The following was originally published three years ago during the 15 year anniversary of 9/11. Three years later, the message here is as significant as ever and thus something we felt compelled to re-release.
Amos 9:11
A harbinger of judgment or a promise of redemption?
On September 11, 2001, life changed drastically for the United States as well as the rest of the world. A new awareness of global terrorism flooded people’s consciousness, along with a new period of economic difficulty. At the center of it all was the loss of 2,996 precious lives, many of whom were emergency responders who went into the flames of the Twin Towers after they were struck by two commercial airlines that had been hijacked by terrorists.
In recent years, there has been a growing number of “prophecies” and teachings about 9/11 and the message that God has for this nation. One of the more famous ones that has picked up traction in recent years (even leading to a nationally bestselling book) involves looking at 9/11 as a judgment and warning from God — a “harbinger” of worse things to come if this nation doesn’t get it’s act together.
The thing about this book, and other teachings like it, is that it does indeed point out many true and valid prophetic signs. The first day the markets opened after 9/11 was the Jewish New Year. This was a “Shemitah Year,” meaning the seventh year in the Hebrew calendar that historically marked a time of economic “reset.” On this particular Shemitah Year, right after 9/11, the markets experienced a major fall that affected the country for years to come.
Seven years later to the day (on the Jewish New Year in 2008; another Shemitah Year), the markets fell 777 points, which led to the worst economic recession since the Great Depression.
After 2008, many authors and teachers began to say that these successive events were not only judgments from God, but they were also warnings of something worse to come. A vast majority of these teachings centered around the next Shemitah Year, culminating in September 2015, which would also mark the beginning of a “Jubilee Year” in the Hebrew Calendar. (After seven Shemitah years–which is 49 years–there is a 50th year, considered a double Shemitah, which is a time of Jubilee and extreme economic reset).
As a result, countless people began to warn of a major judgment and economic crash coming in the Fall of 2015 (some websites have still not updated their thoughts on this).
But here’s something amazing: On the day before 9/11 in 2015 (the prophesied Shemitah Year), something remarkable happened. Now before we say what it was, you need to keep in mind that 9/10 is a significant number also. Isaiah 9:10 is the main Scripture that the “Harbinger” revelation hinges on. It’s a passage about the nation of Israel continuing to rebuild their ruins in defiance to God. It’s a Scripture that speaks of rebellion and thus Isaiah 9:11 brings a promise of severe judgment and destruction to the nation. The author says that this is just like America rebuilding the “Freedom Tower” without truly repenting. Thus they are building up a judgment for themselves that will be greater than 9/11…
So what happened on *9/10*, the day before 9/11 in the great prophesied Shemitah Year? It is quite beautiful and almost funny:
A beautiful rainbow appeared over the Freedom Tower that we had rebuilt.
Rainbows are typically a good thing. Well, actually, they are always a good thing. They are a biblical sign of promise, hope and restoration.
While the markets continued to experience major fluctuations, cataclysmic destruction did not happen in 2015, as prophesied by many, many people.
But what about all those “signs”? Do we just write them off? And what about the deeper question of “why” God would allow this to happen? And what about all the “sin” in the nation and the continued signs of a greater economic collapse?
Let’s have a nice talk about all this . . .
An obsolete covenant
Doom-and-gloom prophets who herald 9/11 as the judgment of an angry God against a rebellious nation are all essentially operating from an Old Covenant mindset. In the Old Covenant, the nation was under the Mosaic Law. If you did not follow the Law, you reaped the consequences. If you obeyed the law, you would be blessed. Many Christians believe national revival operates according to this principle.
The thing is, this covenant is old and obsolete. It’s outdated and it’s only purpose was to show people that law-keeping and self-effort was not the way into life and freedom. It was a tutor to lead them to something much more beautiful.
There’s actually something called a New Covenant these days. You may have heard of it. People celebrate something called “communion” every Sunday and it’s supposed to be a reminder of it. The rainbow in Genesis that promises mercy to the world (and not judgment) was actually a foreshadow of the New Covenant in Christ.
In the New Covenant, Christ took on the sins of the whole world. He took our entire punishment upon Himself. So if God is still punishing America for her sins, He needs to apologize to Jesus, because apparently Christ’s work wasn’t enough.
Yes, you read that correctly. God is actually not counting men’s sins against them. This may be a shock to some of our readers — but God is not keeping a record of America’s wrongs?
What!??!!! &%^ ?
Yes.
What about justice? What about retribution for the evils committed on this land?!
Well, I hate to break this to you (take a deep breath before you read further… Maybe take two)… God’s ways are not man’s ways and His thoughts are not our thoughts. (That’s from a verse within a certain chapter of the Bible that is all about the offensively wild “mercy” of God. Check it out sometime.)
