Joseph Prince - The Kairos Year Of Right Time, Right Place - Part 2

Praise the Lord, hallelujah. You see, it's a privilege, a wonderful privilege to preach the gospel, amen? And you have colleagues, you have relatives, family members, friends who are not saved. Friends, take it seriously, amen? I mean, to buy a house, or to save to buy a car, or you know, that kind of thing, these are things that support your life, but what's more important is that don't let the people around you not know Jesus, amen. The best way to love them is to give them Jesus, amen?

You know that you cannot be helping them all the time. You can give them money, you help them in certain areas. You send them to a doctor, you help them in their, probably in the area of their health, physical, but a lot of people are suffering depression. That's mental. Doctors cannot help that, amen, but Jesus can, amen. To a great extent, psychiatrists will tell you that there are certain things you need to follow and then they give you some medication as well. Thank God for doctors. Thank God for psychiatrists. They do their very best, but there is a depth because of the way God made man, spirit, soul, and body, every three parts has got to be ministered. And your loved one, your brother, your mother, your relative, your colleague, the one that you love, the one you think of most often, is that person saved? When Jesus comes to that person's life, I'll tell you this, that person will be so grateful to you.

Now, let's say, you know, a mother or a father may persecute you because you're a Christian. They may make fun of you, amen, but I'm telling you right now, I have a number of them now in heaven who used to make fun of me, amen. I used to, I remember my grandfather would tell me, all right, "Hey", I was just a young boy of six or seven. Think about it, talking to a six, seven-year-old boy. I already believed in Jesus and he says, "Pray right now. See you got bread come down or not. Come on, come on, pray, pray, pray, pray". Then he'd laugh, and laugh, and laugh, you know? Then he told me he goes to church when he was younger. "But I go to church, you know, I sing in the choir, but my eyes was looking at all the girls," he said. That's my grandfather, you know?

And when he shared that, he wasn't young, but those are his memories. Well, when he had a heart condition and it was really bad in the hospital, my mother was there and he was, like, going up and down, up and down. Again, doctors do their very best, but there he was. He was, like, desperate for air. He had a heart condition, and he went up and down, up and down. And he grabbed my mother, and he was not very clear or lucid in what he was saying, and he says, finally two words escaped his mouth. And because they are Peranakan, all right, Baba people, my mother is Baba, Peranakan, Strait Chinese, they speak a bit of Malay, amen. She says, "Forgive gua. That's what you must call upon Jesus," my mom said. "Say, 'Forgive gua. Forgive gua.'" Forgive me. Call upon Jesus.

And she knew that all his life, you know, he would persecute Christians, he would just make fun of them. He refused, even in his dying moments. He went up and down, up and down. Finally he looked up to heaven. That was the first time, my mother said, you can see almost a change. He looked up like he saw something there and he says, "Jesus, forgive gua". And there's a peace that came to him. My grandmother, all right, my mom's mom, was there. Wasn't a believer also. And from then on, he just, he fell back to his pillow, fell into a deep sleep, and that week he went back to be with Jesus. How many think the Lord is merciful? Right, even the last moment, like the thief at the cross, He will come and save you. But pray, don't take their salvation for granted. The best thing you can give your children is Jesus, amen.

I mean, think about it. You give them three hot meals a day, all right, you bathe them, you clothe them, but most importantly, what they need is Jesus. And what the world needs is Jesus, amen. Wasn't too long after that my grandmother got saved also. Because of what she saw, of what she saw happened, she received Jesus. So they are both right now jumping up and down in heaven, all right, young couple. Forever young, forever strong, forever healthy, amen? Praise the Lord, hallelujah. This year we're gonna see many salvations, amen? You see, the theme of the year has got to do with God's plans and purposes in your life. Whatever plans you have, all right, they are actually subservient. They are actually, they are within the plan, the overall plan of God this year.

So when you follow God, it's like when you follow the river that's going in one direction, whereas another river is going another direction, amen. Make sure that you're, if that is your destination, you don't jump on this river. You flow with this river. And another thing about rivers is that they just carry you. You don't carry the river, amen. Amen? You just get into the boat. And what do you do in the boat? You sit down. You rest, amen? The river will carry you. You just direct, amen. So Christian life is like that. It's a life of rest, and yet you direct. You follow the flow of the Spirit. It's like ever since power steering came in. Once the Holy Spirit comes inside you, you just have to decide, "No, I will not commit that sin," amen? You just decide in your spirit, "No". The Holy Spirit takes over. It's like power steering. You decide to go here and the power steering kicks in.

Remember those days, okay, don't put up your hands. It will show your age. Do you remember those days when you used to turn left and it goes like this... Remember that? And then you turn right, amen? And everyone look at you and you look constipated. Those days are gone ever since power steering came in, all right? You all ladies might not know or appreciate this, but I'm telling you, you are blessed 'cause we guys built our muscles with power steering, amen? I'm telling you, 100 years ago, I remember when I was driving, cheh, amen. Praise the Lord. I want to say that one day, amen, if Jesus tarries. I wanna say looking like this still, amen. Praise the Lord. How 'bout you, amen?

The Bible says, "We who are alive and remain to the coming of the Lord". He might come this year, but until then, sit back, watch this. The kairos year of "Right time, right place," amen. If you have not experienced this already, because I believe many of you have experienced this, amen, even these past few months especially, it accelerated. Already we received testimonies of which we only select two. We receive so many testimonies of people right time, right place. That Russian man, or that Russian lady, rather, who was about to commit suicide, she wasn't a believer, but she still wanna watch TV before she commits suicide, right? That urge, think about that. Who put that urge in her? I mean, when you're about, you are depressed, you don't wanna watch TV, amen. Maybe she thought that her final episode is up before. At least watch it, see what happen, all right, before she take her life. But whatever the urge was, I believe it was God who put it there, amen?

And then when she switched it on, it so happens right time. It was a kairos moment for her. And what's "kairos" in the Greek? Right time. It is a seasonable opportunity. It's a favorable, the word "opportunity" is from the word "opportune," a favorable time, amen? And then I came on. Now, I am very humbled to hear that God wants me to be the one to appear in spite of some people saying that my doctrine is wrong, but God thought that, "Put this guy down there. His doctrine might save her," and she got saved. So whatever it is, folks, I'm very humbled and complimented the Lord chose that particular episode, amen? Maybe, you know, you can argue as much as you want, but if you have a testimony like that, share with me about your ministry, about your revelation, that you don't agree with me about, never mind.

I always say, "Let the fruits speak for itself," because our Lord Jesus says, "By their fruits you shall know them," not by the talk, amen? Let Jesus receive all the glory, amen? God can use anybody, amen? But I must say that, you know, God does not, when I say God can use anybody, that's the material He can use, anybody. But then He doesn't let the anybody remain anybody. He will make sure that that person is ready and equipped, fit for the Master's use. That word "fit for the Master's use" means what? You have studied. You spend time in the Lord. You hear His voice, amen? He will choose you, amen. Can I have a good amen? And God doesn't choose lazy people also. You know, the fishermen were fishing, catching fish, right? Or they were mending their nets. They were doing something. When there's no fish, they mend their net, amen, to prepare for future harvests, right? What happened? Jesus passed by and said, "Follow Me," amen. Praise the Lord.

Even the tax collector was busy collecting taxes, Matthew or Levi, all right? His name is Levi as well. Jesus came by and said, "Follow Me". He followed Jesus. Elisha was plowing, amen, on the field. He was plowing with 12 oxen, the Bible says, and then Elijah came and threw the mantle over him. In other words, "Follow me. You are my successor". See, God does not choose lazy people. God chooses people that are out and about. Can I have a good amen? And then He equips you. So this year as we look at the Word of God, we'll see some insights into what God has for us this year. Today, there are more prophetic stuff that I'll be sharing with you that's gonna happen this year, because one of the manifestations of the word of wisdom... by the way, there are nine gifts of the Holy Spirit. See, we can divide them, nine, right? Three, three, three, okay? Three, three, three, just remember that. You can call it the knowing gifts, all right, to know something, amen, or revelation gifts; then the vocal gifts, there are three; and then the power gifts, the doing gifts, which are three. The revelation gifts or the knowing gifts are word of wisdom, and it's an insight, a word.

