The Return, Roe v. Wade and Prophetic Revival (Part 2)
By Rev. Kevin Jessip and Troy Anderson
Editor’s Note: This story is published on Charisma News and The Return International.
Several months before Joe Biden assumed the presidency in January 2021 following a tumultuous and controversial election, President Donald Trump nominated Any Coney Barrett to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Incredibly, this occurred on the day of The Return: National and Global Day of Prayer and Repentance on September 26, 2020, because liberal Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg had died on September 18.
Her death fell on the Feast of Trumpets, a time of returning, of coming back, of righting wrongs, or what is known as Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year beginning the Ten Days of Awe, or days of repentance in Israel, ending on Yom Kippur.
“Now the last time I spoke to you here I spoke of revival,” New York Times bestselling author Rabbi Jonathan Cahn told the Messianic Jewish Alliance of America “Messiah 2022” conference July 3-9 at Messiah University in Grantham, Pennsylvania. “I told you how God turned the history of America around in 1980 because of an event on the National Mall based on 2 Chronicles 7:14: (‘If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land’).
“Well, since we were last together, I was led by a man of God, a friend named Kevin Jessip, to actually (join him in a) call for a National Day of Prayer and Repentance on the National Mall. It was planned (through prayer for five years, culminating in) 2019 before all these things happened and the mall was reserved for that day. We were led to call it The Return and eight days before the event the justice was removed by death on the Feast of Trumpets.”
Shortly before The Return took place, we realized the date we picked was Shabbat T’shuvah, the Sabbath of Return. And it was during that event that Trump issued a proclamation for the “National Day of Prayer and Return.”
On that day, at about 5 p.m., with everyone ready to “seal The Return,” Rabbi Cahn proclaimed: “From here, as we seal The Return and the power of God, now Lord let the sound of your power go forward to the world in Jesus, Yeshua’s name. Go!”
And then, as the shofars were blasting on the National Mall, Trump was in the Rose Garden swearing Barrett in as a new Supreme Court justice, setting in motion the overturning of Roe v. Wade.
“The time the president opened his mouth to set the end of abortion was 5:04 p.m.,” Rabbi Cahn told MJAA. “The overturning was said in the same month, the same week, the same holy day, the same hour, the same minute, on the day appointed by God. Our God is real. Our God is true. Our God is faithful. The ways of the Almighty are awesome, and he has heard the prayers of his people and his right hand has moved mightily. He has humbled the mighty. He has lifted up the humble and the defenseless. He has made His wonders known throughout the Earth. Our God is God and King of all the Earth.”
The Lord honored our prayers that day. Had the event ran just a little late, if anyone had not spoken or praised God exactly for as long as they did, the timing would not have converged with Trump’s swearing in of Barrett.
“Don’t tell me God doesn’t answer prayers,” Rabbi Cahn said. “Don’t tell me that God cannot change the course of history. What does it mean? Will this be the beginning of revival, a return, or will it be a catalyst for the further dividing of a nation under judgment? The only thing that can save America now is revival. We are the living embodiments of a prophetic revival. We especially have to pray for revival as never before. The forces of darkness in this land are powerful. An entire generation is brainwashed against God. And we know that this is far from ending abortion, but even if one life is saved, it’s all worth it.”
Prayer Requests to Turn America Back to Righteousness
As we begin to witness the fruits of The Return, we’d like to ask you to begin praying for several critical things to help turn America back to righteousness, all of which will require Supreme Court rulings.
Since America’s founding, Bible reading, prayer, and the display of the Ten Commandments in schools has been a common practice, a foundational aspect of the education children received in a country based on Judeo-Christian principles as detailed in the Mayflower Compact and later in the Declaration of Independence, U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights.
These documents, especially the Mayflower Compact, are a key component of The Return repentance and revival movement.
In the next step after The Return as part of the five-step process (Repentance, Reconciliation, Restoration, Revival, Reformation) the ancient Israelites would follow at times of crisis, faith leaders gathered January 8 at the 10,000-seat Strawberry Festival Amphitheater in Plant City, Florida for The Renewal: Restoring America’s Founding Covenant.About 8.5 million people watched the event on television or via simulcast.
This day of prayer and worship was dedicated to the American renewal of the covenant the Pilgrims made with God four centuries ago in the Mayflower Compact. In this document, the Pilgrims dedicated America to God and the “advancements of the Christian faith.”
Throughout history, only two nations have been tied together by covenants with God. God made a covenant with Israel, but America made a covenant with God in the Mayflower Compact. America has broken the covenant made by our forefathers and this has brought our once blessed nation under the judgments of God.