So does this mean He doesn’t bring about justice?
Well, we really hope you keep reading . . .
A true understanding of “judgment”
Let’s get back to the “harbingers” of judgment on America, particularly on America’s economy.
There is indeed a “judgment” on the corrupt financial system, but not in the way people interpret the word “judgment.” 9/11 brought a serious collapse of the markets right on the Shemitah Year, representing an economic reset. Seven years later to the day, in the next Shemitah Year, the markets dropped exactly 777 points signaling the beginning of the Great Recession. In light of this, sincere believers (with Old Covenant goggles on) think that these are the warnings of an angry God punishing us for our sins and demanding we shape up.
So here’s the deal: They are right about one thing. There is a “judgment” against financial corruption in this country. But what many people don’t realize is that the Lord’s judgments lead to “rejoicing and gladness.” In other words, when God judges, it’s like a surgeon using a scalpel to judge cancer. There is no malice or ill-will towards the patient. The only issue is the cancer.
There is no malice, ill-will, or anger towards America! Nor toward the people within her. News alert! Surprise! We bring glad tidings to the shepherds of God’s modern-day flocks: God is in a good mood and actually rejoices over the people in this nation. There is good will from heaven toward mankind with whom God is pleased!
God’s constant desire is that His kids experience more of the joy and freedom that He designed them to walk in. And so He will deal with anything that robs His kids of joy and freedom. That is “judgment.” It is a judgment unto our good.
The precise seven year economic shakings are indeed “signs” from heaven. (There is this other extreme in the Body of Christ where people totally disregard prophetic signs and throw the baby out with the bathwater. If that is you, please know there is a very healthy baby of “prophetic revelation” when you get rid of the bathwater of legalistic religion). These shakings on the Shemitah Year, coinciding with the Year of Jubilee, are indeed signs from heaven!
But guess WHAT!?
They are all signs of REDEMPTION. The number seven is the number of completion and it speaks of Christ’s finished work. Jubilee itself is all about redeeming something to its original value and purpose. It’s about healing, not wrath. (Read this). This is not about an angry God destroying our country. This is about a passionate Father bringing fresh unity and awakening to this nation.
Read the following, and read it very carefully: Our precious Lord Jesus, the Lamb of God, the humble Man from Nazareth — He did not attend an al Qaeda meeting in Saudi Arabia in the 1990s to inspire by His Spirit plans to hurt America. He did not work in the heart of 9/11 mastermind Osama Bin Laden in order to bring a rod of punishment to us, conspiring with human traffickers and murderers to ultimately kill emergency responders, children, women, and men. If that is the God you worship, I’d like to take a moment to introduce you to Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God. Some of the people calling America to repent need to repent of their distorted views of the Father and His Son. May the Spirit help them!
Financial Redemption
So what about the financial shakings and the good “judgment”? The financial shakings are actually releasing a long process of greater economic justice in the world. So yes, God is into justice! But not through man’s ways of punishment and retribution (eye for an eye). It through His own higher ways of mercy and restoration. The way of the cross.
Since the 2008 collapse, more and more for-profit companies are giving their profits away to charity and good causes. Giving is actually increasing, and global poverty rates are going down! Philanthropist billionaires and activist givers are a new, popular thing. People like Mark Zuckerburg are planning to give away most of their wealth throughout their lifetime. For those with eyes to see, this is the beginning of great change. Things are shifting and justice and righteousness is actually increasing in the world (even if it doesn’t look the way some Christians expect it or want it to look… but hey, God’s people have a way of expecting God to show up in a certain way and then totally miss Him).
Is there a lot of work ahead of us? Yes. Are there still a lot of problems and corruption? Yes. Did the government bail-out hinder the process of healing? Yes, but God is in control and is still gently leading the nations towards healing. Will there be economic crisis this fall? Perhaps — BUT this is not the doom-and-gloom-end-of-the-world-apocalyptic scenarios that people are painting. For those with eyes to see, the economies of the world are actually going to get better in the long-run. Those who stay in the game and don’t run from fear will prosper like never before in the next seven years and beyond.
Laughter triumphs over fear
On September 11, 2001 terrorists successfully put fear in the hearts of millions of Americans. It was a tragic day. But in the midst of it, God had a word for the nation which He would speak through a movie that was being advertised even in the weeks leading up to 9/11. Did you know that Jesus still speaks through stories and parables? He loved to do it when He walked on the earth, and He still does it today by using our modern-day story-telling mediums – movies.
On November 2, 2001, a month and a half after 9/11, a movie was released with a prophetic message to the country: Laughter is ten times more powerful than fear.