God doesn't give paragraphs. God doesn't give a long discussion. God gives a word about the future. When it's a word about the future, amen, God told Noah, "This is gonna happen. The flood is coming," amen? That is a word of wisdom because it's a word about the future and it prepared Noah and his family, amen? Word of knowledge is not about the future, but a word about the present. Now, you see me pray for people before, all right, and I'll say, "There's someone here with this condition," and I describe the condition. That person God healed completely, right? How do I know? It is a manifestation of the word of knowledge, the gift of the word of knowledge. Is it a present situation or future? Present. So word of knowledge has got to do with present, amen? Then God said to Noah, "These are the materials you are to use, the acacia wood. Take acacia wood," amen?

In the original, your King James says, "Gopher wood," right? So when God told Noah, "What kind of wood must I use, God"? He says, "Gopher wood". He says, "I know, but before I go for wood, what wood"? "Gopher wood, Noah". "I know, I want to go for wood, but", You all got it? Okay, never mind, too early in the morning. Praise God. So He says, "Gopher wood," all right? And so gopher wood, otherwise known as acacia wood, is very, it's an indestructible wood. They call it the eternal wood, amen? But it is a wood that lasts for a long, long time. That's the one they used for the Tabernacle, also for the Ark of the Covenant. Anyway, that is the word of knowledge. So the revelation gifts, this has got to do with this year. Listen, it's coming into your manifestation in your life this year more than ever. So we have the revelation gifts: word of wisdom, word of knowledge, and then we have discerning of spirits.

Now we have the, discerning of spirits are not just discerning evil spirits. No, no, no, no. Some people are more negatively inclined. Yes, it involves discerning of evil spirits, but also discerning of angels, their presence, amen. It's a wonderful gift to have, amen, because people are swayed and deceived by someone's words. They are swayed and deceived. Even the news today, what is fake news and what is not fake news? What is really, you know, and you can even slant the facts in a way to present an impact that you desire, amen? But the person of discernment, there's something inside that's scratchy, you will know it. That's the gift of discerning of spirits, that spirit is wrong. Because before any mouth opens, all right, the spirit is activated. "Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks," amen? You can see what it's inside.

If someone speaks, a person is complaining, fault-finding all the time, that person has a critical spirit, amen. If the person is very, you know, always lustful and lascivious in his jokes and all that, you know he's got a spirit of adultery or lust, all right? So you know, you can sense that. You can see that. You can, but today, this is a gift that's lost, even among believers. And they are gifts. All these nine are gifts. You don't have to earn it. You only have to receive it. They are not fruit. It doesn't come by cultivation. It doesn't come by development. It doesn't come by progress. That is the fruit of the Spirit. Fruit comes by these means, but gift is just imparted. So someone may have the gift and have a bad character. So sometimes you can manifest the gift in an angry way. There's no humility. There's no fruit of meekness, right? So we gotta have both: nine fruit of the Spirit, nine gifts of the Spirit. And all the people said, "Amen".

Then we have the vocal gifts. Of course you all know tongues, interpretation of tongues, and prophecy, amen. Many times when I'm preaching, I'm giving word of prophecy. People feel like, you know, "The Word is for me," or even something about their future or something that is, "Wow, you know, I'm going through this now," amen, and it just comes across. And for me, I love that kind of preaching because, you know, the Holy Spirit will lead me to say things sometimes. I mention names sometimes, all right, and it'll turn out to be something that was needed for that person at that very hour. Right time, right place, praise God. And then we have these three gifts that are power gifts, amen, doing something, amen. To know something, the three gifts; to say something; and then to execute, to do something, power gifts. They are gifts of healings, plural. The word "gift" here, the only part of the nine gifts, the only one that has plural, "gifts of healings". Even "healings" is plural in the Greek. Gifts of healings.

So some people who have this gift, they may have a particular manifestation when they pray for people with cancer, people with cancer get healed. When they pray for people with headache, they don't get healed, amen. So they, you know, it's a distribution of gifts of healings. I'm so, I thank God with all the numerous sickness, you know, and all kinds of diseases out there in the world, God has gifts, plural, of healings, of different kind of healings. There are people who are, when they pray for people with tumors and all that, they always almost have, amen, a high rate of success in that area. When they pray for something else, it's not so, amen? So these are, you need to find out, if you are someone with the gifts of healing that are flowing through, you need to find out what is your particular gifts of healing flowing in, amen? But all of us can flow in it, amen? We cannot activate it. We cannot just say, "Now I want the gift to flow. Now I want it to flow". Amen, cannot, right, because see my face? If I can, I'd put my hand on my face, amen?

Don't laugh so loud. Look at your face, amen. All of us have areas that we wish we can activate the gifts straight away. No, in your case, the gift of working of miracles, all right? Mine is healing, yours is miracles. Because the next power gift is the gift of working of miracles. Now, this is one is not in the area of healing. Healing is healing, but miracles are like supernatural cancellation of your debt. We've seen that happen to many people in our church, amen? Praying and the rain supposed to come, that all the weather forecast is that, and then it departs. That's a miracle. Elijah experienced that. Many of our people have experienced that, amen. These are miracles. Miracles is of things that happen in such a way you can't even explain it, amen? But it's out of the ordinary. And all the people said, "Amen". So it's different from healing. Praise God, amen.

Then the last one of course, to activate all these things you need the supernatural gift of faith. It's not a faith that you and I have that can be cultivated. In the fruit of the Spirit, there's also faith there, but more like faithfulness that one. But faith here is a supernatural impartation where when you pray for someone, you know that you know that you know. People ask sometimes, "Pastor Prince, how do you know"? It's quite embarrassing, right? You call someone out and then you talk to the person, you say the person is healed and all that, but what if the person is not healed? Why do you call that person in the first place? Isn't it better just to pray a general prayer and don't call anybody? Well, at that moment when I call, the gift of faith was in operation. I know. I know that person is healed, amen?

"So Pastor, I'll come to you after the service and you pray for me". I'll pray for you as a believer, amen. I cannot activate the gift. But when the gift comes, I know that I know that I know that I know, amen? I can run into hell with a water gun, that kind of faith, amen? It's a no wavering, no doubt kind of faith. It's that mountain-moving faith, amen? Amen, praise the Lord. So these are the gifts of the Spirit and they will operate more this year. Look at this. Ecclesiastes 9:11, 9:11, 9:11. That date should remind us of something, as well as it's the emergency call of U.S. And for those of you watching from U.S., amen, this is your call for help. Even in the book of Psalms, the psalm of protection, what is the psalm? Psalms 91, verse 1, "He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shelter, the protection of the Almighty, the Shaddai, and all throughout the day. Whether it's day or night, amen, He shall surely deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the noisome pestilence. He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge," amen. Praise the Lord.

So it's a psalm of protection that ends with long life, amen. Praise the Lord. So, 9:11, we read that last week and we're gonna show you verse 12, okay? Right after verse 11 is verse 12. Am I right? So notice that verse 12 comes on like this, "For man also does not know his time". Okay, I tell you what, let's read verse 11 first. "I returned and saw under the sun that, The race is not to the swift, Nor the battle to the strong, Nor bread to the wise," but we believe it. We believe it. We teach this to our children. If you are not fast, amen, you lose the race. If you are not strong, you will lose the battle, amen. Don't think of battle as just, like, going to war. There are battles between companies, corporations, all right? Even arm wrestling. All right, it's friendly, right, but battle. Battle as a whole. "Nor bread to the wise, Nor riches to men of understanding, Nor favor to men of skill; But time," say it, time, "and chance happen to them all".

Okay, so "time" is "eth" in the Hebrew. This is the Hebrew word for "time". Many times it's used for favorable time. Sometimes it's used for bad times, yes, but there'll be a qualifying remark before that, okay, an adjective to describe. "Evil time" for example. Then you know it's evil time. But for the most part, it's favorable, okay? Now in the counterpart, which is the Greek, your Bible, Old Testament is in Hebrew. Your New Testament is in Greek. So the Greek of "time," right time, and there's a Greek version also called the Septuagint of the Old Testament. In the Greek, "time" is "kairos". Now, "kairos" is most frequently used for favorable opportunity.

