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Fire For The Nations
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Connecting Prophetic Dots
Brothers & Sisters,
I'd like to take a few moments to share some things the Lord has laid on my heart. I am not coming with a ‘thus says the Lord' word, but rather with some thoughts and possible insights for your prayerful consideration.
One of the things I believe the Church needs to come to grips with is that there is a day of fulfillment for the things God has spoken. Let me give you two examples from the life of Jesus. First, when Jesus began His public ministry He entered the synagogue like so many other times (Luke 4:16) and reads from the book of Isaiah (what we call chapter 61) which says, in part, that the Spirit of the Lord is upon Him. He then sits down and as all eyes focus on Him, he declares that the 700 year old prophecy has been fulfilled today (Luke 4:21).
The second example is the occasion of Jesus' first miracle at the wedding of Cana (see John 2). When Mary informs Him that the wine has run out, Jesus tells her, "My hour has not yet come" (2:4). Almost immediately Jesus instructs the servants to fill waterpots with water which He then turns into wine. What happened? We know that Jesus does nothing on His own initiative, but only the things He sees or hears from the Father (see John 8:28, 5:19). Apparently, in one moment it went from ‘not time' to ‘time'.
Ecclesiastes 3:1 tells us, "There is an appointed time for everything." I believe God has an appointment on His calendar with the city of Pittsburgh. Many of you are familiar with the compilation of prophetic words I put together entitled The Coming Pittsburgh Revival. On the CD we produced is a prophecy given by Kim Clement that ties the timing of the revival with the Steelers winning the Super Bowl. I believe the original prophecy was given before their loss in 1996. For some there was great cause for excitement when the Steelers won the Super Bowl in 2006, but obviously we haven't seen what we are anticipating and praying for. (I do believe that some significant things took place in the Spirit realm beginning in 2006).
A couple of weeks ago I publicly shared a thought, ‘what if' the victory of three years ago was the beginning of the former rain and a victory on February 1st ushers in the latter rain? This was before the game against Baltimore. Then on this past Saturday evening, a pastor friend voiced this same thought to me and Renaid.
At this point I need to interject some thoughts from a friend who is an intercessor. Andrea is from Hungary and says she knows or cares little about football. The night before the Baltimore game she had a dream that the Steelers won and there were four touchdowns in the game. Since this is what happened (each team had 2 touchdowns but the Steelers also had 3 field goals and won 23-14), the Lord had her attention. As she sought the Lord, she realized that Ravens (Baltimore's mascot) are black birds and are symbols of death (the name was taken from a poem by Edgar Allen Poe). Pittsburgh's next opponent is the Arizona Cardinals. Cardinals are red birds that are seed eaters. Cardinals are also the highest ranking priests in the Catholic Church, and as such represent the religious spirit that is so prevalent over this city and state.
The issue here is not really football and this is certainly not an attack on the Catholic Church. We believe that God has given us a picture in the natural to illustrate spiritual truths. If the spirit of death has been defeated (we know this has already taken place through the work of Jesus at Calvary), and the religious spirit is bound, cast out, and defeated then the Church of Pittsburgh will be free to move into the fullness of its spiritual destiny.
Before I share about how I believe we should confront the religious spirit, let me share a little about what it is and does. For the sake of brevity, I'm just going to list some points and scripture references that you can read if you like (I don't claim this to be all inclusive).
The religious spirit:
1. Exalts tradition above God's Word - Matt 15:1-9
2. Concerns itself with outward appearance - 2 Cor 5:12, Mark 12:38-40, Col 2:23
3. Denies the power of God - 2 Tim 3:5
4. Hates true worship - Matt 4:9-10
5. Confines people & activities - Prov 29:25, Luke 13:14, John 4:20
6. Takes the emphasis off Christ and puts it on self - Gal 2:21
7. Hates the message of grace - Acts 20:24; John 1:17; Rom 3:24, 4:16, 5:2, 6:14, 11:6; 1 Cor 15:10; 2 Cor 12:9; Eph 2:8-9; Titus 2:11; James 4:5; 1 Peter 1:13
Several years ago the Lord spoke to me to ‘expose the religious spirit'. I truly was surprised by what the Lord showed me concerning point #7 above. The religious spirit vehemently hates the message of grace! We know the traditional definition of grace to be "God's unmerited favor". However, sometimes as Christians we hear things without really understanding them so I would like share what I believe the Lord gave me concerning grace. Grace is being accepted without having to first become acceptable. So many people think they aren't ‘good enough' to come to God. No one is. And you don't have to clean up before you take a bath. The religious spirit doesn't want people to get the revelation from the old hymn, that we can come to God, "Just As I Am".
