zechariah 12 war.” I cannot find words to describe the look on the LORD’s face – not fear but a grave concern over something on which HE seems to be meditating and contemplating a risk.
Zechariah left our company (he was standing with I, J and me at the DC hall), and went to the platform. The LORD immediately hugged him. I saw the deep love of the LORD for this esteemed prophet in the Lord’s eyes.
Zechariah then said: “Beloved prophets of heaven and earth, heaven hs deemed the time for the prophesied ‘Zechariah 12 war, as it is now classified and known, to take place on the earth by early December 2012. Prophets of the LORD from the earth must share this message to the bride on the earth, and to our people Israel. Be sure that your fate for doing this great act of love for the LORD will be met with severe criticism of your ministry as a prophet. You will be laughed at and scorned and made a public spectacle for standing in the DC of heaven and hearing this message.
“This war is a devastating war for Israel. Many will die in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. The enemy wishes to bring Israel to her knees by targeting their rockets and missiles on civilian population. Tel Aviv may be hit by a nuclear weapon – Our LORD will speak on this to you after my brief. Jerusalem will be divided as part of the peace negotiations which Israel will have to sign under pressure by the UN security council nations. Israel will suffer many civilian casualties in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. There will also be much damage to Israel’s infrastructure and economy.”
Zechariah then embraced the LORD and came and stood with the 3 of us (I, J and me). The LORD looked at each one of us in the DC hall in such pin-drop silence. It’s amazing that when HE looks around you feel HE is standing right in front of you with HIS full gaze upon you as HE sees you eye to eye. It is a fearful thing to experience in such circumstances when HE is not smiling, but has this look of grave concern.
The LORD took a short while before HE spoke. When HE spoke, it sounded like an explosion of thunder – if I was in my earthly body, I would have died instantly with that sound of HIS voice (yes even mountains crumble and turn to dust). He said:
“Get my bride to pray for Israel. If she will pray with MY heart for My people and MY land, I will restrain Iran’s nuclear attack on Tel Aviv, just as I restrained Israel’s attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities because my bride made a submission in this DC to avert a nuclear war.
“There must be fervent prayer in this direction crying out to save Tel Aviv from a nuclear strike by Iran. Cry out to me to restrain Iran and I will hear the cry of my bride for MY people and MY land and I move to the sound of her voice and restrain Iran’s nuclear missile on /tel Aviv.
“The Zechariah 12 war, however, must take place as my beloved Prophet spoke to you that it will announce the end-time agenda on the earth, the building of the temple in Jerusalem to reveal the antichrist and the false prophet. Go now and declare all that you have seen and heard.”
The angel then brought me back to my bed and said to write down everything on the scroll he brought with him. After I wrote down everything from the scroll, which you read in this MPW, the angel checked it was OK, then bowed and left.
My comments:
1. Most noteworthy are the clear statements (attributed to the Lord) that this war is the “Zachariah 12 war”, that it MUST take place at this time, and that early December (2012) was the deadline. Intercessory prayer would do no more than restrain Iran’s nuclear attack.
2. As far as I can determine, Bob did not send a warning to those actually at risk (the Israelis), despite his vision containing a command to share it with both the “bride” (the church) and Israel. In fact, Jill writes (see follow-up below) that the effort to warn both groups was her own initiative, carried out with Bob’s passive “permission”.
3. It’s telling that Bob’s “vision” anticipated a skeptical reception for his revelation from the very start: “Be sure that your fate for doing this great act of love for the LORD will be met with severe criticism of your ministry as a prophet. You will be laughed at and scorned and made a public spectacle for standing in the DC of heaven and hearing this message.” What should be noted, however, is the stated reason for the expected “severe criticism”, which was for the way the message was received – not for the prediction completely failing in every detail.
Bob’s continuing confidence in the validity of his vision is evident in the following update given by him and distributed by Jill Shannon via email on 3/dec/2012.
Here I have highlighted the unfulfilled details as well as unscriptural parts.
During the worship time tonight, Bob was on his face, and was taken up to heaven. He was not taken to the Council Room as he normally is taken. He was taken to the Holy of Holies, for the first time in this life , and almost “died” from the glory . He saw the outline of the Ark of the Covenant in the brightness of light, and heard a voice coming from the Ark, “December 10 th Israel will be scourged.” He understood this to mean that the war will begin. He said it was the voice of the Father.
My comments:
1. As Israelis can testify, December 10th passed without incident. Even Gaza, the source of intense missile barrages during November, was remarkably quiet for the entire month of December. According to media reports, a total of one rocket was fired (on one day, the 23rd), which fell short and landed inside Gaza.
2. Besides the factual dissonance, there are several misrepresentations of scripture. God never spoke “from the Ark” – He spoke from between the cherubim, in the space above the Mercy Seat. (See Exod.25:22, Num.7:89.) And when exposed to God’s glory, no one “almost died”; they either really died or were covered by an appropriate blood sacrifice. We are supposed to be in the latter group, able to enter the holy place “with confidence”. See Heb.10:19-22. While some might want to excuse these as unconscious mistakes, Bob has a track record of misusing scripture to support his "revelations".