Now, is there also some bad news of "kairos"? Yes, but like "eth," it would be, there'd be a qualifying remark there, like "Evil time," that kind of thing. It would tell you. But very seldom so, all right? Most of the time, it's favorable. Very few moments it's used for in a negative way, all right? Just the word "barak" in Hebrew for blessing, for the most part, it's the word "barak," "barakah," amen? "Barak" is blessing, okay? But "barak" in a few verses can mean the curse, the reverse. But you don't have to worry, the context will tell you, all right? Just think of "barak" as blessing. That's for the most part, okay? Are you with me so far? So there's time, right time, and there's "kairos," all right, in the Greek for "time," and chance. One day I'll teach on this. It's the word "pega," all right? But at the present moment it's the word "chance". "Happen to them all". "Happen" here is "qarah". We touched on "qarah" last week, amen. We touched on "eth," "kairos," and "qarah".

And like I said, one day I'll teach on "pega". But look at this. This is what's gonna happen this year. The Lord is saying it's a kairos year. It's a favorable year for all of us, all right? That doesn't mean the whole year is favorable. It just means that we are entering, God's people is entering, not the year itself. We are entering. When I say this kind of thing, people of the world says, "Okay, it's for all of us". It's not for all of us. It's for the people of God. Some people don't even bother to hear the message, amen. It's for God's people, all right? It's not for people who don't believe that God speaks, that God even exists, amen. Like the Bible says, "The fool has said in his heart, 'There is no God,'" amen. So it's true for God's people. Just like when God sent the plague to Egypt, that represents the world, God's people are in Egypt. So how? For example, the swarm of flies.

Now, the word "flies" is in italics, so the swarm there, some people says it's mosquitos, a swarm of mosquitos. Some say it's a fly that sucks blood, all right? Whatever it is, the word there is "swarm". God sent a swarm across Egypt, but the Bible says, what happened? All right, "In that day I will set apart the land of Goshen," where God's people, "in which My people dwell, that no swarms of flies shall be there, in order that you may know that I am the LORD". Another plague is the cattle disease. These are, so flies are around you, amen? So God is saying this year, flies, by the way, are pictures of evil spirits. God is saying, "I don't care what evil spirit or powers of darkness is near you, amen," God will make a distinction. It will influence the people. And usually when they're influenced, they're very depressed, amen. They're oppressed, but it will not happen to you. That's God's people.

And then we come to cattle, cattle disease, all right, in Egypt. Their cattle came down with disease and the cattle died. And this is referring to food, our drink, milk, and our meat, all right? So whatever you eat this year, whatever you, let me show you the verse first. "And the LORD will make a difference between the livestock of Israel and the livestock of Egypt. So nothing shall die of all that belongs to the children of Israel". All that belongs to the people of God, right, nothing will die. So there is a separation. So there are bad things happening to the world, darkness is coming upon this earth, but let's believe God.

Make sure, number one, you are a child of God. Notice it happens to all of them, you know? Many of them are backslidden. Many of them are now flowing with Moses. Not all of them are perfect. I'm telling you, of course none of them is perfect. None of them, what I'm saying is that it's like holy or whatever, amen. None of them could keep the Ten Commandments because it was not yet given. They just have to belong to God. And they are all God's people, amen. For us, by spiritual birth, new birth. For them, physical birth. They're the people of God because they are the children of Israel. Okay, the next one, so nothing you eat or drink is gonna affect you. Now, the third one is the hail. "Only in the land of Goshen, where the children of Israel were, there was no hail".

So hailstones would come down from the heavens, from the sky, upon Egypt. Hailstone destroys all their crops, destroys their houses, destroys, they'll be destroyed if they are outside, right? But there's no hailstone in Goshen where the people of God lived. And "Goshen" in Hebrew means "near". Then we have, so, that's from the sky. So nothing surrounding you, nothing you eat and drink, nothing from up there coming down, amen, heavenward or whatever, will hurt you, will touch you this year. So drop down to the last one. Last one of course is the plague on the first born, but second to last one is darkness, thick darkness. "Moses stretched out his hand towards heaven, and there was thick darkness". Thick darkness, you cannot see in front. You can't see your hand in front of you, all right? But the Bible says, "They did not see one another; nor did anyone rise from his place for three days. All the children of Israel had light in their dwellings".

So think about it. It was such a darkness that the Egyptians who knew how to, you know, strike a flint together. In those days, they don't have matches. They strike flints together, amen, and get light. Of course they know how to burn it. Of course, but no flint could give them light. So this light from the, in the Israeli houses is supernatural. Because if it's not supernatural, the Egyptians would find recourse to it as well. It was supernatural. Listen, child of God. This year, when darkness comes upon families, and values are all upside-down, and people don't care anymore, movies don't care about restrictions anymore, they don't care about, you know, whether your child is too young.

I was watching an innocent YouTube program about a singer that my son likes, right, and his life story and all that, and he's famous among the younger ones and all that, and just an old song that was revived back, and all of a sudden this guy used profanity and I had to stop it because, I looked at my son and I said, I feel so sad, because I thought it was an innocent kind of thing and that guy used profanity. I lost all my respect for him. And I told Justin, "That's a bad word. Don't use that word. It's a bad word". People who lose control use that word, amen. It's not people who are in control. It's not strong people that use that word. Weak people use that word. And so the world is like that, but we'll have light in our dwellings, amen? We'll have light in our dwellings. I thank God that Justin didn't watch it by himself. Right time, right place. Father and son was there, so I was there to instruct. I was there to help, amen? Praise the Lord.

You will have light in your dwellings. Light means always, you know, you don't have to talk so much, amen. You can just say a word and there'll be light in the heart of your teenager. There'll be light in the heart of your boy. There'll be light in the heart of your daughter, amen. Light means revelation. Light, there's supernatural light. This is not natural light or else Egyptians would make that light as well happen in their dwelling place. This is gonna happen, amen, in the year 2023. That's why this is verse 23, amen. "Oh Pastor, chapter and verse", I told you last week already, God has His way of just, why not? He can do it, right? Praise God, amen.

Go back to Ecclesiastes 9:11. So it says here, "Time", "eth" and "kairos," Hebrew and Greek, "and chance happen to them all". Now, we go to the next verse, but there are people. "Man also does not know his time". Again, "eth" and "kairos". In the Greek, it is "kairos". They do not know God's favorable time. And when they do not know God's favorable time, guess what? They are, "Like fish taken in a cruel net, Like birds caught in a snare, So the sons of men are snared in an evil time". So if it's an evil "eth," there's always a word "evil" to qualify it so you know it's not, you know? It becomes an evil time because they don't take advantage. Then the Bible says that now is the time of salvation. By the way, the word "time," "kairos". Now is the kairos of salvation. There's no right time to be saved, amen. Get saved as soon as you can. Jesus seldom tell people, in fact, He tell people, "Come to Me, I'll give you rest".

He's a preacher of rest, amen, because He finished all the work for us. But there's one time He tells you, "Make haste," amen? What is that? To Zacchaeus, "Come down. Make haste". Make haste, why? Make haste to be saved. Don't let one moment pass by. If you're not saved, your heart should stop beating, and you step into a Christ-less eternity, amen, that's gone. There's no more chance after that, amen? Amen. Make haste to be saved. And all the people said, "Amen". So this is like, you know, you cannot, with all your boastings, and your qualifications, and your erudite learning, you cannot put yourself in the right place in the right time to avoid tragedy, amen. Accidents can happen on the road. People die through accidents on the road, all right?

And sometimes, many times also it is not because of your negligence. It is the other person's negligence. We need the Lord to put us at the right place at the right time. You can be the smartest and the wisest man in Singapore, all right, and somebody else kill you on the road. It's not your fault. Let's go back to time and chance, 9:11. I'm gonna show you the Hebrew. I'm gonna show you something very precious that is very unique and very dear to our church heart. For those of you who have been with me for many years, you know that I shared with you about Jesus has a signature in the Bible called Aleph-Tav, amen? Why Aleph-Tav? Now, your English alphabet starts with, come on, children. Come on, class. A to Z for our American friends, amen? You gotta help America because America says running with a ball is football, amen? We say this is football, so they will say "zee," we'll say "zed". A to Z, amen? A to Z, right?