‘Pilgrim Fathers’ Pastor John Robinson and ‘Poet of Freedom” Friedrich von Schiller
Providentially, I (Rev. Jessip) am a descendant of “Pilgrim Fathers” Pastor John Robinson who sent the Pilgrims on the Mayflower to America in 1620. He delivered the farewell sermon (based on Colossians 3:12-15) to the Pilgrims who were escaping persecution and wrote a divorcement letter (based on 2 Corinthians 6:14-18) to the Church of England.
Serendipitously, I (Troy Anderson) am a descendant of poet, playwright and philosopher Friedrich von Schiller who is best known for writing the poem “Ode to Joy” that Ludwig van Beethoven set to music in the Ninth Symphony, now the anthem of the European Union.
Schiller also wrote the play Wilhelm Tell about a Swiss herdsman who freed himself from the tyrannical yoke of an emperor and played an important role in the Civil War. Schiller admirers becoming connected with anti-slavery activists helped elect Lincoln and to a large degree helped Lincoln win the Civil War. More than 250,000 German Americans, including several generals, fought on Lincoln’s side during the war and many carried Schiller’s works in their knapsacks. Frederick Douglass, a former slave and leading spokesman for the rights of African Americans, called Schiller the “Poet of Freedom.”
We believe our friendship, which began in 2015 during a meeting at Charisma Media when I (Anderson) was executive editor, stems from a divine appointment and prophetic destiny involving Robinson and Schiller that brought our paths together centuries later, which the Holy Spirit has used to help bring about The Return, Africa Returns, The Renewal, countless miracles, and now a book we’re writing, along with The Return Israel and other upcoming events.
As we, and countless others involved in The Return, prepare for The Return Israel, we would like to ask you to pray for:
The return of prayer to schools.
The return of Bible reading to schools.
The overturning of same-sex marriage and return of the legal definition of the institution of marriage as between one man and one woman.
The Ten Commandments to be displayed and taught in schools and returned to the public square, government buildings and courthouses nationwide.
To find out more about this, which is part of the Global Strategic Alliance’s Nehemiah Project, visit https://gsaministries.org/nehemiah-project or read GSA’s brochure.
Find out more at www.thereturn.org.
Rev. Kevin Jessip is the co-founder and president of The Return International, president of the Global Strategic Alliance, and chairman of Save the Persecuted Christians. He is an adviser to national and global leaders within the business, political and faith communities. After years as an executive for one of the world’s largest publicly traded companies, Kevin was called into a deeper ministry, where he began as a youth evangelist over four decades ago, to become a dedicated leader for national and global repentance. Find out more at www.gsaministries.org and www.thereturn.org.
Troy Anderson is a Pulitzer Prize-nominated investigative journalist, bestselling co-author of The Military Guide to Armageddon, Trumpocalypse and The Babylon Code, and former executive editor of Charisma magazine and Charisma Media and reporter at the Los Angeles Daily News. His latest book, The Military Guide to Disarming Deception, was released August 9, becoming a #1 “Best Seller” and #1 “Hot New Release” on Amazon. He is the executive editor of The Return International, vice president of Battle Ready Ministries, and founder and president of the Inspire Literary Group. Find out more at www.troyanderson.us, www.battle-ready.org, www.inspireliterary.com and www.thereturn.org.
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In the 1990s and 2000s, Charisma continued to lead the way for Christian news outlets through such vehicles as a news wire service, television news specials and a robust website. Today Charisma News has developed into its own brand under the Charismaumbrella, offering breaking news coverage 24/7 in every digital format available. Just as Charisma magazine is the voice of the charismatic movement, Charisma News is the go-to source for believers who want the latest news delivered with trusted insight from a Spirit-filled perspective.
MISSION: REVIVAL BY INDIVIDUAL, NATIONAL, AND GLOBAL REPENTANCE
THE SOLEMN ASSEMBLY
Find out more at www.thereturn.org.
We need to make an honest inventory of personal as well as corporate (national) sin. In order to rectify them, we must acknowledge these sins, own them, and humble ourselves before the Lord. Pray that the Lord helps us, giving us the spiritual fortitude and grace to not only recognize spiritual deficiency but to be remorseful in spirit, pleading for His mercy and forgiveness.
“If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14 ESV)
“Consecrate a fast; call a solemn assembly. Gather the elders and inhabitants of the land to the house of the Lord, your God, and cry out to the Lord. ‘Yet even now’ declares the Lord, ‘return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; and rend your hearts and not your garments.’ Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster.” (Joel 1:14, 2:12-13 ESV)
In the book of Joel, the prophet recognized that the Day of Judgment by God was at hand. He then called for a holy convocation (a solemn assembly) of all people and their leaders to repentance. The Bible gives many examples of solemn assemblies, but its main focus is a special time allotted for the repentence from sin(s) that may invite the judgment of God upon the nation.
