Introduction and Why I am Here

Sound the Trumpet in Zion

A story of Israel and the heart of the Gospel

By Nathan Sinclair

Introduction

Do you know the time in which we live? We are living in the fulfilment of promises towards Israel that have gone unanswered for over 2000 years. Let me quote from the book of Joel:

Blow the Trumpet in Zion
and Sound an Alarm in My holy Mountain
Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble;
For the day of the Lord is coming
For it is at hand
A day of darkness and gloominess
A day of clouds and thick darkness
Like the morning clouds spread over the mountains
A people come, great and strong,
The like of whom has never been;
Nor will there ever be any such after them
Even for many successive generations

The reason that I am writing this book is two-fold.

1.     to share the experience that I have with you, of being in the Land of Israel

2.     to think more about his people who are being gathered from the ends of the earth.

God gave me a vision of a split trumpet, that was about to be made whole. As the trumpet was made whole, a trumpet blast was sounded. The trumpet is the coming together of God’s purposes concerning Israel in the earth today

How will this be done? I want to raise up 300 men and women who will be faithful to take this message of Israel to the nations. The challenge that I leave with you is this:  Jesus is the only one who can bring peace to the middle east. How will you respond to His call to make your life at peace with His agenda? How will you partner with Him? He asks us to partner with Him in the fulfilment of these things. (Matthew 6:6)

I am writing this book to share with you what is placed on my heart and to encourage you to respond in a way that is faithful to what is shared.

Where did it all begin, my love for Israel?

While on the bus travelling to Oxford YWAM, I heard a voice say to me “Where will you be going?”

After a few guesses, I realized God was saying to me, “You will meet someone, who will ask you, ‘where are you going to’” to which you will reply, Oxford, and they will say “So am I” The reason this was a big deal was because I had not shared in this with God until I came on the bus.

Well I was on the road, waiting for someone to pick me up. I heard another phrase “I see you there” – This is something that I knew because in Song of Songs it says:

“Let me see Your face,

Let me hear your voice”

This made me realize God was saying to me “I want you to be with me where I am”

This is how I began my journey to go to Israel.

There is also another motive for writing this book. While at a friend’s place in Tauranga, I shared the story of how I had come up on a truck in a day, and the people I shared this with said “You should write a book about it” – the events that have been led of God to be put it into a book form, so that others can read them and know the good things God does, and this is what I am doing here.

I am sure that the Prophets of old were struck by the terribleness and very greatness of what they were proclaiming. I take this with a grain of salt in a way, because my chief and only concern comes from being the one who directs others to share what has been going on for them in their hearts.  I am considered a prophet.  That very thing is not in question, because He spoke once to me that I needed a foundation from which to base my ministry off. I need not go back on words, and reject what God was doing in me. I have also learned to be wise with my words, and it has caused me to be the admiration of certain people, that recognize what God is doing in me.

For those that are lost, I make it simple for you, you will find that my words are prophetic because I’m a prophet. God has confirmed on more than one occasion that I’m to speak and prepare others for Jesus. This is the role of the prophet in our day. I will make this clear through the rest of the book.

This is why I know in a way what I speak about and write about has a prophetic detail to it, and that my being chosen for this has nothing to do with qualifications. I remember the first time I understood that what God had called me for was a unique and special calling. My calling is none other than preparing the way for Jesus.

This is why I open myself humbly to you, to let me know if what has been spoken is right, or am I off mark when I share what is on my heart.

For more, let us resume our experience of Israel now.

Why I am Here

Philippians 3:7-11

While being shown around the land of Israel, it was having it’s effect on me. Not only were the sights good (I actually did not come here to be a sight-seeing tourist, but to be transformed in my heart)

An idea floated around my mind that maybe (just maybe) I would apply to staff an AW80 school with my good friend Julie-anna.

This is why on a particular night I sat down to an audience of Jeremy, Julie-anna and Joseph. This would set the trajectory for changes that I had little understanding of - it was later revealed by my good friend Joseph, that 9 months was the length it took to be pregnant.

In fact, I had shared the story that I was coming to Israel because God was betrothing me (just like it says in the word) I will talk about this more, later.

So it wasn’t too out of the idea that it could be 9 months until I had a child (going with the analogy)

All these feelings of love, and weddings, made me excited. I want to share a little of the conversation that I had with these esteemed colleagues of mine. I wanted to share in the sufferings of Christ. To which they replied, I do not think that is such a good idea.

To which I thought to myself, “it’s because I want to know Christ – to be filled with life” – I want to know Him intimately. Just like it says in the verses:

Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish that I may gain Christ, and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if by any means I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.

In saying this, the realities that are talked about in Paul’s heart and mind were having an effect on me.  It is the same idea as being satisfied in Him alone, because Paul begins by saying “to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Php 1:21)

If only those that I was conversing with had understood what I was asking. But I also think that what was being asked I didn’t quite know either. For I don’t need to say much to realise that I have not the tenacity of my faith to regard Christ as having been more to me than life. But I did know at least that the request that I was asking was that I wanted to be filled with life – I want to be faithful to the same realities that make me want to give my heart and mind wholly to Him. To which I reply, Christ has performed that which I am ultimately wanting, by showing me a love that comes from the Father.

Let me say that this began to take hold of me like nothing else could.  What I mean is, that my own journey has been leading up to the communication of that good news which eclipses Paul and which is what I want to eclipse me too. This eclipsing of all that I have is not only what my friends are concerned with, but also the domain of God who is in charge of this very thing – the knowledge of his sufferings. This is what is happening to me.

You see it is about loving God, just like the first and greatest commandment, which is to Love Him with all our heart and mind and soul and strength.

This is what I was experiencing in some measure as I walked around Israel. This will open up and show what things God is after in just a while, being content and happy that He could be all that I wanted to be. But I was not able to comprehend what was taking place for me.

For a moment, I will go back to an event in my past.

I am talking about the night that I came to realize the heart of God for evangelism. I was typing up an email about financial support, when all of a sudden, I had to go and talk to someone about finding God in this eventuality. That was because I was overcome by my own desire to give God everything, He could possibly be showing me that I needed to put Him first in everything, including my financial support. God wants to be first in everything in our lives. This is why I want to place Him first, and in placing Him first, my desire is solely on sharing with my friends and family what God has done. This has eventualities that are not limited to just evangelism but everything in life.