Now, in Greek, what is it? Alpha, you all know this, the last one is omega. Very good. Hebrew, first letter is aleph, last one is tav, amen. By the way, Hebrew letters have pictures as well as numbers. Aleph is number one. In other words, in Hebrew they don't write one. There's no numeral in Hebrew. They use the letter as the number. Each letter symbolize a number. So aleph is one. You got it, amen? It's also a picture. Aleph is like an ox. Aleph is a leader. Aleph is sacrificial ox, amen? Tav, tav is actually, you know how they draw the cross, the tav last time? A cross, many years ago. It's like this. The sacrificial ox on the cross. That's the signature of Jesus. The first letter and the last letter joined together, Aleph-Tav. I'm gonna show you Genesis 1:1, all right? We have this.

Very first verse of the Bible, Genesis 1:1, "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth". This is how it goes, because like traditional Chinese, it reads from right to left. The older you go back, right, through civilization and all that, they read from right to left. Hebrew is right to left, amen? I don't know why people change all the time. Like, why can't we all just drive on the right side of the road? You know what I'm saying or not? Why must change here, go to America, change, then go to Europe, change. Why can't we just all just agree, amen, that driving on the left side is right, amen? All right, so reading from right to left, "In the beginning". "Bree'shiyt baaraa' 'Elohim 'eet hashaamayim w'eet haa'aarets".

Notice what is not translated. By the way, notice it makes a menorah, exactly seven words, number of perfection in the very first verse of the Bible in Hebrew. Three here, three here. The middle one is untranslated. It is the word Aleph-Tav. Reading from right to left, aleph is like an N, right? Aleph-Tav. It's the signature of Jesus because, why is it the signature of Jesus? When Jesus appeared to John, His apostle, His disciple, remember, on the island of Patmos to give him the book of Revelation, amen, to give him the revelation for the book of Revelation, you know what Jesus called Himself what? "Fear not, John, I am the Alpha and Omega". Why Alpha and Omega? That is because your New Testament is in Greek, right? And in your King James, they leave it there, Alpha and Omega.

"I'm the Alpha and Omega. I'm the first and the last letter, amen. I'm the first word in your life and I'm the last word in your life, amen? Professionals don't have the last word. Your condition in your body, no one has the last word, all right? You sought second advice, amen. Have you sought My advice, amen? Amen. I have the first word and the last word". Okay, so they translate that from Greek, so they put Alpha and Omega, but He's talking to a fellow Jew. They wouldn't be speaking Greek. He would speak to him in Hebrew, and this is what He would say, "John, I am Aleph and I am Tav. I'm Aleph-Tav". Straight away, the mystery is revealed, because you know why? It's untranslated.

Many, many, many, many years ago, I went to Israel, one of my first times in Israel, and I asked our guide why is this verse in Hebrew, that middle word not translated? He told me, "Well, it's a sign. It's a sign of something, something. A symbol, you know? A sign". I still don't know. To tell me something is a symbol, of what? A sign of what, all right? Until the Lord showed me that Jesus, and what I shared with you just now, would have spoken Hebrew, "I am Aleph and I'm Tav," the first letter and the last letter. So He put His signature there. That means who created the heavens and the earth? All things, the Bible says, "All things were made by Christ and nothing was made that wasn't made". And He came into the world, amen, became flesh. Praise God, hallelujah. In fact, the Bible says, "Everything is held together by Christ". Not just created, but held together.

When you have Him in your very being, hallelujah, when Christ is in you, He holds you together, spirit, soul, and body. He's in your marriage, He holds you together, amen, in a world that is trying to push everything apart, even split you apart, amen, until you're confused. Okay, so go back to Ecclesiastes 9:11. We have, "Time and chance happen to them all". In this entire passage, Jesus put His signature there. That's not translated. "Time and chance happen to them all," is actually spelled like this. "But time and chance happen, Aleph-Tav, to them all". That means what? He makes time and chance happen to you. Can I have a good amen? He makes time and chance happen to you. Can I have a good amen, church?

Now, the Jewish people, the Jewish rabbis especially, they say that for every year God has a theme, even for their people. Even until today, they say that. And the way you look at the theme, they said something is found in the Hebrew calendar for that year, in the Hebrew year. And you know what's the Hebrew year this year, right? Five-seven. Five-seven is like one-nine. Let's say you were born in 1973, 1-9-7-3, you know? The 1-9 is 5-7 for them. So for them, this year, this year is 5783. This year is 5783, okay? 5783 Say, "5783". So the Jewish rabbis, this is not from me. This is Jewish rabbis, okay? This is what they say, but I'll share with you what the Lord showed me, okay? Are you ready? They say that, ignore the 5-7, because that tells you the period of the, you know, that time, those years that you are in, all right? But focus on the last two digits, 8-3, all right? Because last year was 8-2, then the year before 8-1.

And remember what I told you, that in Hebrew there's no numbers? It is the letter, right? You follow me? Like the word "yud" is number ten, right? "Hei" is what, number what? Five. Very good, very good. God took Abraham's name, all right, Abram has no "hei". God took His name, "Yud Hei Vav Hei," one of the hei, His name, He put in Abram. Abraham became successful, and fruitful, and multiplied. He became Abraham. Sarai, his wife, her name has no "hei," right? Her name has a "yud," which is ten, representing the law, amen. God took away the "hei" and God put His next "hei," "Yud Hei Vav Hei," His name Yahweh, He put His "hei" into Sarai's name and Sarah became a mother the very next year. And her name means princess, amen?

So it's very important we, I want this church to be a revelation addict. I don't want you to just, I'm not interested, you know, Pastor Prince, just the superficial reading. I know the story of David. I know the story of Ruth. I know the story. I want you to go into the meat, and the fatness, and the marrow, and bring it out, amen. And you'll do it also in your time with the Lord, amen, this year. Let's get cracking into the Word of God. Let's feed on the Word of God. Let's delight our soul in fatness. Nothing else will satisfy, nothing. The Word of God is so rich, amen. So He put His signature there, okay? Now, watch this, 5-7-8-3, all right, 83.

Now, number 80 is represented by pei, pei. "Pei" is your mouth. Pei. Say, "Pei". Okay, so eight is, 80 is pei. Three is your, you know you say aleph? First letter is aleph. Aleph, bet, gimel. Gimel is three. Aleph is one, bet is two. Bethlehem, house. The picture is a house, bet. Three is gimel. Gimel. Gimel is three. So this is gimel. Pei gimel, reading from right to left. Pei gimel. And what does it spell? Pag. Until now, I've not heard any Jewish rabbi expound on the fig so far. When I heard the fig, all right, that this spells fig, I'll tell you what happened to me. Straightaway the Lord brought one verse because I've been studying this particular book in the Bible, and it's the only time "pag" appears, green fig, all right? Just hold your horses. You will see what it's gotta do with this year, all right? Pei, pag, pag, pag, all right? Pag. Say, "Pag".

Now, green fig is not t'eenah is fig, the ripe fig. This is green fig. It is pag, all right? Pei. Pei gimel, put together, pag, all right, which is actually the green fig. And do you know where it appears? Only one place. The first mention is the last mention. In the entire Old Testament it appears only in one place, all right? And this came from the Lord to me and I've been keeping it since last year, 'cause every time I want to share it I find that, ugh, something else happens, amen? And but finally the time has come. So those who attend part one, never attend part two, they miss out, you know? All right, by a pag. Okay, now green fig. Very important, green fig. Why is this important? Because I'm gonna share with you something.

Have you ever read the portion where Jesus came in the story of Jesus cursing the fig tree? Remember that? And then He taught His disciples faith? All right, now watch this. In Mark 11, it's from Mark 11. "Now the next day, when they had come from Bethany, He was hungry. And seeing afar a fig tree having leaves, He went to see if perhaps He would find something on it. When He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs". In the Hebrew, in the Greek, "It was not the kairos for figs". Kairos describes harvest. That's the, how many agree that in every, in all the stages of growth, the best favorable part is your harvest? It was not the kairos for figs, not the season for figs. "In response Jesus said"...

By the way, nowadays in Singapore there's a whole lot of kairos for durians it seems. I heard that they're oversupply, all right? You don't know where to put your supply of durians, okay, my place is quite good. I love durians, amen. "In response Jesus said to it", "But Pastor, it's a corny fruit". Ah, we are redeemed from the curse. "In response Jesus said to it, 'Let no one eat fruit from you.'" So Jesus cursed the fig tree, right? Jesus cursed the fig tree and His disciples heard it. Of course the next day, the lesson was how to use faith in your spoken words. Yes, we understand that, but can I ask you a question? Ever wondered why did Jesus curse the fig tree? He came to the tree hoping to find what? Fruits, right? He was hungry. He came to see He will find something on it. It doesn't say what. When He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, all right? It was not the season of figs.

