On Jan 6th 2021, the day the electoral votes were to be certified in Washington DC, I was sitting drinking tea and the Lord suddenly said, “My people…” and showed me a scene of a varied group of people standing in front of a billboard, as the night crept in around them. The faint last glow of the sunset was on the horizon and every person’s gaze was fixed on the billboard, which seemed to be a giant screen of sorts, displaying different images; charts, graphs and newscasts. Some clutched their hearts and all seemed paralyzed by what they saw, transfixed and extremely distressed by what they were seeing. Yet, in spite of the lateness of the time, they seemed unable to pull their eyes away from the scenes on the billboard.(By the way, the word ‘transfixed’ means ‘to pierce through or impale’; a description vividly depicting the act of crucifixion).
Later the same day, I heard the phrase ‘harrowing time’. Harrowing means ‘extremely disturbing or distressing; grievous’. The verb ‘harrow’ means ‘ to ravage, despoil,’ from Old English ‘hergian’, meaning ‘to ravage, plunder; seize, capture’—an interesting definition, considering the events of Jan 6th in Washington DC. A harrowing time could therefore be a distressing time or it could be referring to it being time for harrowing to take place; when plundering, seizing and capturing is widespread. In the scene described above, it was the people of God’s attention and focus that was being seized and captured—they were being HARROWED! It was as if they were mesmerized by what they saw unfolding on the screen. This is another word for ‘hypnotized! Someone who is hypnotized is under the control of someone else and completely obedient to any prompting or command. They no longer function under their own will or sensibilities. It is very disturbing to see God’s people depicted in this state. Instead of tuning in to what is being said from the throne of Heaven, they are standing waiting to take in the scene that is shown to them next by the person controlling the content of the giant billboard. Even as I type, I hear the word ‘decoy’: ‘anything intended to lead (someone) into a snare’. I have the impression that what is being displayed on the screen is done so with the deliberate intent of mesmerizing God’s people so they are an easy prey.
Harrow as a noun is defined as ‘an agricultural implement with spike-like teeth or upright disks, drawn chiefly over plowed land to level it, break up clods and root up weeds. This is interesting as it is the last action to prepare the soil before the seed is sown and it deals with any remaining hard ground and exposes and uproots weeds. This brings to mind the tares, which are weeds that look like wheat but which provide no nourishing grain during harvest. A harrowing time would be a time when weeds or counterfeit believers are exposed and uprooted so that the seedbed is cleared before the precious grain is set in place in the field. God has seed in His seed pouch, hidden and waiting to be cast by His hand into their appointed endtime positions. But first the harrowing must take place, the field must be cleared, the playing field leveled and the weeds pulled up.
The word harrow appears in the Bible. The Heb. verb sadad occurs in 3 passages (Job 39:10; Isaiah 28:24; Hosea 10:11). In the first 2 it is translated “harrow,” in the last “break the clods.” The Heb. word Harits is translated as the noun ‘harrow’ in 2 Samuel 12:31 ; 1 Chronicles 20:3. This is a tribulum (Latin) or sharp threshing sledge. So here we see that a harrowing time is connected to tribulation.
Now this is where it gets interesting… The words ‘hearse &rehearse’ are rooted in the Oscan word for wolf; hirpus, a large iron-toothed rake; a harrow, and the meaning alluded to the long, sharp, pointed, jagged teeth of wolves. Hearse derives from the Old French herce, from Latin hirpex, ‘rake, harrow’, describing the framework for candles hung over a coffin, and later came to refer to a vehicle for conveying a coffin in a funeral. (Interesting that we have the mention of a hearse, if you cast your mind back tot he deadbolt which is pulled back so that the door can opened for the Antichrist to be revealed. Refer to my previous article ‘Waiting in the wings’). The Roman ‘hirpex’ was actually what we would today call a ‘harrow’, a heavy frame with sharp iron teeth used to break up and even off plowed ground, and was called irpices, from Oscan hirpus, wolf. To Rehearse meant to ‘reharrow, go over again, repeat’. Latin lupata, and lupatus also referred to the sharp pointed wolf’s teeth, and was applied to sundry things furnished with many sharp points and indentations, e.g., a handsaw, and a jagged bit for hard-mouthed horses.
So the sharp pointed teeth of a wolf gave the harrow its name. Could a WOLF in sheep’s clothing be involved in triggering the harrowing time? It is surely no coincidence that the Greek word for wolf means ‘white’. Jesus referred to the Pharisees as whitewashed tombs. They had an outward appearance of holiness, presented themselves as devout followers of God, but their hearts were filled with death. Satan’s messengers also appear as angels of light, wolves in sheep’s clothing. I believe this harrowing time is being not only allowed by God but His hand is actually on the harrow, IN ORDER TO EXPOSE and uproot the weeds among God’s people. Expect to see people you had formerly believed to be followers of the Lord exposed for who they really are. God is making manifest the counsels of men’s hearts. Interestingly, the Hebrew word for wolf means ‘yellow’. When someone is described as yellow, it means they are a coward, a traitor, a turncoat. Are you getting a clearer picture of this ‘harrow’?
The constellation Lupus was not recognized as a wolf until about the 16th century, and from then, the animal was considered a wolf, Fera Lupus, ‘wild wolf’. The Greeks and Ptolomy thought of these stars merely as a generic wild animal, which they called the Therion. In the book of Revelation, a beast is described as emerging from the sea. The word used here is also ‘therion’. So we see that the harrowing time is also a season in which the wolf or therion; THE BEAST, emerges into view from the sea of nations.
All day long, I grieved over what I had been shown concerning God’s people. They are under a spell that needs to be broken so that they can redirect their gaze towards Heaven and the activities of the Kingdom, instead of being transfixed by the activities of the kingdoms of this world. The events of 2020, especially the last 3 months, have captured the minds and hearts of God’s people and rendered them paralyzed in a time when they should be filling their lamps and preparing to endure the night.
Then, on 7th January, the Lord spoke again, “My Remnant…” and He showed me a second scene, which was in stark contrast to the scene I had been shown of God’s people. I will share what I saw in part 2. Until then, repent of any measure you have allowed yourself to become transfixed by the billboard and its scrolling contents– be it financial markets, political news or anything else connected to the business of the kingdoms of this world. Ask the Lord to fully awaken your spirit and deliver you from the snare of the enemy, so that you can be alert and awake to the purposes of Heaven as the night rolls in.
Selah