3. Since there is no mention of Bob suffering any of the rejection predicted in his July vision, I assume that over the preceding 5 months there was no “laughter” or “scorn” directed at his prophetic venture. Besides calling into question that part of his message, which was attributed to the mouth of the Lord, the general lack of criticism might have contributed to his boldness in setting a date.
Neville Johnson is based in Australia. He has received on-stage endorsements from Bob Misst, and his teachings are posted on Sundar’s ministry site. Neville likewise endorses them, and Jill Shannon as well, who has in turn quoted some of his revelation claims on her site. They all teach at the Open Heavens conferences which try to happen annually. My summary of Neville’s track record can be viewed here.
A month after Sundar’s vision of a bombed Jerusalem, Neville gave his own version. I have reproduced only the relevant part of his letter. Source:
http://adwellingplace.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=section&id=1&layout=blog&Itemid=74
WORD FOR 2012
From the desk of Neville Johnson - JANUARY 2012
ISRAEL WILL FACE SEVERE CHASTENING
Much of the population of Israel is very godless. Immorality and other grievous sins are rife in Israel. Most of this generation of Israelis are godless and sinful. There is a pride over the ability of their armed forces that will put them in great jeopardy. Many Israelis are atheists. This is not to say that there are no God-fearing Israelis but they are not in the majority.
God s about to change this. God is about to place the Nation of Israel in the most difficult, the most hazardous situation that they have ever known . God left Hezekiah to see what was in his heart Howbeit in the business of the ambassadors of the princes of Babylon, who sent unto him to Inquire of the wonder that was done in the land, God left him, to try him, that he might know all that was in his heart. 2 Chronicles 32:31 God is about to do the same with Israel.
He will put them in a position where their only chance of survival is God and Jesus the Messiah. The Christ of God will be their only hope. The severity of the Lord is about to be released n Israel. Pray for Israel. They are going to need your prayers. Pray that they will humble themselves and turn back to the Lord.
My comments:
1. There is no date given here for this “most difficult” situation; only Bob Misst explicitly mentioned December 2012. But because this was part of Neville’s forecast for the coming year, we can assume that Neville and Bob were in agreement, as Jill herself claimed in her summary.
2. Israelis are probably every bit as sinful as Neville’s own countrymen. But in calling most of the population “godless” and “atheist”, he shows an ignorance of Israelis which others do not share. Consider the evidence released that same year:
A full 84 percent of Israelis believe in God, a new study has shown, and that number is on the rise.
(Israel Hayom, January 26, 2012) http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_article.php?id=2863 )A new report about the depth of people's belief in God reveals vast differences among nations…. Countries with low atheism and high strong belief tend to be Catholic societies, especially in the developing world, plus the United States, Israel, and Orthodox Cyprus…. Ten countries showed consistent decline in belief, [including] Australia.
(“ Belief in God Strongest in U.S., Israel, and Catholic Countries,” Gospel Coalition, April 19, 2012)
http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/tgc/2012/04/19/belief-in-god-strongest-in-u-s-israel-and-catholic-countries/“There once was a secular majority and it no longer exists,” wrote an Israeli novelist. Well — not true. Maybe 60 years ago there was a secular majority for a short period of time, but Israel’s society has been more traditional than Israel’s press for quite a long time. The “secular majority” was fiction.
(“Most Israelis believe in God – Is that a problem?” Jewish Journal, January 30, 2012)
http://www.jewishjournal.com/rosnersdomain/item/whos_afraid_of_israels_belief_in_god_20120130
Earlier in that dispatch, Neville described his prophetic experiences as “not on the level of the scriptures, which are infallible, but they can be very accurate, conveying clear messages from the Lord.” His false impression of Israelis would be excusable for an ordinary Australian who simply hadn’t done his homework, but it’s completely out of place for someone basing his statements on “clear messages from the Lord”.
3. Prominent in this prophecy is the war as a “chastening” on Israel for her “godless” condition. This “severity of the Lord”, and the statement that God will temporarily “leave” Israel as He did Hezekiah, clashes with Jill’s description of the Lord “fighting for Israel” in a situation that is “not His judgment.” It also conflicts with Sundar’s comparison of Israel undergoing a “crucifixion” similar to the Lord’s, which implies unjust treatment of a righteous nation at the hands of sinners. Last but not least, Neville contradicts the next prophet... who contradicts everyone else in this prophetic company.
Maurice Sklar is a Jewish believer based in California. He is a PhD and a professional violinist. He appears in concerts giving tribute to Israel, and performs many songs mentioning Zion, but he doesn’t appear to be otherwise connected with Israel.
Besides music, he regularly releases prophetic predictions. He also attends Sundar's conferences and identifies him as "a great man of God." A sample of his prophetic history is found here.
Maurice’s prophecy on Israel’s war was embedded with other predictions, so again I reproduce only the relevant part. Source:
http://www.mauricesklar.com/Teachings/Prophecy/prophecy.html
[NOTE: If there is a problem accessing Maurice's site, go here for a snapshot.]