So it wasn't a season of figs. Why would He curse the fig tree? Just to let you know, our Lord never loses temper. Don't think that He lost temper, all right? Don't think He doesn't know, okay? There's a lesson in all these things. You see, it's good that we study, we go to Israel, we learn the traditions and all that, because a tree that just, a fig tree that just passed the winter season, and in the spring, the fruit of the fig, by the way, will come forth, okay? The ripened fruit. But in between, there's a fruit that comes out even during winter, before spring. It's called pag. That's why it's called green fig.

So if a green fig appears on a tree, not season for figs yet. The season will be around like spring. You know what's gonna happen if there's a green fig? It can be eaten, by the way. Just like some of your fruits, right? It is green before it's red. Even green, it's a bit sour usually, compared to sweet when it's red, all right? You can eat it, but it's not the season of figs yet. It's an early, it's a bikkurim. It is a tithe. It's a first fruit of what is to come. Are you listening, people? All right, so Jesus was looking for that because if any tree has a pag, a green fig, it's a guarantee that tree will be fruitful in the season. But you can't find even one fig, green pag, a green fig, that means there'll be no harvest. So Jesus came to the fig tree and all the tree have, more than one time, the word "leaves, leaves, leaves".

Fig tree, leaves. Fig leaves. First mention of fig leaves, man tried to cover himself with fig leaves, Adam and Eve. Fig leaves, the Bible says. It's a picture of man trying to cover himself with their works, their self-righteousness. That's the biggest hindrance to the gospel of Jesus Christ. I'm quite okay. I don't need Jesus. I'm not lost. I can save myself. I'm doing good. I'm quite a good man. I'm not like the man down there. Don't compare yourself with the man down there, compare yourself with God. That's God's standard. So the thing is that, you know, we, it's the very thing that Jesus cursed. He cursed that belief in self-righteousness as your salvation.

I wanna go further in telling people, like, "unless you curse", the Lord spoke to me one time, "unless you curse self-righteousness in your life, you won't see the faith of God flow in your life". All my righteousness is Jesus. He is my righteousness. I have no self-righteousness, amen. And that's the essence of the gospel of grace, amen. The biggest, the hardest thing, people can repent from sin and all that. The hardest thing is to repent of self-righteousness. They still want self to, you know, they still look to self as some good in self, and that's why they are not saved, okay? So you follow the story so far? All right, so "pag" appears only in the Old Testament one time. Only one time. First mention, last mention also.

And because when I heard "pag," I spoke to my friend in Israel and he told me, "Yeah, 83 is pag, which is the green fig," you know? But he didn't tell me anything else after that. But for me, because I've been reading this particular book which I enjoy a lot, which you heard me share last week also, Song of Songs, something in my spirit jumped. Let's go to it right now, shall we? See what God has for this year. All right, this is Song of Songs 2, "My beloved spoke".

Now, the bride, you see, the church is the bride. Do you know why God calls you the bride? The bride, hello? Look at me. Because you are loved. You, in fact, one verse in Song of Songs, the bridegroom, the Lord Jesus, looks at the church, and the church can be corporate and the church can be individual. He looks at the church and says, "Your eye, just one eye, one look from you, my heart is taken". You have stolen my heart. Now don't go away. Lest we sing, on Moonlight Bay. We were sailing along on Moonlight Bay. You don't like it? Okay, never mind, I'm sorry. I thought you all like the hymn. He says, "One look from you". I love that one, "One look from you, you ravish my heart". One translation says, "You ravish my heart".

You see, do we really believe it that when we look to the Lord, His heart is ravished? Don't ask me why. But Pastor, I'm not, I'm sure in His eyes I'm ugly. Don't you ever say that to Him. He keep on calling you, "Oh My beloved, there is no spot in you", in the Song of Songs. It's so good. It's so good. It starts off with saying, chapter 1, verse 1 says, "Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth". Or verse 2, it says, "Let him kiss me". What is that? I want a personal experience of His love. I don't wanna hear Pastor Prince's experience. I want to have my own. Let Him kiss me with the kisses of His mouth. Kiss means close proximity experience. Have you been kissed? No, huh? Right time, right time. Right time, right place, okay? Okay. The pastors cannot do that for you, okay? The healing room is for the healing room, not for to demonstrate, okay? God will give you your husband at the right time, at the right place.

Have you noticed that many of the right time, right place illustrations with Ruth meeting Boaz at the right time, at the right place, it's all gotta do with relationships, finding your life partner. As well as Abraham's servant at the well to find a bride for Isaac. So the Lord puts it as the bride, and it's beautiful. There's a verse that says in Isaiah, "As the bridegroom rejoice over the bride". It's not like the husband rejoice over the wife. No, we should maintain that bridal love all the way, right? But you see, why God didn't say, "As a husband rejoice over the wife"? Because God knows mankind. That illustration doesn't say, "Oh, my wife, okay now, no more lie, love her a lot. She know I love her. She know I love him, lo," you know?

Yeah, when was the last time you say? "Ten years ago, lah, but she know I know, lah," you know? It is valid until it's revoked, lah. But it's valid until now, lah. Don't have to say every day one, Or might want to say every day, but a bridal love is like you look at her, you can't wait to be alone. Let all this crowd go home, lah, you all. You all hang around for what, amen? Give you, feed you all, give you a lot of food and all that, you all still hang around inside the bridal chamber. Hey, go home, amen? Amen? It's that kind of love. It's like passion. There's, the heart is beating. Heart is ravished. And it says like this, "As the bridegroom rejoice over the bride, so the Lord your God rejoice over you". Oh man, I pray that this year you will experience the love of Christ like you have never experienced before. Because when you experience the love of Christ, you will be at the right place at the right time, okay? You with me so far?

Okay, so Song of Songs, the beloved, the bride, it's talking about her beloved, Jesus, all right? You are talking about Jesus. It can be applied individually as well as corporately as the church. We are all the bride of Christ, amen, and you are beautiful in His eyes. He puts his comeliness on you and says, "You are beautiful". You are so beautiful to me, yeah. Amen. That's how He feels towards you. You are so beautiful in the Lord's eyes. I mean to say there's no spot in you. Wow, wow, wow, wow, wow. I don't know if I can take it, but you must take it. Don't be like that kind of Singaporean. No lah, no lah, no lah, no lah. You want this cake or not? No lah, no lah. Finally you say, "Okay," all right? Or they get angry, you know? You should go on some more. You tell me how many times you don't want, wah. Are you a liar? No, no, you must go on, must go on.

Finally I say, "No lah. Okay, maybe a bit, lah". You know, stop that nonsense. Say, "Thank you very much," and eat it. No wonder you got problems with saying grace. "I love you". No lah, no lah, no lah. You don't love me, lah. I'm very bad one. I'm very bad one. "I love you. There's no spot", What no spot? What here, or here, or here, or here? Here, here, here, I got a spot. You know what? I should stop letting Pastor Mark lay hands on me really. I'm beginning to sound like him. "My beloved spoke, and said to me". So the Lord spoke to me and said, "Rise up, my love, my fair one, And come away". Could this be a reference to rapture this year? We don't know, but for sure throughout this year, He's telling you, "Come up to a higher place. The air is better, fresher. Come up to where I am. Rise up, My love. Rise up from your depression. Rise up from your doldrums and your discouragement. Rise up to where I am".

Okay, I'm gonna show you how to rise up in awhile, okay? "Rise up, My love". He calls you, "My love," amen? "My fair one". That's, "My beautiful one". "And come away. For lo, the winter is past". I love this poetry. It's like He speaks in poetry. You know when you are in love, you speak in poetry, amen? Like I said before, you look at a girl, you don't say, "Aye, why are your cheeks so pale? Very terrible, so pale". All right, in Shakespeare they say, "How chance, my love, the roses there do fade so fast". Sorry Pastor, pale is pale. No, gentle, gentle. "How chance the roses there do fade so fast". Because you have not been watering it, my dear. You have not been watering it. That's how you respond, amen? Then you say, "Let him kiss me", Okay, never mind. All right, for husband and wife. This is a marriage seminar, amen. Come on. "Lo, the winter is past, The rain is over and gone".