You may not be a football fan or in particular a Steelers fan. But I hope you are a fan of revival and a fan of Jesus. I want to invite you to join us around the city and across Pennsylvania to deal with the religious spirit. The way the Lord has shown us to deal with the religious spirit is found in the book of Zechariah, chapter 4, verses 6 & 7:
So he answered and said to me:"This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel:‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,' says the Lord of hosts. ‘Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain! And he shall bring forth the capstone with shouts of "Grace, grace to it!"'"
It is not our might that is sufficient, but His. It is not our power that is sufficient, but His. The mountains of opposition in our lives will become plains when we begin to declare, "Grace, grace!" As some have said, let's stop telling God how big our mountains are, but tell the mountains how big our God is. Let's begin to lift up individual and corporate shouts of "Grace, grace, and more grace!" in the face of the religious spirit. Lord, give us what the early church had - ‘Great grace'.
Does this mean that we can't have revival if the Steelers don't win? No, I don't believe so. But perhaps God has given us a sign along the way to encourage us. What if?
Blessings & love,
Ray & Renaid
The Coming Pittsburgh Revival
This is an updated release of a compilation of prophetic words that I originally sent out in September 2005.
We have found that many people in the
I am sometimes asked to define "the city of
I also believe that God is directing me to get these words into the hands of the pastors in the surrounding area. Please pray for receptive hearts, as I believe that God is also saying that it is time to call pastors together.
The
The earliest known prophecy that we are aware of was related to us by
The
Another word was related by John Kilpatrick, who was the pastor during the revival at
Pennsylvania, the Keystone State
During the 2005 Holy Spirit Seminar at Greater Works Outreach, a word came forth from Lance Wallnau that God had wanted to use the city of Philadelphia, but "the apostolic anointing that was there was taken out in it's youth" so that it could not do what was intended. The enemy then tried to destroy it in
The
In August 2005, we met a pastor from
A Call to Pittsburgh
During the 2006 National Day of Prayer gathering in Washington, DC, Dr. Henry Blackaby, the honorary chairman, stated that he and others believe that there are 3 cities in America that are "ripe for Holy Spirit revival." They are
What Will the Emphasis Be?
Before we had heard any of these words, God put it in our hearts to pray and believe God for revival in our city. We have learned that each revival has a different emphasis. What God did in
One of the first people I heard that confirmed this was James Goll, a prophetic voice in the body of Christ. James was visiting
Another confirmation came from John Mulinde of
Re-digging the Healing Wells of the Past
Many in our city have been praying and "re-digging" these healing wells. In the spring of 2005, the Lord spoke to me to, "Proclaim the opening of the healing wells in
I know that many of us have found ourselves in a major spiritual battle. I believe one of the reasons is the magnitude of what we are praying for. I don't think we understand how big this thing is that God wants to do. John Mulinde spoke to us that, "this is bigger than you realize." It seems the Lord reminds me of this often. Habakkuk 1:5 says, "Look among the nations! Observe! Be astonished! Wonder! Because I am doing something in your days-You would not believe if you were told." I believe one of the reasons God has not revealed all that He is planning, is to keep us out of unbelief. I believe the Lord showed me that what we are contending for has "international ramifications." It seems from church history that other revivals have had that. Why would
A final word that the Lord has been speaking to me about is "unprecedented." Renaid keeps getting the scripture, "Eye has not seen, ear has not heard" (1 Cor 2:9). A number of people believe that this will be a sustained revival, not a short lived one. Some may know that William Penn spoke of a "Holy Experiment" and
I believe the Lord is telling us to get ready, that this is much bigger than what we realize, and that He wants to do this far more than we want Him to. Please keep praying, believing, expecting. In some ways, we believe it's already begun!
