The Valley of Jehoshaphat

“I will gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat; and I will execute judgment on them there for my people, and for my heritage, Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations. They have divided my land,”

The end game for the rebels against the holy God will be played out at the end of all history. The people of God will be vindicated, but the enemies of Christ will be destroyed by Him. There will be the spectre of a dark dawn that will slide swiftly over the landscape and destroy all in its path. The day of the Lord will come as a day of reckoning to those who refuse His overtures of mercy. It could not be a more gloomy prospect and our ministry of warning must not be silent.

It is described as a day of darkness, gloominess, clouds and thick darkness as the forces of evil muster their last push against the almighty. Such is the blindness of futility and the folly of those who reject God. This last great army will be like no other in number and sheer force of human and demonic power. They will meet for the battle of Armageddon in the valley of Jehoshaphat, like the mighty troops of the billions of locusts that have militated against Israel in the prophet Joel’s time. They will gather but not a blow will be struck, for Christ will return with His hosts and put a final end to all aggravation and rebellion against God. There has never been a day like this in human history, nor will there be another one in any of the generations.

Just like this threat of the locusts and the desperation that they wreck on the land, it will go down in history as the greatest battle, but it will also be a non-event.

“The beast was taken, and with him the false prophet who worked the signs in his sight, with which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulphur. The rest were killed with the sword of him who sat on the horse, the sword which came forth out of his mouth. All the birds were filled with their flesh.”

Revelation 19:20-21

The Lord Himself will wreck havoc and death on those who are His enemies and there will be a retribution never seen before. The door of mercy will be forever shut and there will be no more opportunity to repent. The saints of God will not be involved in the conflict for the battle is the Lord’s and He will overcome all His enemies in his own power.

“The horse is prepared for the day of battle; but victory is with the LORD.”

Proverbs 21:31

Ecclesiastes

Available now on Amazon… This amazing book of wisdom written by Solomon the Great is full of wisdom for us…we can tap into his mind and heart and get a view of the mind and heart of God. It is wise to listen to a wise person, and none wiser than Solomon.

If you search the name of the book and the authors name you will find it.

Ecclesiastes Shirley Hamilton

Fortunes

“For, behold, in those days, and in that time, when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem,”

In the time of Joel, the Lord was going to restore the fortunes of His people after the judgment and attendant repentance. For us that day is yet to come but we wait for it with patience.

In the midsts of this frightening end time, the Lord is going to restore the kingdom to his elect people. Gone will be the oppression, side-lining, put downs and bullying. God will turn all things right and His people will be delivered from this present evil age. The days of “turning the other cheek” will be over, for all oppression will have ceased. Gone will be the turmoil inside as we fight the sinful urges of self and seek vindication. Enemies will be dealt with and the sinless and holy kingdom will have come.

The days of liberty and freedom for the people of God will be the overarching spirit of the age. The fruit of the Spirit will reveal itself in every believer and all sin will be finally and forever put away. Our souls and minds will no longer have to wrestle with temptation and weakness, but we will be completely free of it, for the Day of the Lord has come and released all goodness from the dark chains of this world.

This is the future for the people of God in the coming time, when the end of all things is revealed.

Whoever

“It will happen that whoever will call on the name of the Lord shall be saved; for in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be those who escape, as the Lord has said, and among the remnant, those whom God calls.”

Here is a verse of great certainty. Here is a verse of promise and sure hope. Those who call on the Lord, shall be saved.

“All those who the Father gives me will come to me. Him who comes to me I will in no way cast out.”

John 6:37

The promise is secure. Whoever comes to the Lord or salvation will not be turned away. In that holy city of Mount Zion and Jerusalem, there will be the multitude of people who have been delivered from the clutches of sin and have escaped the day of God’s fierce wrath. The Lord has promised it, so it is true and will happen. There will be a remnant that will be saved for the coming kingdom, a people of God saved for the Lord Jesus Christ and who will not just escape but entering their rest forever. All judgment will be past for them and they will enter the inheritance stored up for them in heaven. There they will reign with Christ forever in peace and glory.

Why would we pass up on this? The choice could not be more stark. Eternal bliss or eternal loss. The offer of mercy goes out to all. Whoever will come and repent and leave their sin, put their trust in the living Saviour will be in that blessed remnant. Not everyone will be saved, only those who will humble themselves and respond to the call of God.

Beloved, the offer could not be clearer.

“Whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved..”

Romans 10:13

It is a certainty and God waits to hear the call of repentant sinners who will seek Him. Do not delay. The days are becoming short and the messages are not clear. The Word of the Lord calls out to you… escape while there is still time…

On-the-street

Stories of a street patrol in London. Available on Amazon…this book is a collection of stories of contents and encounters on the streets. I hope it will warm your heart and lift it in praise to the Lord.

If you search the name of the book and the authors name you will find it.

On the street Shirley Hamilton

Day of the Lord

“The sun will be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes.”

These signs will appear just before the end. It is not wise to delay salvation to our perceived last moment. The signs will be very frightening and everyone will know the end is in sight and Christ will appear to take His Christians away out of the troubles and judgment. But there will also be a time of great hardness of heart and strong delusion in those dreadful days. People will experience great fear, yet their rebellious hearts will still not bend or bow to the Saviour God has sent to us in great love. People will still reject the Lord because of the delusion that abounds and the exclusivity of the mark of the Beast, which will preclude the wearer from entering the kingdom.

Do not wait for the last signs. Jesus calls to us now and now is the day of salvation.

“But he answered them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, but no sign will be given it but the sign of Jonah the prophet. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the whale, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.”

Matthew 12:39-40

The final sign of salvation has already happened – the death and resurrection of our Saviour, the Lord Jesus. There is no more sign! People always want more or some sort of personal sign, but it is evil to require more than God has provided. Should you see the sun darkened, it will only generate fear, as the recent historical events engender fear, but there will be no repentance and no more day of salvation. The Lord will return with a shout and the trumpet will sound, the last trumpet. The dead will be raised incorruptible and the kingdom will come in all its eternal glory.

Beloved, do not be caught out, or caught hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. There is no time to procrastinate. The Lord still waits, but the hour is almost midnight, when the cry will go up…

“Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of his holy ones…”

Jude 1:14

Wonders

“I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth: blood, fire, and pillars of smoke.”

There will be physical indicators in the end times that the coming of the Lord is very near. The natural world will become uneasy as if in expectation of its deliverance from the grip of human sin. The New Testament also speaks to us of these phenomenon. Matthew, Mark, Luke and the book of Acts tells us about the time after the tribulation when these signs will take place. Peter refers to the prophet Joel in his preaching and Jesus speaks of these events in His teaching also.

“But immediately after the oppression of those days, the sun will be darkened, the moon will not give its light, the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken; and then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky.”

Matthew 24:29-30

The end will come quickly, but the signs will all be there to warn the inhabitants of earth that the Lord is coming imminently. Beloved, we must all be ready for this time and for the Saviour who will return and be the judge of all the earth.

The book of Revelation tells us that though the signs of His coming are blatant, most will turn away, such is the unbelief that resides in the human heart and the folly that ruins our psyche. Do not wait until your heart is too hard to turn and humble yourself before the Lord, but come when He is calling you. Perhaps you hear him now…

Now is the time to repent and be saved, for His Spirit will not always speak to you. Do not delay any longer, but repent from your sinful heart and ways and find the freedom that is only found in Christ. He alone is able to save, for He has given His life as a random to set you free.

In those days

“And also on the servants and on the handmaids in those days, I will pour out my Spirit.”

In these last days of human history, God will pour out His Spirit in a full and free way. There will be no discrimination between, master and servant, man or woman. The power of the Holy Spirit and the gifting of the Lord does not depend on us or on our education, experiences or status in this life. God is no respecter of persons and will bless those who He chooses, as He also saves to eternal life those He sets His heart upon.

The pouring out of the Spirit will mean the greater gifts will be in abundance and the fruit of the Spirit will be powerful in the lives of the people of God. There will be people with clarity about the Word of God and powerful prayerfulness. There will be deep understanding of the Truth of God and the powerful and fruitful preaching of the gospel. There will be the raising up of women and men, old and young – all who the Spirit of God should set His heart upon. They will be given the understanding and power of the Spirit to minister in the realm God requires of them, not in the limelight, but quietly and privately in the lives of those around them, who God deigns to listen.

We have had these days of abundance, now seem to be entering a time of spiritual destitution and lack of the fruit of the Spirit. We could be on the brink of the time of tribulation when the people of God will suffer persecutions and great hardship. The promise of the Word of God is that we will be kept by His power and provided for. The Lord Jesus is coming soon and we must be ready and glad for His appearing. Only those who are truly the Lord’s people will persevere to the end in these powerfully evil days of persecution and oppression of Christian people.