PROPHECY - DECEMBER 1 2011
The LORD says:
There is coming an all out war in the Middle East as the neighboring Arab nations will come against Israel with a sudden missile attack starting from the north with Hezbollah, Lebanon, and Syria. Other Arab nations will join. Israel will be hit from all sides at once and there will be deaths and partial destruction of settlements, smaller cities to the north, and some damage to Tel Aviv and Jerusalem as well.
Israel will respond with great force, and limited nuclear weapons will release devastation upon the neighboring countries, particularly Lebanon, Damascus, which will be destroyed completely, and the rest of Syria as well as military strikes into Iran, Gaza, and even northern Egypt/Sinai region.
The resulting shaking of the West will then release a tremendous movement of Jews making aliyah back to Israel. There will no longer be security or stability as it has been up to now in America and Europe.
Israel will emerge victorious from this war, but hurt. However, the devastation inflicted upon the attackers will be one hundred times worse. The spoils of this war will include much territory and will force the west to recognize the Holy God of Israel. It will emerge as the only stable country in the region.
My comments:
1. It’s noteworthy that Maurice’s prophecy was published (or at least was dated) nearly a week before Sundar gave his on-stage prediction, which makes it the earliest version of the four. But this prediction does the most damage to the “almost perfect agreement” which Jill claimed for these prophets.
Maurice describes a limited nuclear strike by Israel on Lebanon and Syria (totally destroying Damascus), rather than Iran trying to nuke Israel. There is an expansion of Israel’s territory rather than a need to expel invaders from her own. And far from being demoralized, she earns glory for God and attracts “tremendous” immigration. Israel’s sins are not mentioned, nor is there any hint of this war as punishment. Finally, there is no mention of Zechariah 12, or any other scriptural prediction of this war.
2. Maurice doesn’t seem at all anxious for Israel’s ability to recover from being “hit from all sides”. There is no hint of this war ushering in the antichrist. Instead he predicts upheavals for the USA and Europe, and at the end he urges prayer for those nations and for the church – not for Israel.
3. In fairness to Maurice, he did not date his prophecy. But with over a year passing since its announcement, and in light of Jill’s inclusion of him in the December 2012 group, I will assume this chain of events to have passed its expected time-frame. In fact, Maurice has been prophesying upheavals for America and record-breaking aliyah to Israel since 2005 (included in my survey of his track record).
When it became clear that this prophecy was not materializing on schedule, a general “apology” letter was sent out jointly by Jill Shannon and Bob Misst (12/dec/2012), focusing on the failed date of December 10. This was followed by a more detailed attempt by Jill herself to rationalize the complete non-fulfillment of the entire prophecy a month later (17/jan/13).
After searching the ministry sites of the other prophets for the past month, I have concluded that none of them have tried to explain the non-event, or have even acknowledged it. This is why I am relating only to the explanations of Bob and Jill.
The complete texts of the follow-ups sent out by Jill can be supplied on request. They total 11 pages, so here I just summarize the arguments and respond to some key quotes.
Follow-up Letter from the Prophets: The Apology
[Source: "Letter to the Bride of Yeshua, concerning the Dec. 10th Word of war", emailed 12/dec/2012]
Jill (still writing from outside Israel) and Bob admit that there was “apparent lack of fulfillment” since the date had passed in “relative peace”. Several times they offer their “sincere apologies for frightening or confusing” any of the Body, noting that they had received demands for a public apology.
They do not apologize for giving a false word, because (a) they were motivated by love and never meant to deceive anyone, and (b) the word should not be considered false just because it went unfulfilled. They go on to state that the rebuke they are (apparently) receiving from some believers because of the unfulfilled prediction was expected. They view it as a “scourging” of innocent and true prophets by “those who don’t understand the prophetic dimension of the Scriptures.”
They themselves don’t understand what went wrong, since they were sure that “this word would come to pass on the 10th, as Bob heard it in a powerful experience.” The prophetic track record of Bob Misst is presented as extremely reliable, which made this missed date even more perplexing. But they are happy with the results because no one [except God? - see Bob's prophecy above] wanted this war anyway.
They are satisfied that their goal “to call forth prayer and to save lives” was realized. This intercession was the most likely reason why the word went unfulfilled; “heaven is pleased” and “we are grateful”. Although the war was originally decreed as absolutely necessary in order to set the last-day events in motion by early December, God was apparently persuaded by His praying people to postpone it for an undefined time. (This is all supposition, since neither Jill nor Bob is claiming to have received an explanation from the Lord.) But “continued intensity in prayer” is needed “for the coming days”, implying that the war will inevitably come.
I will now respond to some key statements found in the letter.
Jonah was given a clear prediction that Nineveh would be overthrown in 40 days, with no conditions stated. Jonah was very angry with the Lord when his words were not fulfilled. But the Lord told Jonah that showing mercy on the city was more important than Jonah’s word being fulfilled. Mercy is always more to be desired than “proven right.”
There is a false comparison here. The reversal of Bob’s word was explained by assuming “mercy” which was not announced by God. The cancellation of Jonah’s prophecy was clearly because the Ninevites repented (Jonah 3:10: "When God saw their deeds..."), and God had an extended conversation with the prophet about it. There is also evidence that Jonah was aware of this condition – he complains to God (4:2), “Please Lord, was not this what I said while I was still in my own country?"