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Recently I pulled up in our driveway and tried to get out of the car with several items in my hand. I was on my cell phone and had about 3 ounces of water left in a 24 ounce glass. Besides the car keys, I only had two other small items. I think it had just started to rain and I wanted to carry everything inside in one trip. But as I tried to collect everything in my hands while I continued to talk, I found myself having a ridiculously difficult time. When I got out of the car I dropped my keys and then the car door didn’t close completely. I finally had to put the phone and the other items down to go back for the keys and to close the door. I was reminded that many times we try to do too many things at one time. (It never crossed my mind to spill out the water instead of trying to keep from spilling it).
What is that in your hand?
When God revealed Himself to Moses at the burning bush, He commissioned him to travel to Egypt to deliver God’s people. Moses responded by asking, “What if they will not believe me or listen to what I say?” (Ex 4:1) The Lord then asked, “What is that in your hand?” And he said, “A staff.” (v.2) For Moses, the staff represented all that he was – a shepherd. Yet God told him to throw it to the ground. I wonder how many of us are willing to lay down who we are or what we’re doing? (We will come back to this story in a few moments).
An untold story
About 18 months ago, as we were seeking the Lord going into 2007, Renaid heard the Lord say that we were to “lay all our crowns down” (see Rev 4:10). We understood that all aspects of our ministry were “on the table.” Nothing was sacred. Almost from the beginning, I knew that the monthly “Signs & Wonders Gatherings” were going to stay down. We were fairly certain that the church, Victory Christian Tabernacle, would continue. But there was another ministry that we had been involved with for over two years. We were apart of “Voice of the Bride”, doing prophetic worship and intercession around the city. We had been together, on average, three times a month for those two years. They (VOB) led worship for our monthly meetings and conferences. We helped facilitate prayer during their monthly worship times of 8 or 24 hours. We met together on a regular basis for prayer. Suddenly, and unexpectedly, the Lord spoke to both Renaid and me that we were not to continue. Part of us sure wanted to, but to do so would have been disobedience.
It was after we laid down these two ministries that the Lord began speaking to us about helping to start a house of prayer – House of His Presence Pittsburgh.
Mission trip to Ireland
Several years ago, the Lord spoke to Renaid about going to Ireland. He confirmed it by telling me when and why. He wanted us to be in Ireland on St. Patrick’s Day (March 17) to “re-dig the wells of Patrick.” We had to do some historical research to understand what that meant, but that’s another story.
We connected with a church in the city of Cork and they invited us to come. They were having three meetings on St. Patrick’s Day. A few other opportunities for ministry opened up, but we found ourselves “sitting around” much more than to our liking. On many of our trips, we have found ourselves extremely busy and have always felt that’s why we were sent places – to minister.
One day, while in Ireland, I was telling the Lord that we would like to be busier. In my spirit came an immediate response – we could be busy or be obedient. Since obedience is better than sacrifice (1 Sam 15:22), we again chose to be obedient.
Testimony of Steve Gray
Steve Gray was the pastor of what became known as the Smithton Outpouring in Missouri. In his book, When the Kingdom Comes, Steve shares that on multiple occasions he would see God move powerfully when he ministered in other churches. But a few weeks later, a call would come that everything God had been doing stopped and pastors wondered why. Steve said that he would remember seeing the church bulletins in those places and think, “With all these activities, they don’t have time for revival.”
Graham Cooke’s children
Graham shares that when his children were small they would frequently ask for new toys. Graham would respond by saying that there really wasn’t anywhere to keep more toys. But the kids really liked the new toys their friends had or they had seen in a store. Graham would then tell them that if they wanted new toys they would have to clean out their closets and toy chests to make room for them. Eventually they “got it” and would begin making room whenever they wanted something else.
Tying this all together
Many are praying and asking God to send us revival. Is it possible that some of us need to lay down some things so that we can receive the new that the Lord wants to bring? Is it possible that we have so many ‘irons in the fire’, that we can’t keep them all hot? Is our ‘plate’ so full there is no room for anything else?
