Our Western calendar year begins January 1^st each year. The Hebrew calendar begins with the Feast of Trumpets in September. There is also something I call “The Prophetic Year,” which ends and begins with the 8^th day of Tabernacles.

We have had time to observe this Prophetic Year for about 30 years now, so we are beginning to understand its significance and how it works. Essentially, the biblical feast days set forth a long-term prophetic plan involving the two comings of Christ (Spring and Autumn feasts). But in addition to this, every year when we watch (observe) the feast days, we see a progression of the divine plan.

Each year builds on the progress from the previous year. Each year has its own distinct purpose. This divine purpose for this past year has been to make us conscious of our Identity in Christ. (This also involved the identification of Joseph, as portrayed in the 33 Chilean miners who were brought up from the pit—the San José mine—on Oct. 13, 2010.) This has prepared the way for the coming year, the Year of the Awakening.

Awakening is symbolized by almonds in Scripture, because almonds are shaped like an eye. Also, the almond tree “awakens” first in the Spring. So the coming year has everything to do with almonds, authority, and Aaron’s rod that budded almonds.

Aaron’s Rod that Bore Almonds

When the authority of Moses and Aaron was challenged in the Korah rebellion, God settled the issue by a decree from the Divine Court. The story is told in Numbers 17. The twelve princes of the tribes were to give up their rods of authority and place them in the tabernacle for God to determine who was truly in authority.

⁷ So Moses deposited the rods before the Lord in the tent of the testimony. ⁸ Now it came about on the next day that Moses went into the tent of the testimony; and behold, the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi had sprouted and put forth buds and produced blossoms, and it bore ripe almonds.

This miracle revealed that the authority of Moses and Aaron was authentic, and it silenced those who mistakenly believed that they were called.

Jeremiah Sees an Almond Tree

Many years later, when God called Jeremiah, he was shown an almond tree to signify two things: (1) that Jeremiah was truly called and authorized in face of opposition from both priests and king; (2) that God would “watch” over His word in order to fulfill it. Jer. 1:11, 12,

¹¹ And the word of the Lord came to me saying, “What do you see, Jeremiah?” And I said, “I see a rod of an almond tree.” ¹² Then the Lord said to me, “You have seen well, for I am watching over My word to perform it.”

When used in this manner, the almond rod (or tree) indicates that the eyes of God see and watch over the word of authority that proceeds from the one given the rod.

The Challenge in 2001

On November 30, 2000, we reached the end of the 7½ year transition from Saul to David. The Saul Church “died” on May 30, 1993 after reigning 40 Jubilees. It was a reign patterned after the reign of King Saul, who himself was crowned on the day of “wheat harvest,” later known as Pentecost (1 Sam. 12:17). Saul’s 40-year reign was a type of the 40 Jubilee reign of the Church under Pentecost.

The transition from Saul to David took 7½ years (2 Sam. 5:5). At first, David ruled over the tribe of Judah only, but after 7½ years, the rest of tribes came to crown him king over all Israel. This incremental transfer of authority prophesied of our own time. When “Saul” died in 1993, the overcomers (representing David) were given sufficient authority to begin conducting the Jubilee Prayer Campaign beginning in November of 1993.

When the transition time was complete on Nov. 30, 2000, the overcomers were given the full complement of authority necessary to complete the Jubilee Prayer Campaign that was to continue until October 7, 2006.

This increase in authority, however, was challenged just two months after it was given. God gave us revelation on January 22/23, 2001 that this challenge was to be answered on January 29. So California Bob and I went before the Divine Court that morning and answered the challenge.

An hour later, I received a challenge in the mail from a Wisconsin woman named Katherine. We then asked God how to handle this challenge, and we were led to go back to the Divine Court and lay up our rods of authority before God and allow Him to make the determination.

You see, it is not for us to establish our own authority. Authority is authorized, and whenever there is a challenge, it is to be referred to the Divine Court for clarification.

The Lord told us then that His decree would be made at noon, February 21.

Then Sunny Day Roberts called for “almond” meetings Feb. 21 and 22 at the DoubleTree hotel in Minneapolis. I saw the connection immediately to the almond tree and knew that God would make His ruling at noon that day.

As it turned out, the Tom and Michele Berry decided to attend the meetings, and their plane was scheduled to arrive at 11:32 a.m. I knew then that they were the sign of the almond trees bringing forth fruit (berries), and it was then obvious that their plane would be a few minutes late. As it turned out, I met them at precisely noon.

Why NOON? Because the Hebrew letter nun, or noon, means fish, as in a swarm of fish. It denotes coming to life. Applied to the almond rod, it meant that the rod of authority given to the overcomers (David company) had come to life and had become fruitful.

This is also why Joshua was the son of Nun (Ex. 33:11). As a type of Christ, he was the son of Life. Likewise, he is connected to Jonah, another type of Christ, who is figuratively the son of the Fish.

Aaron’s Rod in 2011

We understood for a long time that the Hezekiah Factor would be important in the connection between 2001 and 2011. So it was not surprising that on Feb. 6, 2011, The Superbowl was won by the Green Bay Packers led by Aaron Rodgers. Ron called him “Aaron’s Rod,” and we understood that this was a sign to us.