We listen to those who love the Lord and display the fruit of the Spirit in their lives. We support each other, check each other and help each other along the heavenly pathway to reach home with joy and victory. This is the aim of the church of Christ – to bring the elect people into the fellowship and keep ourselves in the love of God.

The gospel age may be coming to a close, so we work doubly hard to bring in the remnant of the people of God and preach the gospel with clarity and persuasiveness. The trumpet must yet sound, for the Lord tarries. There is work yet to be done and souls still to be saved.

Beloved, we cannot tell how our ministry of the Lord will work out so we sow the seed at every opportunity that the gospel will succeed and the Word of God will not return void.

“In the morning sow your seed, and in the evening don’t withhold your hand; for you don’t know which will prosper, whether this or that, or whether they both will be equally good.”

Ecclesiastes 11:6

Pour out

“It will happen afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; and your sons and your daughters will prophesy. Your old men will dream dreams. Your young men will see visions.”

There are many in these days who love this verse and consider it to be applicable to the days in which we now live. We are at the end of the gospel era, and the Lord will return soon. God is going to pour out His Holy Spirit in the last days, in a special way that gives access into His mind and heart like no other. There are many who claim this place, but are patently false. There are many who want this place but are not willing to fulfil the criteria to possess it.

To be in tune with God requires holiness of life and a heart that is like the heart of God. The carping of our human desires has no hold on us and we live obedient lives unto the Lord. Many grasp for the name of “prophet” or “priest” but have no intention of practicing obedience or self-sacrifice. They use godless human means to feather their spiritual nest, set themselves up as women or men of God and dupe many into supporting them. We are all too gullible and forget the pictures we have been given in the Scripture of the “man of God.” They were upheld only by the grace of God and His power. They did not seek their own good but gave up all rights to comfort and acclaim in this sinful world. They were hated and hunted and put to death for their message and demeanour, but God highly exalted them.

Do we really want this? Am I prepared for that level of sacrifice and sanctification?

There are some who live like this, but they are not recognised nor acclaimed, but live for God in silence and ignominy. They do mighty deeds, but hidden from the glare of public scrutiny and the stultifying effects of celebrity. God has His women and men in every place and He is raising them to serve Him as He sees fit. He will empower them and give the strength they need and the required faith to serve Him. In these last days we need women and men who will sacrifice the right to recognition in this present evil age, and devote themselves to the Word of God and prayer. There are few who want this kind of acclaim from the Lord, but He will personally bless us if we give our lives to Him. We do not seek the publicity of the labels, but walk in humility and grace with God.

“But know this, that in the last days, grievous times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy… holding a form of godliness, but having denied its power.”

2 Timothy 3:1-2,5

In the midst

“You will know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the Lord, your God, and there is no one else; and my people will never again be disappointed.”

God will not allow our souls to be lost or for us to be disappointed in our Christian life. It is easy to be disappointed in other Christians and in our church situations, but the Lord is so faithful to us and will not allow us to be cast down and fall away from the faith. We keep our trust in Him and our eyes fixed on our Saviour Jesus. There are many disappointing things that happen, but if our gaze is fixed on what the Lord is doing and on His person, we will not be disappointed. Our hope is not in humans but in the Lord Jesus.

We can become disillusioned with the Christian culture and the social situation, and we must not allow that to makes us disillusioned with our life in Christ. We guard our hearts jealously and keep the light of our faith burning brightly in the middle of all turmoils and trials.

As Christian people we are more than bodies but have souls that are now made alive to God and they must be fed and kept right in fellowship with the Lord. If we are disobedient and disrespectful of the Lord and His ways, we cannot expect to be in that close place of fellowship with Him. This is why it is so important to keep short accounts with the Lord and to be very careful to honour and obey Him who loves us and who we also love in return.

The Lord will be in the very centre of our lives and dwell amongst us with great power and glory. We will be able to see it and our faith will be rampant against the disappointments of life, in that we will not be disappointed in the Lord and His spiritual provision for us. He himself will dwell in the midst of us, in our life, psyche and circumstances. We can trust in him because of who He is and what He has done.

“I heard a loud voice out of heaven saying, “Behold, God’s dwelling is with people, and he will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.”

Revelation 21:3

Daughters of the Kingdom

Women who glorify God