So whatever it is, I believe He's talking, I'm gonna show you. You say, "Pastor Prince, why are you saying that this refers to this year"? I'll come to it, be patient, amen. I'm gonna show you He's talking to you about coming to a higher place and He's telling you whatever winter you had in 2022, whatever seasons of bad days, dark days, He's telling you, "Lo, the winter is past". And not only that, "The rain is over and gone". Hmm? And it goes on to say, "The flowers appear on the earth; the time of singing has come". Hey, time, "eth" and "kairos" here. "The time of singing has come, the voice of the dove". Who is the dove a symbol of? What is the dove a symbol of? The Holy Spirit, the voice. You are starting to hear His voice. "The voice of the dove is heard in our land. The fig tree puts forth her green figs".

In the Hebrew, this is the only place it appears, "pag". That's a clue that this year is called Pag, and the only verse that has the word "pag" in the entire Old Testament in Hebrew is this one, this portion. He's telling you, like Jesus cursed the fig tree because it wasn't the season for figs, but here it's saying the fig tree is putting forth pag, amen. Which means what? The tree will be completely fruitful. What about my winter? What about my darkness, those bad days? "Lo, the winter is past. The rain is over and gone". The flowers are blooming. It's a time of singing. That's one thing I would love for you to come to be with all of us instead of online because when you sing alone online it's not the same. It's really "solo," you know? It's a low place. The Lord is saying, "Rise up". It's solo, so low also. "Rise up, rise up My love".

You know, you say that, "But online we are still gathering together. I'm not forsaking the assembling". Technically you can argue that, but actually when I, you know, I told you last year the Lord really corrected me in saying that kind of thing because the Lord showed me that in more places than one in the New Testament, "They were all gathered in one place," the Day of Pentecost. Another place, "When you all come together in one place". The Lord's Supper, "When you come together in one place". I understand that for a season we had to go online. I understand because of COVID, but you all know it's not a natural season. But we are back together.

There's something about the corporate anointing, being here, worshipping together during the time of singing that does something that being home alone doesn't, amen? "The fig tree puts forth her green figs and the vines with the tender grapes give a good smell. Rise up, my love, my beautiful one, and come away"! Come away. Could it be also there's a little bit of, besides telling us to come to a higher place, to forget the past and be with Him, could there be an allusion to the Rapture? No one knows the day, nor the time, nor the hour. No one knows when the Rapture will happen, but could it be an allusion there? I leave that with you, but for sure it's telling us to go to a higher place. Can I have a good amen? Now, how do I go to a higher place, Pastor?

Well, let's go to Genesis 24. And are you all with, understanding so far? So when Jesus came, He was looking for what? The green figs, which is a guarantee of the harvest to come, but there was only fig leaf, a show of righteousness, a pretense, but no fruit, amen? That's what He cursed. So we go to Genesis 24 because we shared last week about Genesis 24, Abraham's servant. It's a very beautiful story. You know that Genesis 22 is about the father's love for the son, the first mention of love in the Bible. I said last week every time the law of, there's a law of first mention, applies to any first mention of a subject in the Bible. There's something very significant for us to take note of, amen? Any time a subject is mentioned for the first time. Love, the first mention of love is Genesis 22. God told Abraham, "Take your son, your only son, the son that you love".

So the first love is father's love for the son, and the whole picture there is what? Abraham's love for Isaac, yes, but not just that. It's more than that. It's about the Father's love for the, His Son Jesus, amen? Amen? The father's love for his son, and how Isaac carried the wood on the back. Jesus carried the cross on the back. They went to, Isaac went to Mount Moriah. Mount Moriah, the highest place on Mount Moriah is Mount Calvary. It's the same range of mountain. Abraham, before he plunged, the Lord stopped him. And then he looked behind Mount Calvary. He saw a vision. That's why it's called Moriah. "Moriah" means, "I saw the Lord provide," all right? The word "seeing" is there. "Yireh," to see. The Lord will see.

I say, "I'll see to it," means I'll provide for you. The idea of providence is in the seeing. Abraham saw Jesus. That's why Jesus told the Pharisees, "Abraham rejoiced to see My day". They say, "You are not yet 50 years old. You've seen Abraham"? They missed it. He didn't say, "I saw Abraham," because the lesser see the greater. No, no, "Abraham saw Me. Abraham rejoiced to see My day. Before Abraham was, I am," amen? Okay, that is chapter 2, chapter 22 of Genesis, the love of the father for the son.

Second mention of love is Genesis 24, Abraham's servant, looking for a bride for the master's son. Who is his master? Who is the unnamed servant? Some people say Eliezer and all that, but over here he's not mentioned at all. Unnamed, why? The Holy Spirit has come, amen, to be the Executor of the father's business, amen? He's come to prepare a bride, and it's been going on for 2,000 years. And that's why this is the longest chapter, Genesis 24, in the entire book of Genesis. It's a picture of the Holy Spirit seeking for a bride for our, the Heavenly Isaac, our Lord Jesus. So the second mention of love is found in the very last verse of this long chapter, verse 67. "Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah's tent; and he took Rebekah and she became his wife, and he loved her".

Second mention in the Bible. First one is father's love for the son, second one is the son's love for his bride, Jesus' love for all of you. Focus on this love. Focus on this love. First you must know the Father's love for the Son, and that, you need to know that because the more higher your thoughts are about the Father's love for the Son, the more you feel love because the Father gave up His Son that He loved for you, amen? The Father loved the Son. I look at Justin, and you know, Justin just have to be Justin. Sometimes he's naughty but I still love him. I correct him but I still love him. And it's a small sampling. Your love for your son, small sampling of His love for His Son, amen? He gave up His Son for you because He loves you. And then His Son loves you.

It says, some places it says, we say Christ died for the world, yes, but there's also in the Bible in more than one place, "Christ gave Himself up for the church". He gave Himself for the church that He might cleanse her with the washing of the water of the Word. He gave Himself for the church. So church in God's mind is the most successful, powerful, many-gifted, many-membered, all right? It's not an organization. An eternal, I don't know what to use the word. "Organization" is not the right word. Community. It is not a building, but the devil wants to make it a building.

The idea of old, traditional, filled with boring people. Look at you. I can't imagine how they can say that you are boring, amen? You know, what they do out there is boring. A lot of things that they are doing is really, really boring. You mean this is bread for you? This is really fun? We are looking into the eternity. They cannot even fathom eternity. We are living for eternity. And this organization called the church is for all eternity. It's gonna rule the universe with Christ. Now it's like it's lopsided, amen? We are peripheral. The world is trying to make its conquest and doing all these, you know, hedonistic pleasures, and looking at us and saying, "Oh, you guys are so old-fashioned," and all that. One, when Jesus comes back, fwoop, the whole thing changes.

Jesus rules and the church is the main agenda. The church will rule with Jesus. You don't visit Israel now, you have to then, 'cause they say all the nations will come and visit Him. Where will He be? In Jerusalem. And that's why it's hotly contested real estate in the world, because the enemy knows Jesus is returning there to rule, all right? Even the world, they will not put Jerusalem. They'll put London, Paris, New York, all this fashion or whatever. That's their value system. God says Jerusalem, amen? Now, Jerusalem, you're getting very religious, and you know, that kind of thing. The Jerusalem that God has is a heavenly Jerusalem that will come down, the Bible says, on earth, and we'll be the citizens of it, amen?

So now we're in Genesis 24. I'll close with this. Genesis 24 is about Jesus and the church. The Holy Spirit goes out to find a bride for Jesus, for the Son, Abraham's son. And the first mention of "qarah" is here, Genesis 24. Okay, "The servant took ten of his master's camels and departed, for all his master's goods are in his hands". I feel like telling you real fast, okay? I see a lot of nuggets. I must tell you one. Okay or not? Then I look at the time for awhile, you know, then I'm a bit concerned for you all. All right, but I'll tell you real fast, okay? Even like this, I get this revelation. Servant took ten of his master's camels, ten camels, but the next line says, "All his master's goods," Abraham's prosperity and goods, "were in his hand". But he only took ten camels, but all his master's goods were in his hands. God takes ten as the whole. For God, ten is a whole.