The testimony from Pensacola (Brownsville) was that revival will affect every area of our lives. Are we sure this is what we really want? Is it possible that in preparation for the promised outpouring, we need to make some changes? What I recently heard the Holy Spirit say is, “Many of My people are spread too thin.” I believe that we need to honestly ask the Lord to show us if there are areas of our lives where we are spread too thin. Are there things in our lives that God wants us to lay down?
The anointing on what remains
Remember the story of Moses? After God tells Moses to pick up his staff (which had become a serpent), Moses leaves for Egypt. Exodus 4:20 says that Moses took the staff of God with Him. Did you catch it? It used to be Moses’ staff, now it’s God’s. I believe there is a fresh anointing on whatever God allows to be picked up again. Let’s continue to get ready, for the greatest days are yet ahead. God bless you!
Prayer
Lord, help us to lay down anything You show us or tell us. Help us to let go of that which is precious to us if that’s what You require. Give us eyes to see the new things that You want to bring our way. Help us to stay humble with the new anointing on what remains. Amen.
We wanted to send this brief greeting and message as we begin 2008.
As much as I would like to read what others are receiving from the Lord, I felt that we needed to press in to hear what God is saying ourselves. We know that God has many vessels that He speaks through, but there is nothing like “fresh” revelation from heaven. When God then uses others to confirm what you believe you have heard, it increases our faith. As a church, we will be seeking the Lord together during this week but I have received a couple of things that I would like to pass on.
Initially, the only thing I was hearing was that 2008 is a year of new beginnings. I believe the Lord confirmed this as we started getting emails from various friends around the world saying the same thing. I was drawn to Isaiah 43:18-19: “Do not call to mind the former things, or ponder things of the past. Behold, I will do something new, now it will spring forth; Will you not be aware of it? I will even make a roadway in the wilderness, rivers in the desert.”
What I believe the Lord is saying is that before we even know what 2008 will bring, we need to say ‘good-bye’ to 2007 – “Do not call to mind the former things, or ponder things of the past.” We have heard of a number of high profile ministries say that 2007 was “the worst year of their lives.” Everyone we have talked with has said that last year was a difficult and trying year. Much of what we have experienced is part of the transition and preparation for what is ahead. Yes, God is doing something new. But we need to move on. “Calling to mind” means to talk about it. The scripture says don’t. If we are going to ponder something, let’s make it the promises of God, not old problems.
As I was preparing for our New Years Eve service, I felt God drop 4 thoughts regarding moving into our new beginnings.
1. LET GO OF THE PAST – Genesis 19:15-26 tells the account of Lot’s deliverance before Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed. Verse 17 says “Do not look behind you ….do not stay in the valley; escape to the mountains.” But we know that Lot’s wife looked back and became a pillar of salt. If God is telling you to let go or walk away from something, “Just do it!” Let’s move from our valleys to the mountain of the Lord.
2. EMBRACE THE UNKNOWN – To enter into our “new beginnings” we’re going to have to trust God. We don’t have to know what the future holds when we have confidence in the one who holds it. “By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going” (Heb 11:8). Proverbs tells us to trust God with all our heart and not to lean on our own understanding. We can’t keep trying to figure everything out! It’s okay to not know where you’re going.
3. BE WILLING TO DO AGAIN SOMETHING THAT PREVIOUSLY FAILED – After Peter and his friends had fished all night and were cleaning their nets, Jesus said, “Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.” In modern vernacular, Peter’s response was, “Been there, done that!” Luke 5:5 records it this way, “Master, we worked hard all night and caught nothing.” Some of the things we have tried to do for the Lord have not produced the results we were expecting. But the Lord may, in fact, tell us to try them again. Our natural mind will want to reason why we shouldn’t and can’t. But we need to do as Peter, “…but I will do as You say.” The disciples caught a great quantity of fish when Peter obeyed. One area that was highlighted New Years Eve was healing. Sometimes we hesitate to pray for the sick because others we prayed for were not healed. But we need to step out and obey the Lord when He directs us and when the opportunity is there.
