WHEN SHILOH COMES..
Shiloh is a prophetic parable about God’s plan for man through the ages.
The first mention of Shiloh is found in Genesis 49:10 as Jacob is giving blessings to each of his sons. When he blesses Judah on his death bed he releases a historical prophecy into the earth.....
“The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until Shiloh comes, and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.”
Here, Jacob is referring to a person—who would bring peace and tranquility to the earth. As it is used here, the name Shiloh would have derived from shālâ, which means “the Messiah of righteousness”. Jesus descended from the tribe of Judahwhose name means “Praise”. We also get Shalom, the Hebrewword for Peace from this root word. Let’s begin with a quick geographical history of the place called Shiloh.
When the Jewish people entered Canaan, the tabernacle was set up at Shiloh, around 1400 BC, with the ark of the covenantresiding there for 300 years. It was at Shiloh that Joshua divided the land among the 12 tribes. Shiloh is the place of rest, (Jesus is our rest)
It was here at the temple in Shiloh, that Hannah cried out for a child in her bareness and God heard her and gave her Samuel, one of the greatest prophets of the bible. She gave Samuel to the temple to be raised by Eli the priest after he had been weaned.
Later on, the ark was captured by the Philistines and taken to Philistia and God allowed the city of Shiloh to be destroyed because of the wickedness of the people. They had begun to take the ark out of the Holy place and bring it into battle, as a weapon, and lost the reverence and respect which God had commanded it was to have. They thought they could use God’s glory for their own ends. But, God will not be used....
1 Samuel 4:10 “So the Philistines fought, and the Israelites were defeated and every man fled to his tent. The slaughter was very great; Israel lost thirty thousand foot soldiers. 11 The ark of God was captured”.
It was then that the temple was moved to Jerusalem where itremained for 410 years, until it was destroyed by the Babylonians and *.......the people taken into captivity. In 540 BC, Jews, led by Zerubbabel returned and rebuilt the city and temple. It remained until Titus led the Roman army to destroy it once again in 70 AD.
From the first mention in Genesis till the coming of Messiah, there were many twists and turns as the mystery of iniquity collided with the mystery of righteousness. On many occasions all seemed lost, and it looked like God had missed it as he spoke through the prophets. The chosen people were dispersed throughout the world. Jerusalem lay in a pile of rubble for over 1878 years and in 1948 the Jews were allowed to return. But with the rise and fall of kings and kingdoms, everything was moving steadily toward the fulfillment of “When Shiloh comes”.....
As I looked at Jacob’s prophecy, in my spirit, I saw it unfolding in 6 phases of it’s fulfillment or unveilings....I saw these as 6 interlocking circles. It took me a couple of weeks to unwrap and unpack all that I was seeing, So, I will take the majority of my time, looking at this with you, because it says a lot about the way God always works as He moves in the earth and in our lives...In His times He brings about the fullness of time for everything He has planned and will do by covenant and promise.
First, there is the Establishing of all things according to the will of God.. I call this “The Plan”
We must understand that there are variables and non-variables. When God says that a thing will take place, we can rest assured that it will occur. The variables are about who will choose to be a part of the fulfillment of it. God says “Let there be”....and we must choose to be a part of it, or to allow doubt, unbelief, fear, intimidation, our own choices and so many other things, to keep us from receiving it.
1 Corinthians 2:7 “For we speak of God's secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden, which God destined for our glory before time began. 8 For if the rulers of this age understood it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 9 However, as it is written: "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him" -- 10 but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.
This secret wisdom, deals with the fact that God foreknew the sequence of events which would unfold in the earth, from creation, until the new heaven and earth and beyond, and knew all the options and choices which were available and the outcomes of all of those choices and options. We can’t conceive of such omniscience and omnipotence!
Look at 1 Peter 1:18 “For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. 20 He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake”.
God chose the means of our redemption, and salvation, before the world began. He spoke His “Let there be” concerning the plan which would be put in place for our salvation, long before sin found it’s way into the garden and into the lives of mankind. God had the answer before Satan created the problem!
So, we can see here in 1 Peter, “The coming of Shiloh” was before the creation of the world.
