SAFE HABITATIONS
by Bill Burns
Faith Tabernacle
http://ft111.com
Today is the eighth day of assembly known as the Feast of Conclusion, which follows the seven days of Tabernacles (Succoth). It is a day of rejoicing over the word of the Lord. The number eight signifies new beginnings. On this, the eighth day, the old is passing away (in conclusion), and the new is springing forth.
Isaiah 42:9, "Behold, the former things have come to pass, and new things I declare; before they spring forth I tell you of them."
We are entering into a new spiritual season. It will be a season of intense spiritual warfare in the heavenlies and upon the earth. The Lord has been preparing His church for this season during the past year. His prophetic word has already foretold of the war to come. It is time to rule in the midst of our enemies.
Unfortunately, many have not listened, and they have not prepared themselves for what is coming upon the inhabitants of the earth. Many have not been wise.
Eccl 8:1 Who is like a wise man? And who knows the interpretation of a thing? A man's wisdom makes his face shine, And the sternness of his face is changed.
Eccl 8:2 I say, "Keep the king's commandment for the sake of your oath to God.
Eccl 8:3 "Do not be hasty to go from his presence. Do not take your stand for an evil thing, for he does whatever pleases him."
Eccl 8:4 Where the word of a king is, there is power; And who may say to him, "What are you doing?"
Eccl 8:5 He who keeps his command will experience nothing harmful; And a wise man's heart discerns both time and judgment,
Eccl 8:6 Because for every matter there is a time and judgment, Though the misery of man increases greatly.
Eccl 8:7 For he does not know what will happen; So who can tell him when it will occur?
Solomon tells us, "To everything there is a season, a time to every purpose under heaven." (Eccl. 3:1) There is a "time to war and a time of peace." (Eccl. 3:8) It is now a time of war. The wise man's heart should discern both the time of war and the judgment that is coming upon the earth.The first priority in making provision for war is to establish your base camp in a place of safe habitation, a place that is safe from the enemy. The Lord began to give prophetic words in 1999 that we are to be found in safe habitations. That is a word that He has continued to emphasize until this day.
America has received a wake-up call, and the whole country can now understand the importance of being in the right place at the right time. Or, we could say, it is important to not be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Terrorism in America has become a reality. Life in America will never be the same again. We are entering into a time period in which it will become essential that we can discern the times and be led by the Spirit of God who can and will lead us into safe habitations.
On September 30, 2001, the Lord spoke twice to my wife, Marsha, "Red October." She asked me what I thought that might mean, and I told her that I thought it was the name of a movie that someone had once mentioned. The prompting of the Spirit was urgent enough to cause us to watch this movie on video. We were astonished at how much the movie related to the current events. The movie was about a Russian submarine commander who was defecting to America in Russia's newly produced (silent) submarine. The mission of the sub was to see if it could slip past America's defense systems and invade American territory on the coastlines. The ultimate mission of the sub (after testing) would be to attack America from close range with missiles, but the captain and officers wanted to defect to the U.S., and that was the plot of the movie.
This movie, "The Hunt for Red October," presented many prophetic parallels to the recent terrorist attacks on the U.S. and identified the times and seasons which we are presently in. The revelation, which came out of the movie, is much too lengthy to include in this writing. If you are interested in all of the details, you can order the tape from our resources page at http://ft111.com/Resources.htm .
I believe that to be found in safe habitations is a two-fold proposition. First and foremost, it means to make God Himself your place of refuge, and that requires being found rightly related to Him.
Eccl 12:13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is man's all.
Eccl 12:14 For God will bring every work into judgment, Including every secret thing, Whether good or evil.
If we seek first relationship with Jesus Christ and love God with all of our hearts, then He will become our spiritual refuge.
Psa 91:1 He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
Psa 91:2 I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust."
Psa 91:3 Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler And from the perilous pestilence.
Psa 91:4 He shall cover you with His feathers, And under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler.
Psa 91:5 You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, Nor of the arrow that flies by day,
Psa 91:6 Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday.
Psa 91:7 A thousand may fall at your side, And ten thousand at your right hand; But it shall not come near you.
Secondly, we need to be led by the Lord into safe physical habitations and be prepared for that which is coming. Most likely more terrorist attacks are forthcoming. I have heard several messages of late in which it was stated that America won't be destroyed. Those who have preached those messages have used God's statement to Abraham concerning the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. God told Abraham the He would not destroy those cities if ten righteous people were living there.
The current reasoning is that there are more than 10 righteous in America, so none of its cities will be destroyed. I believe that God made that statement to Abraham because He knew there weren't 10 righteous in those places. I also believe that if there had been 10 righteous, He would have brought them out with Lot and then destroyed those cities.
Let us consider for a moment what happened to Jerusalem in 70 AD when there were far more than 10 righteous souls living in that city. In Matthew 23:38 Jesus said of Jerusalem, "See! Your house is left to your desolate." But the disciples decided to show Jesus the temple, which was still there and wasn't desolate.
Mat 24:1 Then Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and His disciples came up to show Him the buildings of the temple.
Mat 24:2 And Jesus said to them, "Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down."
The Master's statement shook them up a bit, and so they asked Him a question:
Mat 24:3 Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, "Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?"
So, Jesus told them the signs of the end and then He said:
Mat 24:16 "then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.
Mat 24:17 "Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house.
Mat 24:18 "And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes.
Mat 24:19 "But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days!
Mat 24:20 "And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath.
The destruction came in 70 AD when a Roman general named Titus destroyed the temple and Jerusalem. The question is, "Why did God allow Jerusalem to be destroyed when it was home to literally thousands of real Christians?" The answer is simple. Jerusalem rejected Jesus Christ.
Mat 23:37 "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!
Jerusalem (as a majority) would not serve Christ, and that applies to many if not most cities in America. Now, let me ask a question. Were all of the Christians that lived in Jerusalem destroyed? The answer is NO. In fact, most of the Christians that lived in Jerusalem moved to a place north of Jerusalem called Pella in 66 AD. And, because they remembered the Lord's word and relocated, the Church not only survived, but it prospered. It is reported that by 100 AD the Church numbered over 300,000.
I do not believe America will be destroyed, but some cities certainly could be. It is time for many to re-evaluate their spiritual relationship with God and put Him absolutely first in their lives. It would also be a good thing to seek for His direction regarding physical habitations. This may be His last call to many before they hear those fateful words that Christ spoke, "See, your house is left to you desolate."
The handwriting is certainly on the wall, and the apostle Paul's words should once again be considered, (2 Timothy 3:1) But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come.