It brings us no pleasure, wealth, status or glory; in fact, it puts us at risk of being accused and scourged by words by those who don’t understand the prophetic dimension of the Scriptures.
I will not challenge the first statement, even though a steady stream of prophecy conferences and online marketing of teachings can bring all the benefits mentioned. The second statement must be challenged, because it implies that those who seek to hold prophets to the standards of Scripture are persecuting them for not meeting those standards. Holding people accountable for failed prophecy IS part of “the prophetic dimension of the Scriptures”: see Jeremiah 23 for example.
We would never want to hurt or cause to stumble any of His beloved ones, and it causes us pain to think that we did this, unintentionally. And yet we were relieved that the war did not start yet, as it will be so hard.
This was written in mid-December, and apparently Jill and Bob still expected the prediction to be fulfilled. But it doesn’t account for the “voice from the Ark” giving a date that turned out wrong. Being “relieved” is out of place when God’s own reputation is at stake!
We sought the Lord, so that we would have some understanding of why the word did not happen.
It’s clear from this statement that the Lord did not answer with the same directness of the original revelation, or we would have been told of a new “visit to the heavenly Council” which neatly cleared up the mystery with a new proclamation.
We see in all the Hebrew prophetic writings that God does not give predictions as in fatalistic Greek dramas, which must come to pass in a “linear” way, on one exact day. The only exact date calculations I can recall are Jonah (40 days) and Daniel’s counting of 1,260 days (but they were for a future generation.)
This shows an alarming ignorance of “the Hebrew prophetic writings”.
-- Moses made exact “linear” predictions for the days on which various plagues on Egypt would begin and end, for the earth opening up under Korach (Num.16), and for Israel’s failure to conquer the Land after their first refusal (Num.14:40-45).
-- Samuel received and gave exact “linear” predictions concerning Saul (1 Sam.9:16, 20).
-- Elijah made exact predictions for the total drought over Israel (1 Kings 17:1), and then for its ending (1 Kings 18:44).
-- Isaiah made an exact prediction for the unlikely failure of the Assyrians to capture Jerusalem (2 Kings 19).
-- Micaiah precisely foretold Ahab’s death (1 Kings 22), going to the trouble of pointing out that if it did NOT take place, then God had NOT spoken through him.
Just from the days of the kings of Israel we could fill pages with examples!
We also find so many examples of God relenting, delaying, cancelling and changing days, destructions and destinies of individuals (like Hezekiah and Saul) and nations or cities, (e.g., Amos and Jonah) based on the response of His people.
There aren’t “so many” examples, but in the ones that we have, the changes are declared by God directly to the prophet. In the case of the December 10 war, there was no communication from God to these prophets as to why this event that “must happen” and “will happen” did not happen.
Besides, the response of His people was not a factor in Sundar’s prediction (“Israel must walk through that part so that other prophetic events can take place.”) Nor was it a factor in Bob’s own prediction (“The Zechariah 12 war, however, must take place as my beloved Prophet spoke to you that it will announce the end-time agenda on the earth…” ). The prophecies of Neville (a war to “humble godless Israel”) and Maurice (a war which “will force the west to recognize the Holy God of Israel”) were both desirable, which is probably why neither of them called for prayer to cancel or delay the war.
The Lord is moving to the sound of the voice of His praying Bride, both Jew and Gentile, and we believe this has delayed the start of the war, though we do not know for how long. It may depend on the prayer that continues from this point, especially these next few days, which are critical.
Again, this “delayed start of the war… we do not know for how long” directly contradicts its necessity for triggering end-time events, a point emphasized by Bob's "Divine Council". Even worse, this notion gives praying people complete veto power over the end-time schedule, which we should earnestly desire since it ends with our redemption (Luke 21:28). If pivotal events that must happen are so easily delayed by prayer, can anyone imagine the believers EVER allowing the clock to run and the antichrist to appear?
Other prophets and intercessors are also sharing their thoughts about this issue and the prophetic date of the war. Here is one excellent sample of what they are sharing….
Never in scripture was God’s standard for prophetic accuracy overruled by a majority vote. But even if it were possible, the “excellent sample” offered (authored by a person who has so far not been mentioned and whose credentials are not presented) contradicts Bob Misst and the other “trustworthy prophets” by calling the Zech.12 war a “season of preparation” rather than an actual war. I will skip that long insert and just comment on its main messages.
In short , the writer defends Jill and Bob by saying that those who continue to accept them as true prophets are “trusting and obedient” to God, while those who doubt their accuracy are “accusing, angry [and] displease the Lord.” The fact that the word “didn’t seem to appear, and we didn’t observe [its fulfillment] with our eyes” is a test from God, to see who will be “aligned with the Lord’s heart” by “receiving this word”. Those who try to ignore the prophecy are “denying hearts, losing self in worldly things”, so there is no neutral ground. To “accuse the prophet” is the same as to “doubt the Lord”.