According to the book of Joel, the solemn assembly is to function as:
A time of turning, of soul-searching, of repentance, of turning one’s life around, and of new direction.
An intensely personal encounter with God, at the level of one’s heart and the innermost core of one’s being.
A time of fasting and of restraining the appetite to prefer the spiritual over the carnal.
A time of emotion and passion that involves humble repentance to the point of tears. It is a time of weeping before God, of mourning over the dying embers of what we have lost, whether righteousness, joy, a sense of communion with God, or national holiness.
An encounter with God that must go beyond symbolic action, as in the rending of the garment, to the core meaning behind that symbol, the baring of a broken heart before God, broken due to recognition of how one has failed Him.
A time of seeking the favor of God and a reprieve from the imminent judgment.
A time to remind ourselves that although our sin deserves God’s judgement, if we will pour ourselves out before Him, as a drink offering is poured out, then He will hear us. If we redirect our energies to the sacred, offering to God our whole being and talents (as symbolized in the meat or grain offering), He will show us His tender and compassionate nature. He will turn his intended judgment from us, leaving in its place a blessing.
A solemn assembly for all nations is their own National Day of Repentance. Scripture documents that when there were times of great turmoil, grieving and conviction of sin, leaders arose and called together a solemn assembly of the nation for repentance. In standing up against tyranny, as Christians we believe that the source of rights to liberty, justice and the pursuit of happiness do not come from man but from God. Keeping God as Sovereign over all, the founding fathers wove Biblical morality into the fabric of our nation; into its laws, values and culture, in order to preserve our godly heritage. They understood the consequences of not upholding the word of God.
“Blow the trumpet in Zion; consecrate a fast; call a solemn assembly; gather the people. Consecrate the congregation; assemble the elders; gather the children, even the nursing infants. Let the bridegroom leave his room, and the bride her chamber. Between the vestibule and the altar let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep and say, ‘Spare your people, O Lord, and make not your heritage a reproach, a byword among the nations. Why should they say among the peoples, ‘Where is their God?’ Then the Lord became jealous for his land and had pity on his people.” (Joel 2:15-18 ESV)
For example, the last time the United States was called to a solemn assembly was by Abraham Lincoln. We were long overdue for a time of repentance before God. The former passage instructs us the actions we should now take. We are to:
“Blow the Trumpet in Zion, sound an alarm on my Holy Mountain!” Send forth the sound of the Spirit and sound the alarm to my people. Proclaim a National Day of Repentance.
“Consecrate a fast.” Declare a time of exalting your spiritual needs over the needs of the flesh.
“Gather the people and set apart the congregation.” This denotes that we are setting apart our nation unto God, marking us as his distinct people, and that our behavior is different than that of the world’s.
We should encourage all to attend. The Solemn Assembly is not a selective assembly. It is for elders and children, for leaders and followers. It is both for the wise and experienced, and also for the yet uninitiated generation of promise—and all in between. The nursing mother is not given exemption, nor is the engaged couple, who were normally excused even from conscripted service. All are summoned by God to come, to stand before Him in solemnness, to know who He is, and to humble themselves before Him.
P. Douglas Small paints a beautiful word picture of what an authentic Solemn Assembly looks like. “The actions of the Solemn Assembly are dramatic and emotional. Brokenness and transparency should rule. Priest and ministers are to weep in the area of the porch, or the approach to the altar. At the place where the lamb died for our sin, there must be brokenness at the reality of what sin does. It destroys. It ministers death. It is a killer, a life-waster. It inflicts needless pain. It spills blood. It makes us ministers of death, and not of life. We must weep over our sins, the sins of our people, and the sins of the nation. We must weep over the dead lamb, the innocent Christ who has been killed at the hands of sinful man. Priests, who are the bride builders, are those who stand in for others and weep in the place of a nation that has committed itself to sin.”
Two-thousand years later, the world has not repented of these terrible deeds. On the contrary, our sins have increased. But God says:
“John the Baptist’s words continue to resonate today as we await our Savior’s second coming. Those words are, “Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand,” (Matthew 3:2 ESV)
When Jesus started His ministry, “from that time Jesus began to preach, saying ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.’” (Matthew 4:11 ESV)
The consequence of not humbling oneself with a contrite heart before the Lord is death. “I tell you; but unless you repent, you will likewise perish.” (Luke 13: 3 ESV)