As Jacob speaks over his son Judah, he taps into an event which took place before creation. As we have stated in previous sermons, Prophecy doesn’t only speak from the past into the future, it speaks from the future back into the present, where it already exists in the plan of God! If God says it will be, then it already is in His will and His plan.....
Romans 8:29 “For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters; 30 and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified”.
This does not eliminate our choice, or our right to choose. But it incorporates our choices which determine our outcomes. God sees all the options and choices and sees how those work themselves out and through our lives. When Jesus sat at the Lord’s supper table with the disciples, He already knew that Judas’ choices would take him to choosing 30 pieces of silver, instead of the kingdom of God. Predestination doesn’t eliminate our choices but it includes those choices in the outcome....
The second phase of “The coming of Shiloh” I want us to see, is “The Revelation”... Prophets foretold, so that all the players in this great drama could begin to understand and move into place. Prepare the way of the Lord... Those were the words of John the Baptist. John was 2nd cousin to Jesus and 6 months older, and he was the final voice revealing who Jesus actually was, the Messiah!
Moses lived about 1445 years before Christ, and wrote the book of Genesis, as well as Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. He lived 2500 years after Adam. Yet God revealed incredible details about the creation and beyond to this Godly man. One of the earliest revelations of messianic prophesy found in Genesis 3:15 came through Moses “And the seed of woman shall crush your (Satan’s) head, and you shallbruise his (man’s) heel” Don’t emphasize the bruise, emphasize that Satan shall be crushed. Don’t elevate your sickness, your delay, your problem more than God’s promise that You will crush the source of all of it, (the Devil)
The next step we will see is “The Manifestation” ....
1 John 3:8 For this purpose is the Son of God revealed, to destroy the works of the devil.
John 10:10, Jesus said, "I have come that you may have life and have it abundantly (Exceedingly above, more in quality and quantity, beyond measure, in greater capacity, at a higher level, to abound in every circumstance)."
A woman went to church and heard the pastor preach on the verse, in 1 John 4:17 “As He is, so are we in this world”. The same week that she heard this verse preached, her doctordiscovered cancer in her breast. She wrote on her medical report, “Jesus, does not have lumps in His breast! Then she wrote, “As you are, so am I, in this world.” She continued to declare that, until her next appointment, and when she went back to the doctor, they couldn't find any lump!
As He is, so are we in this world!!! That’s manifestation!
That brings me to the 4th phase of “When Shiloh is Come”.... or The Impartation” ..... We’re called to participate in this prophetic event, until the end of the age.
Matthew 28:6 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Too many folks are just visiting, chasing the blessing....but we’re called to be part of this plan to the end of the age... In it to win it.... in it for the long run... No turning back...
Matthew 10:7 “As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come.’ 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have incurable diseases, cast out demons. Freely you have received; freely give”.
This is what Jacob describes as the passing of the scepter. “The scepter shall not depart” He said.....Most of us have been so busy swinging the sword in battle against the devil and his demons, that we have not picked up the scepter!!! When you pick up the scepter, you put the devil where he belongs.... UNDER YOUR FEET! You start living in the authority Christ has given you, instead of compromise and victimization.
Romans 16:20 The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
Luke 10:19 Behold, I have given you authority (the scepter) to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you.
Shiloh, is about walking by faith and not by sight, not by feelings, and not by the collective consensus.... It’s walking by what you know in your spirit, because God said it, I believe it and that settles it!
Shiloh, is about examining the prophetic record and knowing that every prophesy that has come true, which is all of them... guarantees that every one that has yet to be fulfilled, shall come to pass, right on time.
The next level of “The Coming of Shiloh” Is referred to as the Glorification when we shall reign with the scepter of His power,in our glorified bodies as we prepare for the “beyond what we can ask or think level”.....You might say “infinity and beyond”....here.
Satan will be bound, no sickness, no death, for 1000 years!
Revelation 20:4 “And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them [the saints of God]. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years”
And finally, there is the last Phase, which I will call, “The Completion” At the end of the thousand years, Satan and hell will be cast into the lake of fire, to bother mankind or creation no more. The very elements of earth will be purified by fire so that every remanent of the curse is removed, and there will be a new heaven and earth wherein dwells only righteousness.