This only strengthens the impression that the Lord’s own reputation is inseparably linked to the failure of this prophecy. The linkage is as unfair to God as it is to those who question it. I for one do not accept the spirit of condemnation for testing a prophecy and pointing out that it fails the test. Nor do I blame God for the prophet’s recklessness. “Let God be true and every man a liar.”
[The “sample” ends, and Jill’s narrative continues:]
The Lord showed Bob, after he spent the whole night in prayer, relating to the non-performance of this word, that He was pleased with the intercessions of the Bride with Him in the Garden of Gethsemane. However, there are three critical days (from the 10th) and she must continue to pray with her Lord in the Garden of Gethsemane with the same intensity.
This period of “three critical days” is a new condition not mentioned anywhere in Bob’s first two revelations, or in Jill's summary. More puzzling is the reference to “intercession in the Garden of Gethsemane”, which is not found anywhere in scripture. Only those who are facing the prospect of suffering and are asking for God to “remove this cup from me” can be said to be passing through a “Gethsemane” experience. At best, it can only be applied to Israel (which Sundar did attempt in his prophecy but mistakenly tied it to Zech.12 instead).
Referring back to the July word about a three-month period for this war, the Lord shared that the Zechariah 12 war has a three month period of time, and hence the Bride must continue to pray for Israel and the Prime Minister of Israel over this period of time, for their sons and daughters to come to their Messiah who loves them.
Unless there is another “July word” from Bob Misst which completely contradicts the above “July word” from him, this is simply not true. Even in Jill’s summary, nothing was said about “a three month period” of watching for this war to begin; it was definitely to happen in December, and Bob’s original word pinpointed “early December”.
The Lord showed Bob: “Heaven and earth must cooperate, for the plans of heaven to be birthed on the earth. We see this idea with Mary and the birth of Yeshua. Mary cooperated with the signs and pains in her body, to give birth at the time she did. Heaven had a date for His birth, but earth needed to work in agreement. Heaven had to wait, and Mary had to cooperate. The baby would still be born, but the timing of the birth is dependent on the cooperation of the mother.
By now any woman who has given birth is – I’m sorry – laughing hysterically. If there is one truth about the timing of a birth, it’s the total LACK of control on the part of the mother! Countless women would have loved to time the birth process for the optimal day and place for delivering their child. Or are we to imagine that Mary preferred to give birth to the Messiah far from her home, outdoors, in a manger full of animal feed?
When the baby comes, it comes on the date set by God – whether the mother “cooperates” or not. In fact, a birth delayed as much as a month beyond its due date is bad for both mother and baby. If we extend the metaphor chosen here by Jill and Bob, the unaccountable and indefinite delay of this “birth” is already a sign that something is wrong with the “baby”... and this conviction should grow with every week that passes quietly.
Here is the closing apology:
We humbly ask for forgiveness from all who received this word, and from those who were shaken, hurt or disillusioned, when it did not come to pass on that day. We expected it to happen, or we wouldn’t have sent out the warning. The Lord is always good, and we must always look to Him. We go low before the Father in this season of war, to align with His heart in this difficult moment, as the build-up to war is hovering on our borders.
There is no “build-up to war” on Israel’s borders “in this moment” that hasn’t been there all year. Moreover, Israel’s “season of war” has lasted more than 60 years and is likely to continue for some time yet.
While prayer for Israel is certainly appropriate at all times, in order “to align with His heart” we must deal truthfully with the reality and with one another. This blatant change in the prophecy does nothing to help those who were shaken by the failure of the original prophecy.
Even when we send these sensitive words to a few close friends, it seems to go around to many people we never intended it to reach.
This is exceedingly odd, since Jill recommended to the recipients of her July email that it ought to “be sent out to any who would benefit from this warning,” and that “The Lord desires this warning to go out.” Bob was explicitly commanded to “share this message to the bride on the earth, and to our people Israel.”
If “many people” were never meant to see it, some explanation is called for regarding who God wanted to exclude, and why this was ignored in the original message.
Nevertheless, we stand accountable to God for having sent this out, and we ask for His mercy, as He examines all the motives of our heart for Israel and for the Body of Messiah worldwide, whom we continue to love and serve.
The heart motives and good intentions are not the issues that need mercy. To say that God does not care about the reliability of prophecy, as long as the intentions are right, is to deny the existence of false and presumptuous prophets. According to Jeremiah 23 and other scriptures, there are serious consequences for speaking words in God’s name that are not really from Him.
A good motive for having spoken presumptuously is likely to arouse His mercy – but the purpose of that mercy is to give the mistaken prophet a chance to repent, not to give him the license to repeat the act. A refusal to repent for attaching God’s name to something that He never said (i.e. taking God’s name in vain) is likely to bring His judgment, “…for the LORD will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain.” (Exod.20:7, Deut.5:11)
“ See to it that you do not refuse Him who is speaking. For if those did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape who turn away from Him who warns from heaven.” (Heb.12:25)
Follow-up Letter from Jill: The Defense
This is an 8-page expansion on the above apology-turned-defense, so I will not respond to points already addressed. The full document can be supplied on request. I will respond mostly to the “scriptural position” presented.