Shortly after the 9/11 attacks on American cities and hearts, Disney Pixar released Monsters Inc. The film contains a city, Monstropolis, that runs on the energy produced from the screams of frightened children.
Throughout the movie, the main characters, Mike and Sulley, realize that children are harmless and they come to a stunning conclusion: Laughter is ten times more powerful than the screams of fearful kids. This discovery actually saves the town’s energy crisis. The monsters of Monstropolis then change their jobs from scaring children to making them laugh. The children’s joy and laughter provide the city with more energy than ever.
This movie was (and still is) a call to never let the enemy’s fear tactics win. No matter what happens, America has an unshakeable kingdom to trust in. While we “mourn with those who mourn,” we do not give into fear. God was (and still is) calling America to “rejoice in the Lord” (and “again I say rejoice”). This is because the victory of the Lamb who makes all things new is certain.
On top of that, God’s joy is actually the most powerful energy in the world and it is through His joy and laughter that the world (just like Monstropolis) will be restored. The 9/11 terrorists believed that their fear tactics would transform the world and bring about a reformation. But it didn’t work. Fear doesn’t motivate. God’s joyful love motivates 10 (million) times more than fear does. It’s this love that casts out fear and gives His children strength to love one another (instead of killing each other).
He who sits in the heavens laughs at the evil plots of humanity. It is from this heavenly place that we are seated… 9/11 hurt. It hurt badly. But like Mike and Sulley, we are slowly discovering that laughter is ten times more powerful than fear. Let America rejoice in the Lord, for His joy and laughter is her strength!
There are actually two types of terrorists aiming their guns at America. One terrorist aims the Quran at us with a some real gunpowder thrown in there. The other type of terrorist is using the Bible. These are religious terrorists who want to strike an unhealthy and demonic fear of God into this nation. This may sound incredibly offensive, but this is a religious spirit that is just as dangerous, if not more, than Islamic terrorism! One brings physical death while the other brings a spiritual decay that keeps people away from the Happy and Joyful Father of Jesus Christ. (Sadly, both of these “terrorists” passionately believe they are doing a service to God. Sounds familiar.)
A backfired plan
The previous section was written by one of our writers, Dylan Demarsico, on Wednesday of this week. The next day, an article was released on CNN detailing how badly Bin Laden’s plans failed in 9/11. This is an excerpt from the article, quoting the main operational commander of the 9/11 attacks, Khalid Shiekh Mohammed in 2002: “Consider all the fatal and successive disasters that have afflicted us during a period of no more than six months. … Today we are experiencing one setback after another and have gone from misfortune to disaster.”
9/11 was a work of pure evil. Plain and simple. God did not incite terrorists to kill us. The demonic system of deception and hate did that. Not God. But here’s the thing… Here is the most incredible conspiracy theory you will ever hear…
God WAS involved with 9/11. He was up to something. He was there, weeping with those wept and holding them through the trauma, and receiving many into His everlasting arms. But more than that, He was involved in 9/11 in the same way He was involved on the day His Son’s body was torn down by the religious hatred of man. God was in Christ in that moment, reconciling the world to Himself. God was at work in the midst of our evil, with a plan to turn it all around in order to heal and restore us!
It is the same with 9/11. What the enemy meant for harm, God is using to bring a greater redemption to the entire world (yeah, He’s that good). Like Al-Qaeda, the enemy is now experiencing one setback after another.
And so the rising of a Freedom Tower is not a sign of rebellion and future judgment. It is actually a sign of promise to the world! (Hence the rainbow on the apparent Shemitah year of judgment, 2015 – on 9/10.)
Oh and by the way… This is also why the greatest symbol of hope in the days following 9/11 was a perfectly shaped steel cross standing tall in the midst of the heap and rubble of the building. Here’s a stunning picture of it.
We’ll expand on this thought in the weeks ahead, but here is a basic prophetic word for this nation: God is going to heal the obvious division in this country (symbolized by the two towers turning into one freedom tower) and He is going to release greater economic freedom, even if the surgery gets a little painful at times (symbolized by the seven-year cycles of market fluctuations). And all of this will come by a revelation of the cross — which means a greater understanding of God’s true heart and His NEW Covenant.
He is not an angry God. He is a Father who deeply loves this country and has plans of hope and a future for her.
In the long run, the prophets of doom will not have the final word. In the long run, the story of 9/11 will be wrapped up in Amos 9:11. It will be a story of restoration. And it will be likened to the story of Joseph, who was unjustly beaten and cast down by his brothers, but rose up to become a beacon of hope and a light to the world. God has amazing plans for this nation, as well as all the nations of the world. Be excited and filled with triumphant hope!
And always remember this: Joy is ten times more powerful than fear.