That's why we tithe. The world doesn't understand this, all right? They will make fun of churches that do that, that kind of thing, whatever it is. Even some Christians don't understand this, the ten. When you give the ten, you say, "Oh, we give God everything". No, no, God says the ten is everything. So ten represents all. Can you see that? "And he made his camels kneel down outside the city by a well of water at evening time, the time when women go out to draw water". Notice the word "women," plural. So women are supposed to be there, but you all know the story. God stopped all the women for some reason. Only one woman came out, God's choice.

So even before he prayed the prayer, you must understand one thing. Even before you pray for the "qarah," right time, right place, even before you pray for success and favor, God already arranged already. Because the Bible says before He finished talking, she appeared. That means she must have made her journey already before He was praying. This year, the Lord told me, many of you have experienced this. You told me many of you have experienced this, so when I say this, you all will understand what I'm saying. Many of you, before you call, He answers. Sometimes you say, "I'm gonna pray about this. Okay, I'm busy now. I'm gonna pray about that". Then before you know it, answer came already. You didn't even have to pray. God says you will see more and more of this this year, all right? Isaiah, the promise in Isaiah, "It shall come to pass, yes, before they call, I will answer; And while they are still speaking, I will hear".

So what he prayed that prayer. He said, "O LORD God of my master Abraham, please give me," what? "Success this day". And the word "success" here is the word "qarah," which is same word as "Time and chance happen to them all". It's a successful happening. It is a favorable happening, amen? Do you get it? It is orchestrated happening and a divinely orchestrated happening. He prayed for success. He didn't even know he was being led to pray for right time, right place, all right, because God already arranging the right time, right place. "And show hesed, show kindness, hesed, to my master Abraham". That's the word "grace" in the Hebrew, "hesed". So the first time "qarah," the word "qarah," appears, it is here. The first time "hesed" appears, all right, the first time "hesed" appears is not here, but, I'm getting ahead of myself.

The first time "hesed" and "qarah" appears together is here, which tells us that to be at the right place at the right time, you need God's grace, God's unearned, undeserved favor. But there's something about "hesed". "Hesed" appears earlier in the story of Lot, but the first time something to do with "hesed" appears, it's found here. You find that when you drop down, in verse 27, Abraham's servant worshipped the Lord when he realized that the right woman came out. "Blessed be the LORD God of my master Abraham, who has not forsaken His mercy and His truth," "hesed ve emet". This is the first occurrence. Why is that important, Pastor? Do you know what is this in the Greek? Grace and truth, literally.

In the Greek, in John 1:17, "The law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ," this is "hesed ve emet". If a Hebrew is writing that, he would say, "Grace and truth, hesed ve emet". And "hesed ve emet" came for the first time in the Bible, first occurrence here, in the story of Jesus and the church. You cannot find true grace, true grace outside the church. You cannot find success outside the church. In other words, be planted in the church. If God give you success, even financial success, or in your career, or whatever, it is for the purpose of enlarging, creating, adding more to the church. It's about salvation. It's about the gospel going stronger, farther, deeper, greater into the lives of people, amen, all over the world. It's not about you, me, my, my family, and us all. That's all, no more. It's all about greater purpose.

And that's why God put the first mention of "qarah," right time, right place, the first mention of "hesed ve emet," true grace, all in the chapter, the longest chapter in Genesis about Jesus and the church. You cannot like, "My career comes first. Church, I go, lah. Once awhile I go, I go, lah". You won't see "qarah". You won't see, because why? There's a purpose that all this is mentioned here for the first time. Are you with me so far? Another thing, "qarah," right time, right place, I mean, logically, right time, right place gives you what? Success, right? Right? But then later on when he asked, see what happened after this?

Now, real quick, go back to the part, Verse 21, "And the man, wondering at her, remained silent so as to know whether the LORD had made his journey prosperous or not". The first mention of prosperity, prosper, prosperous, is found here, "tsalach". You know Joshua 1:8, "You make your way tsalach, prosperous," amen. Psalms 1, the meditator on God's Word, "Whatever He doeth shall prosper, tsalach". But the first mention of "tsalach" is here about Jesus and His church. And notice that "tsalach" is a journey. Success is a journey. By the way, in the Greek version of this verse, Septuagint, it says, instead of "tsalach," the Hebrew, it says, "euodoo". "Euodoo" is used in 3 John 2, "Beloved", Show 3 John 2, "Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper, euodoo, and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth, euodoo". And "euodoo" is used, go back to that verse again. "Euodoo" is used in this verse in Genesis 24 in the Greek, first mention.

So the first mention is what? What's the meaning of "euodoo"? In the Greek it says, "To grant a prosperous and expeditious journey; to prosper, be successful". Notice the very first mention is a prosperous journey. And go back to the first mention. The word "journey" is there, all right? He was wondering whether the Lord has made his journey prosperous or not. Friend, look up here. Look up here. Don't wait for an event to happen, then you say, "I'm prosperous. Yes, I made it. I achieved my goal. I'm a success". Goals and prosperity is not the destination, it is the journey. To God, if you learn to enjoy where you are, even times are tough, learn to enjoy where you are, while you are going towards your destination, your goal, and all that, that to God is success. And if you live like that, you will see your goals come to pass. You will see that destination because you are already on the right path, the expeditious journey, the prosperous journey, amen.

Like the servant of Abraham says, "My journey, is it prosperous or not"? when he saw what happened to Rebekah. And then the very next thing, it says in verse, in the next verse, Are you enjoying this? I'm going deep, you know? You all can understand, it's amazing. Which church are you from? I must compliment your pastor. Pastor Mark, Pastor Lawrence, Pastor Gabriel, all your pastors. As a guest speaker, I have never spoken to a church where people respond like this, amen. Before I say, you answer already. Before they call, amen. Watch this, right? See what happened? So, "Has the Lord made my way prosperous"?

Drop down, verse 22. All right, "So it was, when the camels had finished drinking, that the man took a golden nose ring weighing half a shekel". In those days it's very precious, all right? He gave the girl a nose ring, "And took two bracelets for her wrists weighing ten shekels of gold, and said, 'Whose daughter are you? Tell me, please, is there room in your father's house for us to lodge?'" Now, these two things, I was meditating on this and God spoke to me about this year. God says we have seen vocal gifts plentiful all over the church, all over the world: Tongues, interpreting of tongues, and prophecy. But what we don't see often is the revelation gifts: words of wisdom, wisdom of knowledge; and the power gifts: healings, miracles, and faith. This year, we'll see more of it. How do I know? Because the Lord planted us all in this chapter and we'll show you where it appears.

"So it was, when the camels had finished drinking, that the man took a golden nose ring weighing half a shekel". Half a shekel, half a shekel. What is that? This is the first mention of half a shekel. But later on, during the time of Moses, God told Moses, "Pick from every child of Israel, every one will give a half a shekel coin". All right, that's a picture, that's a picture that, it's atonement money. It's called atonement money. Now, you can't buy salvation with money. Everyone rich or poor must give half a shekel, so it's not the money itself. It is the idea that you are bought.

See, you are lost in the slave market. We are all bought. Never forget you are bought. Don't be, I'm so arrogant to think that you are a self-made man. You were bought out of a slave market of sin, darkness. You were in the doldrums of Satan's grip and He bought you ought. Your body is the temple of God. God bought it. Don't use it for the devil. Don't use it for, you know, just hedonistic pursuits. Your body is the temple of God. You are bought spirit, soul, and body. That's why even sickness don't have a right to touch God's temple. You are bought by the blood of Jesus. So half a shekel first appears with the half a shekel atonement money. It's the idea of redemption. Nose gifts...

Now, real quick I'm gonna tell you, Isaiah 11 talks about the Messiah, Jesus Christ, the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him. The spirit of wisdom and understanding, that is the revelation gifts; the spirit of council and might, the power gifts; and the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord, that's the utterance gift. And the next verse says, "And He will make Him of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord". Stop, what is the quick understanding? Check in the Hebrew. "Quick understand" is "quick smell," scent. Your nose is used for discernment. In the Hebrew mind, nose. "He will be of quick smell in the fear of the Lord and He will not judge after the sight of His eyes, no reproof after the hearing of His ears". Why? He's a man of discernment, the Messiah, our Lord Jesus.