The authority of Aaron’s rod is only given to the New Creation Man, because that is Christ in you. So the theme of this past year primarily has been about identifying with Christ in you, and not the old Adamic man of sin and death. How we answer the question, “who am I?” will determine who is truly commissioned to possess Aaron’s rod and to do the work that lies ahead in the coming Year of Awakening.

San Francisco “Quail and Manna” Conference

On March 11, 2011 the Quail and Manna conference began in San Francisco just as the small tidal wave was washing the city’s shoreline from the tsunami that had hit Japan a few hours earlier.

We met at the Airport DoubleTree hotel on the 70^th day of the year. The Hebrew letter ayin, which means “an eye,” is also the Hebrew number for 70. The letter was originally written in the shape of an eye prior to the Babylonian captivity. So we knew that this was another connection to Aaron’s rod bringing forth almonds.

Likewise, the number 70 is indicates the Restoration of all nations. There are 70 nations listed in Genesis 10, which represent all nations of the earth.

Likewise, Paul says in Rom. 3:23 that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” The glory of God is represented by the number 1000, and Adam died at the age of 930 (Gen. 5:5). He fell 70 years short of the glory. Hence, 70 is the Restoration Factor in restoring the glory, and it is bound up in this concept of the ayin, “eye,” that is shaped like an almond and means “awakening.”

The Climax of the Year of Identification (2011)

As we approached the end of the past Prophetic Year, we seemed to have a flurry of revelation involving eyes. Much of this came on October 19 and 20, which were the final days of the feast of Tabernacles ending the Prophetic Year.

Along with this, a revelation about reading glasses was sent to me from Northern Ireland, applicable on Oct. 20, the 8^th day of Tabernacles. With this was the Word to “reset the clock.” This indicated the beginning of the new Prophetic Year, and was one of the confirmations that we were now entering the Year of Awakening.

The St. Louis Conference: Oct. 7-9

Stone Kingdom Ministries sponsored a conference in St. Louis this past month at the Millennium Hotel. Over 270 people were registered, including many young people. (The official count was 271, as announced on the last day.) Normally, these conferences would be held during the Feast of Tabernacles, but this year it was held on the Day of Atonement (Oct. 8).

James had invited Vincent Imperial as one of the speakers. Vinnie’s ministry jolted quite a few people out of their comfort zone, as most of us are more used to Bible teaching. Vinnie’s ministry gave many a new experience with the Holy Spirit. You may read James’ report of the conference by going to: www.stone-kingdom.net .

All of the conference sessions will be posted online, or you can order them from:

Stone Kingdom Ministry

PO Box 5695

Asheville, NC 28813

Or call 828-277-7733

Hezekiah’s 15-year Extension

October 8, 2011 was the Day of Atonement this year. It was also precisely 15 years after the Day of Atonement in 1996, as measured by the Hebrew calendar. Of course, back in 1996, this day fell on Sept. 23.

On Sept. 23, 1996 we were led to declare the 120^th Jubilee from Adam. This declaration was made 10 years late, of course, since the actual 120^th Jubilee should have been declared Oct. 13, 1986.

Yet God allowed us to declare the Jubilee late, according to the pattern of Hezekiah. I have written about this many times in the past. The point is that on Sept. 23, 1996 God turned the clock back 10 years to 1986, and at the same time, He gave Hezekiah a 15-year extension of life. See 2 Kings 20:6-11.

That 15-year extension ended on Oct. 8, 2011 while we were at the conference in St. Louis. My second teaching was given on that Saturday, the Day of Atonement. I explained how Hezekiah was now dead, and Manasseh was coming to the throne (prophetically speaking).

Authority given to the Remnant

We were moving into a new realm of authority. The Remnant has received the authority of Aaron’s Rod.

Even as Hezekiah's son, Manasseh, took the throne after his father died, so also did we take the throne in some prophetic way. Manasseh was a prophesied type of the Remnant. It was prophesied of him in 2 Kings 19:30, 31,

³⁰ And the surviving Remnant of the house of Judah shall again take root downward and bear fruit upward. ³¹ For out of Jerusalem shall go forth a remnant, and out of Mount Zion survivors. The zeal of the Lord of hosts shall perform this.

The problem is that Manasseh was the most wicked king that Judah ever had. How could he be a type of the Remnant? The key is in the fact that Manasseh came to the throne TWICE. The first time he was a wicked king, and God sent him into a Babylonian captivity (2 Chron. 33:11). While in the Babylonian dungeon, Manasseh repented, and so God caused the Babylonians to reinstate him on his throne in Jerusalem (2 Chron. 33:13). Only then did he actually fulfill his prophetic calling as the Remnant type.

It is this SECOND enthronement that fulfills the type that we are now seeing. Manasseh was like a “surviving remnant” coming out of Babylon to “take root downward and bear fruit upward.” Manasseh was a forerunner of the Remnant of Judah that came out of the Babylonian captivity under Ezra a century later.