2 Peter 3:10-12, “The day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night. The heavens will pass away with a great noise, the elements will melt with fervent heat, the Earth and all that is in it shall be burned up”.
All who die in the Lord, will return for the final battle. I believe the real issue is, that if we can’t rule and rise over sin here, how could we ever rise above it there. We can overcome sin through his sacrifice now, and accept our salvation. If we could do it in ourselves, He would never have had to die on the cross. Jesus said believe on Him, repent, make Him the lord of your life, and you will share in His eternal life. This has nothing to do with how I feel, but what God requires.
If sin didn’t feel good, no one would want to sin! Sin has pleasure to the physical man, but that doesn’t mean it is pleasing to God. My life as a Christian is lived with the question, “what is pleasing to God”.... What does the Lord expect of me?
Step into His glory.....II Corinthians 3:18 “But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord”.
It’s one thing to observe and acknowledge God’s glory, but quite another to stand in and move in the glory. We are not saved to go to heaven, but to bring heaven into the earth.... In our homes, our work place, and our community. To be changed from the power of sin, to the presence of His glory. Miracles, healings, signs and wonders, are in His glory!
Song says.... It will be worth it all, when we see Jesus, life’s trials will seem so small when we see Christ. One glimpse of His dear face, all sorrow will erase. So bravely run the race, till we see Christ!
The emphasis here is not just getting to heaven, but to make the journey here and now, worth the trip and count for eternity.
So what does the “coming of Shiloh” mean to us in this New Year? It means I can still believe and hope when it feels like there’s no reason. It means that anyone can beat the odds and all things are possible. It means that light is still greater than the darkness, that truth is still greater than the lie, and that there is a mystery of righteousness that will continue to win over the mystery of unrighteousness and evil.
Shiloh brings the scepter of power and authority into our life and our life situations.... So be ready to be Inconvenienced, because some of your patterns and methods and ways of thinking are about to be challenged. Things may turn out much different than you expected. God is about to do things His way and in His time.
The scepter, means that you can expect Divine Settlement and resolution to take place. Expect a way where there is no way, and an answer to the what, where, when and why that has puzzled you. What doesn’t make sense will make sense and become clear.
Expect Victory over your adversaries. Before your blessings cancome, someone and something must be removed and taken out of the picture. Two opposing things cannot occupy the same space any longer.
Expect unusual favor in High places. Favor that you didn’t deserve and you didn’t have to earn.
Expect deliverance from what is trying to hold you captive and expect the restoration of your dignity, your rightful inheritance, and the return of what was yours all along.
Shiloh is the place of divine visitation for you and your family
Shiloh is the alter of sacrifice which releases empowerment.
Shiloh is the mountain top of answered prayers.
Shiloh is the Divine decree that releases impossible things and supernatural breakthroughs.
Shiloh is not having to fear death, but having peace in the face of death. It is knowing that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord forever. It is knowing that this physical life is only the beginning of the eternal life that is ahead.
1 John 5:11 says: "And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have eternal life."
We are training here to reign there.... ...And training begins NOW!
Prayer..... Lord Jesus, I pray that I might more and more, operate in the authority that I have been given by You. Teach me Holy Spirit, to pray with power and authority. I want to work together with Your Spirit to determine my future and the future of my nation. I want to pray with the authority of Your finished work, for my city. I desire to pray powerful breakthrough prayers that bring heaven into the earth. Lord, I am learning to pray faith-filled prayers for my needs and the need of those around me.
I can’t reach my workplace or neighborhood without Your power. I thank You that You remember all of my prayers and that they influence Your heart. Continue to give me revelation of the authority I have been given in Christ. Lord, We are in a critical time in history and we need breakthrough in prayer. Help us to press through in intercession in order to see Your plans fulfilled. Teach us to stand strong in faith and hope. We will not fear the future but choose to take our awesome responsibility in prayer and declaration.
I thank You that there is hope for the future because You have already defeated Satan at the cross and we fight a defeated foe. Impower and anoint us to enforce Your authority and Your will on earth through Your name. Thank you that collectively, we have breakthrough authority to change nations. Teach us as we take hold of prayer and pray down blessings on our world. Thank You for the power that is available to us now and in the days ahead. In Jesus’ name, amen.