Source: "Scriptural Position Regarding Bob Misst’s December Word by Jill Shannon" (dated “1/11/12” but sent out 17/jan/13)]
When we intercede, do we really expect the Lord to move to the sound of our voice, and change a prophesied calamity? If we do not expect Him to respond favorably, why do we even bother to pray?
This is actually an important question. We should NOT pray for something unless we have received an understanding of what He wants to do. This is the meaning of “praying according to His will” (1 Jn.5:14) and it is the only way to know that we will receive what we are asking.
God does not “move to the sound of our voice” unless we are already moving to the sound of HIS Voice. We do not receive whatever we ask until His words are already living in us (Jn.15:7). Any other expectation is a demand that God bend His will and wisdom to ours.
What is the point of intercession, if an event is fatalistically sealed and fixed? When He gives a definitive statement in the Torah and the Prophets that something will happen immediately, or in a specific time frame, does this mean there is no point in interceding and trying to move His heart to mercy? See Jeremiah 26:17-19, Numbers 14:12; Exodus 32:9-14; 1Kings 20:1 [sic – 2 Kings 20:1] ; Jonah 3:1-4; Amos 7:1-9; 2 Chronicles 6:24-39; Gen 18:17.
This is a strange collection of intercessory events, since none apply to this situation.
-- Jer.26:17-19 tells of God relenting due to the prayer of Hezekiah and Judah, but we cannot separate that from the huge national repentance that came beforehand. Also their plea for mercy was in response to the decree against themselves, not against others.
-- Num.14:12-20, Ex.32:9-14, Amos 7:1-9, 2 Kings 20:1 and Gen.18:17 were all private conversations between the individual prophet and God, which ended with the prophet knowing that God had cancelled the disaster.
-- Jonah 3:1-4 is another example of a mass repentance on the part of those who were expecting the disaster - and we can safely assume that Jonah was not interceding!
-- Likewise, 2 Chron.6:24-39 is Solomon’s request to grant mercy to those who repent from their own sins – there are no third-party intercessors mentioned.
In short, there is no example of God cancelling a prophesied disaster without telling the original prophet. Nor is there an example of God relenting from a deserved punishment without the guilty parties showing repentance.
And indeed, there WERE judgments that were “fatalistically sealed” by God, which could not be averted by intercession or repentance: Num.14:39-45, 2 Sam.12:15-23 and Ezek.14:12ff are a few examples. It’s also noteworthy that this last chapter (Ezek.14) pronounces punishment on a prophet who agrees to intercede for someone who is consciously sinning but still wants to hear from God.
Although the Lord has relented many times in Scripture from bringing a predicted judgment or disaster, Bob and I believed that this exact war at this exact moment could not be avoided or averted by prayer. There were several reasons why we believed that it could not be averted or delayed, but that it could only be minimized. But we kept raising up intercession for God’s mercy on this very event. We kept “trying,” although we felt so certain it would come in the predicted time frame.
What we were certain of was that it could be minimized by prayer, and that much harm could be averted completely, including the use of a nuclear weapon. We also knew that there would be some angelic help for Israel, preventing damage from reaching a certain threshold, but not to the fullest measure, resulting in a quick and decisive victory for Israel, as had been the case in the six-day war. No one can know how much the Lord will allow or will not allow, in the coming war.
This certainty is stated over and over with no acknowledgement of the implications. The apparent belief that “the war” is still “coming” is not relevant. They “believed this exact war at this exact moment [of December 10, 2012] could not be avoided” because of Bob’s claim to have heard this from the Lord's own mouth. If “no one can know” what the Lord intends to do even after He declares it, what does that say about His reliability??
When He responds, it does not make the prophet who reported the initial prediction a false prophet. The significant factor is heaven’s protocol of responsiveness to repentance from the guilty, or intercession from the prophetic intercessors, standing in the gap as did Moses, Ezekiel, Amos, Paul, Jeremiah, Abraham, Mordechai and Esther.
This is a misuse of the scriptures, with another list of irrelevant intercessors.
-- There is no record of Paul interceding for God to reverse a prophecy, or of God negating something that Paul had predicted.
-- The case of Mordechai and Esther does not apply – their intercession was to stop wicked Haman’s plans, not to change God’s mind.
-- With all the others, God Himself declared to the prophets the change in His program.
As I mentioned, Bob and I fully expected the war to begin on the date of December 10th, and we were quite shaken, yet relieved at the same time, when the day passed. Each of us experienced a range of puzzlement, and emotions which were so conflicted.
This was written in mid-January 2013, a month after the fact. It’s another testimony that, unlike the scriptural examples which Jill offered for support, neither she nor Bob heard anything from God about a cancellation of the word Bob claimed to have received from Him in July.
Let’s face it: God is more dependable than this. “Surely the Lord God does nothing unless He reveals His secret counsel to His servants the prophets.” (Amos 3:7)
In the case of this war prediction from Bob, some have pointed out to me that Israel did not repent, so why should this have been averted? It is true that Israel did not repent. However, if the Bride of Yeshua among the nations lifted up their voices and wept on behalf of Israel, and if that cry reached the threshold required to move the Lord’s heart, then the prophetic intercession changed the predicted outcome…. I believe it [the war] would have come, had this threshold of intercession not been attained.