Scripture does not tell us how long Manasseh was in the Babylonian dungeon. However, when we look at what has been happening in our own time, we understand that its modern counterpart is 18 years (1993-2011). 18 is the biblical number for bondage and oppression.

Essentially, our modern Babylonian captivity which began in 1913-14 with the Federal Reserve Act should have ended in 1993-94 after 70 + 10 years. The biblical pattern was a 70-year captivity, which was extended by the Hezekiah Factor for another 10 years. So in November of 1993 we engaged in the Jubilee Prayer Campaign, appealing to the throne of God for deliverance from Babylon.

What we did not know at the time was that there was another Babylonian captivity from 1993-2011 to take into account Manasseh's captivity. It is like there have been TWO Babylonian captivities running consecutively. This second one allowed for the 13-year Jubilee Prayer Campaign (1993-2006), as well as the 15-year extension of Hezekiah's life (1996-2011).

It is quite complex, to be sure, but this was the revelation that I was given as I awoke on the morning of October 8. This was the subject of my second conference message in St. Louis later that day.

I know that God always has purpose in any increase in spiritual authority. It is certain that this increase is necessary in order to do a particular work in the days ahead. I did not know immediately what the nature of that work would be, but it has now become clear that it is to bring in the Awakening through the use of Aaron’s Rod.

The First Great Awakening (1740-1770)

The term “Great Awakening” was applied to the revival that occurred in New England during the 1730’s and 1740’s under the preaching of Jonathan Edwards and George Whitefield, an itinerant preacher who preached from 1740-1770.

Jonathan Edwards’ most famous sermon, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God,” was delivered in 1741, which was 271 years ago now. Perhaps, then, it was not a coincidence that the official count for the St. Louis conference was 271.

While the first Great Awakening was characterized by fear of an angry God, the second Awakening will present the respect we can have for a loving God who knows how to judge sinners with the goal of forgiveness and total reconciliation.

Twelve Years since Jesus’ 2000th Birthday

On the night of Sept. 11, 1999, we celebrated the 2000^th anniversary of Jesus’ birth.

Jesus was born on the feast of Trumpets in 2 B.C., a few months after the Roman Senate had passed its decree making Augustus Caesar the “Father of the Country.” This was done in honor of Augustus’ silver Jubilee (25^th anniversary since being crowned the Emperor of Rome) in February of 2 B.C. They decreed that every citizen in the Roman Empire should ratify that decree, one province after another, and the people of Judea signed the document in September of 2 B.C. That is how Joseph came to take Mary to Bethlehem as Luke 2 tells us.

Anyway, because there is no Year Zero, Jesus’ 2000^th birthday fell on the feast of Trumpets in 1999. We went to Port Austin, Michigan for that celebration. There we recognized that this was the end of the time given in Hosea 6:2, saying,

² He will revive us after two days; He will raise us up on the third day that we may live before Him.

Applying this according to 2 Peter 3:8, we saw this as the end of 2000 years dating from His birth. It was as if Christ was being raised up, or “born again,” except that this time it was His Body—the Remnant—being brought to birth.

So as of September 2011, the Remnant is now 12 years old. It is significant that when Jesus was 12, He was found in the temple and made this statement in 2:49,

⁴⁹ And He said to them, “Why is it that you were looking for Me? Did you not know that I had to be in My Father’s House?”

The KJV says, “I must be about My Father’s business.” But the Greek text does not say either house or business. For this reason, Young’s Literal Translation reads,

⁴⁹ And he said to them, “Why is it that ye were seeking Me? Did ye not know that in the things of My Father it behoveth me to be?”

I suggest that it should be read simply, “Did you not know that I had to be in My Father?”

“To be in My Father” means we are to do everything from the divine position, according to the mind of our Father. We have long recognized that the year 2012 was to be important in that the Remnant would be 12 years old at that time. We just did not know how it would manifest.

Manasseh was 12 also when he took the throne after his father died. We read in 2 Kins 21:1,

¹ Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem; and his mother was Hephzibah.

Since his father (Hezekiah) had been given a 15-year extension of life, this tells us that Manasseh was born three years into that time of extension. Applied to our situation today, prophetic Hezekiah received the extension of life in September of 1996, and prophetic Manasseh (The Remnant) was born in 1999.

In other words, Manasseh was a type of Christ and the Body of Christ. Hence, when “Hezekiah” died Oct. 8, 2011, it was like the “Manasseh” company (Remnant) came to the throne with Aaron’s Rod, and they were aware that they had to be in their Father.

While we did not know what to expect in years past, we now can see clearly that the overcoming Remnant has received a divine mandate and Aaron’s Rod of authority by which to decree the Second Great Awakening.

Although the authority is now bestowed, it is not yet clear how or when to apply it specifically. It is looking more and more like November 11 is a key date and could very well be the first major application of authority. That date may also prove to be the start of the first 76-day cycle of the new Prophetic Year.

No doubt we will have more information about this in next month’s bulletin, but all we know at the present time is that November 11, 2011 is 490 days after we cast the barley into the headwaters of the Mississippi River (July 9, 2010). That prophetic act initiated the 8^th sign of Elisha, resulting in the capping of the BP oil spill.

Remain watchful, and be blessed.