So likewise, nose gift is not something you cultivate. These are gifts, the revelation gifts. People who have problems smelling can't tell good or bad. They can smell a rat, they can't say, "I smell a rat". Hmm? In fact, priests are not supposed to have damaged nose. Actually the Bible says "flat nose," damaged nose. If your nose, they cannot smell, they cannot be priests. In the Old Testament, aren't you glad? All right, now it's not physical today. It's the idea of discernment. As God's people, we must be able to discern what is profane, what is evil, what is good, what is holy, what is whole even, what is precious, what is healthful, health-giving, amen.

So we are beset by all kinds of television shows and social media bombardment into our family, our children, and all that. We need to have discernment, amen. This will come to the church. The nose ring is half shekel. That means what? It's bought by redemption. And then two bracelets for her wrists. Your wrist is used what? She just watered ten camels. Each camel minimum can drink 30 gallons. Imagine that, 30 to 50 gallons in minutes. And she watered, fed them until they drunk, ten camels, with her hands, all right? Power gifts. Ten shekels, ten shekels, sorry, ten shekels both. Five shekels, five shekels, grace, grace. Gifts of healing, gifts of working of miracles, gift of faith. These are the ones that's lacking. The vocal gifts are abundant in the church today, it's this one that's lacking. It's gonna come through Rebekah. It's gonna come through the church this year. That's what the Lord said to me. Are you with me so far?

Now, how do I come to the place, Pastor, that this year, is there one thing I can do? Yes. Real quick, last part. Few verses only. Last part, let you go, okay? I must postpone for part three. I must postpone to part three. All right, Luke 10, real fast. Luke 10, "Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Jesus into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus' feet and heard His word". All right, and the word "heard" is imperfect tense, which means she kept on hearing, kept on hearing, kept on hearing His Word. But the sister, "Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said", "Distracted" here means divided into many portions, like I gotta tend to this, I gotta do this, I gotta do this. It's a lot. The Greek word there means she's divided, divided, being pulled in different directions.

Have you been distracted like that? That's what happens when you watch online at home, all right? Church, when you come down here, it's just that a corporate anointing helps you focus, amen. "Lord, do You not care"? She blamed the Lord and then blamed the sister, "that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me". Wow. Welcome, He met first, then now tell Him this. Now watch this. I'm gonna end with this. You know this is a very short portion. "And Jesus answered and said to her, 'Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed,'" only one thing. You are troubled about what? Many things. You are careful, you are worried, you are troubled about many things, but one thing is needed. You are troubled about many things. My children's health, their studies, my husband's career, this and that, oh, my future, my this, my boss, a lot of areas.

And then there's a part, I need to spend time with the Lord. I've not been spending time with the Lord. That's what some of you worry about. But then He says, "One thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part". Literally, it's the word, "chose" is like take out of many, she chose one. Of all the things you need to worry about, one thing you need to focus on. That part I mentioned last, to spend time with the Word, that's your part. If you take care of that, that's one thing that's needed. And the word "needed" is it's of necessity. It is something you cannot go without every day. You say, "I'm too busy for the Word". Then you know something? You'll be very, very, very busy, because the Word is what puts you at the right place at the right time. Receiving from Jesus, amen.

"One thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her". Not by the devil, not by anyone else, not by all the distractions around her, amen. It will not be taken away from her. Even when she doesn't know it, because it's in the passive, the voice is passive. It's not the active voice. It will not be taken even when she doesn't know it. She's not actively trying to hold onto it. She's just hearing, and no powers is allowed to take it from her. So Jesus says, "Choose that portion every day". Let your soul delight itself in fatness. Why, Isaiah 55, verse 2 says, "Why are you spending money for that which is not bread"?

Why pursue things your labor for that does not satisfy? It says, "Listen to me, harken diligently unto me, and let your soul delight itself in fatness". Do we have that verse? Fatness. "Let your soul delight itself in fatness". Today, have you got some fatness from God's Word? Huh, fatness of God's Word. See what happened in Job? Job says, "When I washed my steps with butter". You know how you get butter? The Word of God is, the milk is a picture of God's Word, right? But butter is the fat. When you, you just don't want superficial reading of the Bible. You want the fat. And when you wash your steps with butter, the rock, Jesus, will pour you out rivers of oil, rivers of anointing. Anointing! Anointing for your ministry, anointing for your career, anointing for parenting, anointing for every area of your life. No oil creaks. No oil is very hard. It is sluggish. It is a lot of effort. But oil, whoo, it's a flow. It's the anointing, amen. And when you preach by the oil, sometimes you don't know when to stop, hallelujah, but you gotta stop, amen. Part three coming, hallelujah.

Now, as I end, I must say this. Why do you say this, "Right place, right time"? Very simple, all right? Because she was the only one, later on she anointed Jesus. And later on, the women came to anoint Jesus on the third day at His tomb, He rose. They were at the wrong time and the wrong place. Right place, in that case, right place but wrong time. They were not where Jesus is, so in a way it's the wrong place also. He's not there. Hey, the only one who anointed Jesus for His burial was Mary, and Mary wasn't there with all the ladies in that morning. There were other Marys, but Mary, the sister of Lazarus, wasn't there. And I must share this with you.

Notice, go back to, go back to as she approached Him. See the word, "She approached Him"? I must tell you this, one last butter. "She approached Him," in the Greek is actually, "She came up higher to Jesus". Amen, in the translation, show them the translation, ESV, "She went up to him". Darby's, "Coming up she said". And NASB, "She came up to Him". The idea is when you are complaining, when you are worried, you are in a low place. You're in a low place in life, but Jesus in a high place. "Rise up, my love, my fair one. The winter has past. Let all your worries be behind. Come with Me. Rise up, rise up".

Every time you come to Jesus, like Martha did, she come to Jesus, amen, you go higher. When you come to spend time in His Word, you are going higher in life. When you spend time in the Word and delight your soul in fatness, you are going higher in life. Let this be the thing that you will do and you end up like Mary, doing the right thing at the right time. Mary, by the way, was already in the high place. She was at the feet of Jesus. Martha had to come up, Mary was there. It speaks of a spiritual place where every time you come to God, you say, "Lord, I want fatness. I want the riches of Your Word. Open my eyes".

Let this be the year. You got the best book ever. Yale University, recently I read, 2022 discovery, Yale University said this. People who read long, people who read often live long. They didn't say what book, all right? I believe they're generally speaking, but I believe the book above every book is the Bible. Let this be your goal this year and all of a sudden you'll find yourself right place, right time. And all the people said, "Amen". Thank you for your time. Praise the Lord. Thank you, Jesus. Let's pray, hallelujah. If you are here, you've never received Jesus as your Savior, as your Lord, pray this prayer with me from your heart. Confess Jesus as your Lord, believe in your heart God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved. Say:

Heavenly Father, I confess Jesus Christ is my Lord and He died on the cross for all my sins. The Father's Beloved, Jesus Christ, is now my Lord and my Savior. And You raised Him from the dead when I was declared by You righteous, not guilty. Thank You, Father. In Jesus' name. All the people said, "Amen".

Stand to your feet, hallelujah. Oh, there's so much to share, man, and we have not even finished Genesis 24. I say, man, praise the Lord. Thank You, Jesus. This is gonna be a year of harvest of souls, amen, for His kingdom. "Rise up, My love, My beautiful one". Come away, the winter is past. Your sorrows, the rains have all gone. The time of the blooming of flowers and singing, a time of rejoicing.

In this coming week, Father, I pray, Lord, that You grant them, Lord, Your people, tokens, manifestations of all that's been shared just now. That before they call, You will answer. And yet not neglecting, Lord, their prayer with You, but before they call, You will answer in many, many, many areas this week. Grant them a manifestation of right time, right place. Meeting that old friend, that old colleague, that old relative, or just by chance meeting someone new, they'll open a door of opportunity to them. Grant them kairos, they and their families, Lord. Place us all at the right time at the right place throughout this week. Even as we head towards Chinese New Year, Father, we pray, Lord, that we will all be throughout this week at the right time at the right place, even when we go to Chinatown. Right time, right place, in Jesus' name. And all the people said, "Amen". God bless you. Love you. May your nose gifts and your ten shekels operate throughout this week in Jesus' name.