The objection presented to Jill is valid, in light of the above scriptural pattern. Moreover, there is no such thing in God’s word as a “threshold of intercession” needed from His people in order for Him to show mercy to others. The scriptural examples all show that ONE intercessor on intimate terms with Him is enough to arouse His mercy and avert disaster. And sometimes even when there is NO ONE, God Himself will be that One:
“And He saw that there was no man, and was astonished that there was no one to intercede. Then His own arm brought salvation to Him, and His righteousness upheld Him.” (Isa.59:16)
Jill goes on to compare the “pain” of responding to a vain prophecy by taking unnecessary action, as opposed to the “pain” of (theoretically) not responding to a true prophecy, as opposed to the “pain” of giving a prophecy that is “clearly heard” but may not actually come to pass. She proposes that some kinds of pain are preferable to others.
None of this “pain” is the Lord’s will. He desires true, tested prophets to be heeded, and vain, presumptuous prophets to be ignored. We are given clear instructions by Moses, the Prophets, Yeshua and the Apostles, on how to test prophecies and those who give them.
It’s because we have set these instructions aside, and because we tend to tolerate (or miss) the abuse of scripture as shown above, that we are experiencing error and uncertainty, and are expected to choose which kind of “pain” we would rather live with.
Out of love and fear for the believers in Israel, I knew I had to send out this warning. I feared the Lord holding me accountable, as He warned Ezekiel, if I did not warn the people. I asked Bob’s permission to send it out to people, and he granted permission. It was not his idea to disseminate the word quickly; it was my idea, for the raising of intercession, and the fear of harm coming to my own people and nation, especially the believers.
This is unintentional testimony of Bob’s apparent disobedience to the word he says he received that he “must share this message to...our people Israel.” Why was it “not his idea to disseminate the word quickly” if the goal was truly “to call forth prayer and to save lives”?
What about the pain to the prophet who does not warn what they clearly heard, fearing the scorn if the word does not come to pass?
Since Bob left it to Jill to send to Israelis the warning that was entrusted to him, it would seem he was more willing to live with that “pain” than Jill was; or he wasn’t as sure of what he had heard as Jill was.
I know that many people took action to be prepared for the outbreak of this war at this time. I believe that this response was wise, humble, and pleasing to the Lord. I and my family took similar responses and precautions, of course. Preparations are always a good thing, and if the war was merely delayed, surely the bulk of these preparations was not in vain, and can be utilized when needed. Some feel that they were harmed by making these preparations or warning their families, now that it has not happened.
The harm done is not the needless preparations. It is damage to the people’s ability to “know the word which the Lord has not spoken” (Deut.18:21).
The standards being promoted here are in danger of negating God’s own instructions. If whenever a prophecy falls to the ground, it can be assumed that other people somewhere in the world got together and “prayed it down”, there is no longer a way to identify a “presumptuous” or a “false” prophecy. If honorable motives are all that matter, there IS no penalty for presumption... and Jeremiah 23 can be deleted from our Bibles.
However, I cannot repent of believing Bob’s word, since I still believe that he heard this from the Lord, and that He relented. I cannot repent for having sent out the words, because my motives were to raise up intercession and save lives.
It’s difficult to understand why having to “repent of believing Bob’s word” is such an impossible idea. Can this man never be wrong? Shall we instead find fault with all the believers who cannot in good conscience call black “white”, and accuse them of refusing to “align with” God?
Or perhaps we should blame God Himself? Since Jill and Bob refuse to question Bob’s accuracy in hearing “this from the Lord”, it is the Lord’s accuracy as his Source which is being called into question instead. After all, who is responsible for the fact that the “Divine Council” was not informed of the last-minute change in plans?
I have deeply repented of inadvertently harming people and their families. I cried many tears over this, and I thank you for your mercy and grace towards me and towards Bob.
Mercy and grace are expressed in loving confrontation of error, so that the error can be removed and the afflicted ones can be healed. I contacted Bob and received no reply. I already confronted Jill privately about her error before December 10. She did not admit to any possibility of error then, and she does not admit it in these two letters.
What we must decide now, as the Body of Messiah, is whether our agreeable silence is showing mercy, or causing harm.
I speak of the harm done to Jill, to Bob, to Sundar and Maurice and Neville… their families... and all their supporters, who are not being urged to embrace the truth of their situation. (Go here to see the extent of their peril.)
One more thought: a true biblical prophet, if commanded by God to speak to Israel’s leadership by the Lord, has no choice but to obey, even if the council of elders condemns the word as false. The opinions of men cannot rule over the true prophetic word, although men have always tried to silence it. The Jewish priests and Pharisees, who tore their clothes and said, “He is worthy of death,” did so on the basis of their Torah knowledge. They used the Scriptures to condemn Yeshua of blasphemy. They were the knowledgeable biblical experts of their day.
This is a not-so-subtle condemnation of earnest believers who are trying to stay faithful to the scriptures and who have reasonable doubts. To equate faithful brethren in the Lord with the Pharisees who rejected Him is hurtful and ungrounded. All this for the sake of justifying a prophecy that simply didn’t happen, and justifying a man who isn’t concerned enough to address this issue himself.