4. RECOGNIZE & DON’T DESPISE SMALL BEGINNINGS – We need the aid of the Holy Spirit to see what others do not. When Jesus is presented in the temple at approximately six weeks of age (see Luke 2 & Leviticus 12), a man named Simeon is there in the temple. God had told Simeon that he would see the Messiah before he died. As he takes the child into his arms, he tells the Lord he is now ready to die. By the Spirit, Simeon knows and sees something that others do not. He sees in infant form what is not yet full grown. We need to see with the eyes of our spirit so that when the “new beginnings” begin, we don’t miss them. Some of the modern translations of Zechariah 4:10 say: “Don’t think small beginnings are unimportant” (NCV) and “Do not despise small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin” (NLT). In Minnesota where the Mississippi River begins, it is only ankle deep, not the flowing river we see in St. Louis and New Orleans. But, it’s still the Mississippi River.
Father, I pray that as we transition into 2008, we will let go of the past, embrace the future, be willing to try again, and recognize “the new” while it is still small.
In worship at church last Saturday, I heard the Lord say that “2008 is a year of open doors”. I’ll write more about this at a later time.
Blessings & love,
Ray & Renaid
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2008 - A YEAR OF OPEN DOORS
Dear Brothers & Sisters in Christ,
When I wrote our New Years message about this being a year of new beginnings, I concluded by saying the Lord had also said that 2008 is a year of open doors and I would write more later. For the past several days, and specifically today, God has impressed on my heart that now is the time to release this word.
It was during a time of worship on New Years Eve when I heard the Lord speak. I have since seen that many others are releasing messages along these lines. I felt that I needed to guard myself from reading what others were saying about this year so that I could hear what God was saying to us personally and corporately. I certainly believe the Lord can speak to us through others, but I have learned there is a great deal more faith released in our lives when God speaks something directly to our hearts. Hearing the same words from others can confirm and even increase our conviction about what we heard.
In addition to sharing the things I believe the Lord revealed, I also want to share a little of the process involved. We believe that even though the Lord wants to speak to all of His children (and we teach how you can hear Him), we are all still learning and we want to help others grow as much as possible.
When the Lord first spoke about open doors, my first reaction was to think about doors that He might open for me and Renaid. We have numerous promises of God opening doors, so I was excited to hear these words. The scriptures teach that when the Lord opens a door, no one can close it (see Rev 3:7-8). I was getting ready to speak forth this word when God spoke to me again. (Now let me interject here that one of the ways God speaks to us is by bringing to mind a passage of scripture which we are familiar with.) What the Lord brought to mind was Revelation 4:1 which describes a door standing open in heaven. I believe the Lord is saying that not only is He opening doors for us, but He is opening doors for Himself. I’ll comment a little more on these thoughts later.
After I spoke out these two revelations, we continued in our corporate worship. It wasn’t long before the Lord brought to mind another passage of scripture. In John 10, verses 7 and 9, Jesus identifies Himself as “the door”. Now I had three “interpretations” to what I had heard. Which one is correct? Well, I believe they all are. Although my first thoughts in response to what I heard were not wrong, I soon realized they were incomplete. I know from previous experience that it is possible to misinterpret, as well as completely misunderstand and reject, something God says. Perhaps this is a good reminder to not run ahead too quickly when the Lord speaks.
The following Saturday at church, the Lord led me share about a specific door – the door of hope. This is found in Hosea 2:15. This is the place where we need to transition from last year’s trouble (Achor) to our new beginnings.
Doors of opportunity
So, what is the Lord saying to us? I believe that 2008 is the time to walk into our prophetic destinies. We have spent time in preparation, and though none of us will “arrive” or become perfect this side of heaven, it is time to walk through the doors of opportunity that God will open this year. God uses imperfect people. Some doors will be seen clearly. Some doors will require discernment when there are multiple openings since we obviously can’t do two things, or be in two places, at once. Other doors will not open until we approach them in obedience, as when Peter was led by an angel out of prison (Acts 12:1-10) and when the priests stepped into the water and the Jordan River parted (Joshua 3:15-16).
“Come up here and I will show you...”
