Jacob's Trouble

Chapter Five Earth Shaking In The Midst Of Awakening

Eliyahu and Joseph went back to their compound near the Dead Sea for a much-needed reprise. The leaders were met with several situations that demanded their attention.

Joseph's parents were getting really sickly due to the drought and famine in their homeland. Eliyahu suggested to his friend and ministry partner to take his family back to an area near Jerusalem. There were reports that the famine was not as intense in the Jordon River Valley. Perhaps it would improve there. Also, Joseph's father had gone blind. Eliyahu offered to pay for his medical treatment and support his family until they were able to return to the Dead Sea region. They were very grateful. Although disappointed, they understood that it was better to do what was best for the family.

After speaking to Eliyahu, the family packed their belongings and headed north to Bethlehem. Along the way, Joseph told the children about the marvelous miracles that happened in Jerusalem and all over the world. Although his father was unable to see, he remained a strong believer in Yoshua. He always remembered the words of Scripture. Whenever his son read from the Scriptures, his father would respond. After listening intently, Joseph would ask his father, "Dad, tell me what this means." His father was able to tell his son what the verses meant in a meaningful way because he memorized so many of them. After they arrived in Bethlehem, the family settled in the vicinity of the city.

In only a few weeks, Joseph returned to Jerusalem to work again with sealed ones. To save money, Joseph purchased some tents from a local dealer and set up camp at the main entrance to the Temple Mount. Before long, a number of people began attending the early morning Bible studies.

After many discussions with Eliyahu, the remaining sealed believers agreed to set up a permanent base in the Old City of Jerusalem. The number of followers continued to grow rapidly. Although they had no permanent facilities to meet in, the believers came together whenever possible. It was very hot and dusty, but God protected them from harm.

Each evening, Joseph held meetings in his tent at the Temple Mount entrance. There was such tremendous spiritual energy in the air that Joseph could feel it himself. Everyone seemed to know exactly what was going on inside. Like a candle being lit in a dark room, the flame suddenly appeared, and it filled the entire room with light. People came from faraway places to attend the meetings and learn about Yoshua. At first, only a few dozen people attended. By the end of the week, the crowd grew to several hundred.

It was during one of these gatherings that the first earthquake shook the temple mount. This one was only a small precursor to the quakes to come. Soon after the events in Israel, violent earthquakes hit Asia Minor, Greece, Egypt, and Italy. And then came the devastation that many feared most: Japan.

As the first earthquake struck, the underground vaults of several buildings collapsed, killing hundreds.

Eliyahu and Joseph talked on the phone. Eliyahu spoke, "This, is the beginning of the sixth seal. The wrath of God is being poured out all over the world. It will increase and intensify. The earthquakes are only the first phase of the judgment. It is not something to be ignored. You must prepare yourselves."

Joseph said, "We are preparing for our new headquarters. I am already speaking to people and telling them to move into the City of David."

They exchanged information and discussed the details. "I'll call you tomorrow," Eliyahu said. "And please pray for us."

Later that night, the shaking got worse. A number of homes in Jerusalem collapsed. It wasn't just buildings that were affected. Even churches and synagogues suffered significant damage. As darkness fell and the ground continued to rumble, most of the sealed communities held daily prayer meetings.