In this context, it's unscriptural to imply that we must choose "the true prophetic word" over "Torah knowledge" or be in danger of "blasphemy". God forbid! Isn't the written word also the word of God?? Equal honor is due to true prophets and to true biblical experts – and far from having to choose either one or the other, both of these sources were upheld by the Lord’s apostles as essential for knowing the Lord and hearing Him.
By the same token, the apostles showed zero tolerance for false prophetic words and false Torah teachers, and we should do likewise.
Most of all, we should speak the truth even if we are condemned for being “too” scriptural, remembering that our approval comes from God and not men. “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth… Nevertheless, the firm foundation of God stands, having this seal, ‘The Lord knows those who are His.’” (2 Tim.2:15,19)
Some in Israel have expressed a desire that no more words would come from Bob Misst again. These desires have been heard by the Lord and it is granted.
This is perhaps the most revealing as far as the reason for this letter. It is also the most damaging portrait of God imaginable. Bob's decision to cut communications with the Israeli believers is an attempt to avoid giving an account for his mistake to those who felt the brunt of it. There is no understanding for those who said "please - no more words..."; there is only a self-righteous withdrawal. The worst part is that this evasion of accountability, like the misfired prediction itself, is justified by yet another directive from "the Lord".
Refusing to come forward and stand in the Light, so that words and deeds can be evaluated, indicates a fear that they will not survive the exposure. Not only is that fear unnecessary for those who know God has spoken, a pattern of withdrawal is a fast track to judgment:
This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God. (Jn.3:19-21)
I am in pain for them. What a horrible burden to have to keep prophesying empty words, keep revising or ignoring the scriptures that show what REAL prophecy looks like – to know you are leaving a trail of broken predictions, but you don’t dare turn around and look at it. Shutting yourself off from anyone who questions the same things that you yourself have questioned, but who cannot accept the flimsy answers that you have patched together…
I myself was in that predicament once, and I know the toll it takes on you. Once God led me out of that trap, the freedom to speak the truth was so precious to me that I resolved to endure any amount of pain in the future, just so I would never have to hide from the truth again.
Now: Let’s turn the mirror and the Light around, and face the truth about the Lord’s Body!
Why do people like Jill and Bob, Sundar and the rest enjoy a loyal following despite their errors and coverups? It’s because we are a wayward people who want to be entertained by fantasies of trips to heaven and angelic visits, and want to be indulged by a God who changes His mind whenever we take it into our heads to pray something that sounds good to us.
But how "good" is that, really? If we have a God who bends to our little wills and moves to our little words, then we ourselves have become “God”… and the burden will crush us, if it doesn’t first lead us off into total delusion:
“… because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved. For this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false, in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth…” (2 Thess.2:9-12)
The Lord has better things for us: “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” (Jn.8:31-32)
Jill's parting words were (I hope) truly prophetic for a change:
I believe that in due season, the Lord will make plain to all what happened in this incident, and how He tested all hearts through this process.
Indeed, it’s already plain for those who walk in the Truth. May He bring these well-intentioned brothers and sister off the spiritual treadmill of a vain “prophetic calling” and into His freedom. Their spiritual future is at risk.
Other articles in this series
The RZ Survey: Responses to the survey, with observations
The survey was conducted during November 2012, shorting before this prediction was due to take place. The responses came in from several countries around the world, and were as wide-ranging as you could imagine. Yet they had some interesting things in common: nearly all were mature in terms of physical age, would be considered elders based on their years in the faith, and held some type of leadership position in the Body. As the trainers of the next generation, how well did they do in testing prophecy?
Implications of the Survey Results
I offer some interesting correlations based on the sample of Body eldership that responded. Did different backgrounds – Bible education, physical age, number of years in the faith, leadership experience – make believers more confident (or more to the point, more competent) in testing prophecy? How did Israeli responses compare with those from abroad? As you might expect, we end up with more questions than answers. But if we are going to meet the end-time prophets in a scriptural way, we need to understand the issues and find solutions compatible with God's word.
In keeping with our first suggested method in the survey for validating a prophecy, RZ checked the track records of the 5 people who were behind this joint prediction. I explored their ministry websites, checked up on some of their past prophecies, viewed some of their teachings, and contacted them directly with relevant questions. What do these people have in common with one another? Why are they so focused on Israel? And what in the world is "Metagoshin"?? My conclusions are based on the documentation and relevant scriptures. (Warning: This is a documented expose that is both fascinating and scary. Not for the fainthearted!)
How We Test Prophecy... and What It's Costing Us
Many were curious about how I personally dealt with this prophecy as an Israeli. In order to minimize influencing the survey responses, I tried to keep my own views out of sight. And now that December 2012 is long over, my convictions about this particular prophecy have the unfair advantage of hindsight. But these issues remain relevant and will only get more crucial as time goes on. So in this article, I ponder what I learned while gathering all the above information, how we in the Body relate to prophecies and their authors (compared what scripture says), and starting points for restoring a balanced approach to the prophetic.
[Back to the Next-Generation index]
[Back to RZ homepage]