But what about the heavenly door? I believe God is opening doors of revelation this year. He wants to reveal things to come (Rev 4:1), His secrets (Ps 25:14), and His faithfulness (Rev 19:11), among other things. An open door in heaven allows for the release of His provision (Mal 3:10), as well as angelic activity (John 1:51). We could say more about angels, but will save that until a future message. Some of the revelation we receive will be spiritual keys and how to use them correctly.
Jesus is the door
When the Lord spoke that He is the door, I also received a mental picture (vision) of an hour glass. An hour glass is large both at the top and the bottom, with a thin passage or neck in the center. As the door, Jesus stands in the middle of the hour glass. To receive the things of heaven above, we’re going to have to go through Jesus. Even for the doors on earth, we will find that we have to go through Jesus. What do I mean by this? I believe there are many things (blessings, ministry) that the Lord wants to give us, but there are also things (issues, sins) in our lives that the Lord wants to deal with first. We all want the things He has promised, but Jesus is much more concerned about our character than our ministry. He is more concerned with our conformity (see Rom 8:29) than our comfort. There is no getting around this – Jesus loves us too much.
Prayer
Lord, help us submit to your dealings with us so that we can walk into, and receive, all that you have for us in 2008.
Blessings & love,
Ray & Renaid
P.S. Please feel free to forward our messages or use them to preach from (you wouldn’t be the first).
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I want to share something that the Lord spoke to me just before one of our Saturday night church services began.
Before I do, however, let me share a little background. For the past number of months, I have found it more and more difficult to get the mind of the Lord for the weekly message or sermon, as we call it. It's not that I haven't been seeking the Lord and studying – it's just that identifying what I believe God is saying for His body has been difficult to discern.
I have had thoughts ranging from, "a sermon is what is expected from a pastor every week," to "what makes you think you have to have a prepared message?" I believe I have learned that what I share in any given message is not simply from the study leading up to the message, but an accumulation of God's dealings and life lessons. We must learn to minister from His heart and not be dependant on our ability to prepare. (Again, I want to reiterate that I am NOT saying don't spend time studying and seeking the Lord). Recently Francis Frangipane shared that on one occasion the Lord spoke to him that he was called to "prepare people", not sermons.
I have found that God has been faithful to provide "food" for His people each week. Sometimes, it comes the day before or the day of the meeting. I've become more comfortable with being more dependant. I remember on one occasion several years ago that I didn't have a message at 8:00 am Sunday morning and church began at 10. Finally, in desperation, I said to the Lord, "if You don't speak to me, I'll just have to go in there and be led by the Spirit." His response? "That's the message." I spent about 10 or 15 minutes putting together scriptures on being led by the Spirit and it turned out fine.
There are the times that I have prepared what I believed He directed me to and then He has the nerve to change the message during the worship. Sorry, I almost forgot – He's in charge of the meeting.
I've shared this to hopefully encourage you. I've learned that if I'm going through something, then others probably are as well. Oh yeah! What did God say to me last week? He said, "For what is coming, you have to learn how to flow with the Spirit."
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This message is not intended to be all inclusive. As soon as this was teaching was first given, additional ways came to mind. Neither is it "to read" as an article, but to provoke thought and personal study. It can also be used as a guide for intercessory prayer. May we all be touched and moved in our hearts not to miss God.
1. DOUBT & UNBELIEF--Matt 13:58, James 1:5-8, Heb 3:19, Heb 4:2
2. PRIDE--James 4:6, Matt 5:3 (unteachable)
3. UNWILLINGNESS--Matt 23:37 (KJV--"would not," not, "could not")
4. NOT LETTING HIM IN--Luke 2:7, Rev 3:20)
5. DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING FOR--Gen 28:16
6. PRECONCEIVED IDEAS (UNEXPECTED FORM) - Mark 6:3, Luke 24:15-16, Mark 16:12
7. SATISFACTION WITH THE OLD/GOOD--Luke 5:38-39
8. HALF-HEARTEDNESS--Jer 29:13
9. "BEEN THERE, DONE THAT" - Luke 5:4-5
10.
11. TRYING TO FULFILL GOD'S PROMISES IN THE FLESH--Gen 15:2-4, Gen 16:2, John 3:6, Gal 3:3
12. "WE'VE NEVER DONE IT THIS WAY BEFORE" - Isaiah 42:9
