The ‘Joseph’ concept is one that has been alluded to and talked and taught about in many circles, along with the idea of ‘preparation’, which has taken on a ‘life of it’s own’. At the risk of ‘wearing out’ the concept, we want to look at Joseph from perhaps a little different perspective.

There are those that teach that judgement is coming on this nation ( and it is ) and that we are Babylon ( ? ) and that we must leave this nation and go somewhere safe . . . You know, somewhere there is less corruption in government and politics, less graft and greed and less financial woes, less spiritual oppression, where prices aren’t going up and incomes going down . . . someplace where things are not like they are here. The challenge is, the problems that we are beginning to experience here and can expect to increase in this nation have been going on everywhere else for a long time. So where do we go ? Well, obviously the first thing we need to do is ‘run to the Mountain’ . . .run into that Strong Tower which is the LORD. Then where do we go ?

Well, if you know the voice of The Shepherd, then you need to go where HE directs you. And if HE directs you to ‘leave the country’ then you need to do what HE says . . . just please be sure what voice you are listening to and ‘test the spirits’ by the WORD. The Apostle Paul stated that ‘all these things were written down for our benefit on whom the end of the age comes . . .’ Now, if you do not believe that we are in the last days, that this is the generation that will see the ‘end of the age’, then none of this will matter to you. BUT IF THIS IS THE GENERATION, then we need to take a closer look at Joseph.

Jeremiah states in two places that there will be a ‘second exodus’. Jeremiah says in chapters 16 and 23 that ‘no longer will it be said “As the LORD lives that brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt, but as The LORD lives who brought up the children of Israel from the land of the north and from all the lands where He had driven them.’ For I will bring them back into their land which I gave to their fathers.”  By the way, the Apostle Paul stated that ‘you who were formerly of the nations have now been brought near by the Blood of Messiah and made part of the citizenship of Israel . . .’ Eph. 2;11-13.  Now, one of the differences between the first exodus and the second is the fact that at the first exodus all Israel was in one place. That is not the case this time. This time they ( we )  are scattered to the north and south and . . . well, all the places that the LORD scattered us. So that means GOD’s people ( us ) are scattered everywhere in all the nations and have to be gathered out of all the nations. It would make sense that there would be ‘gathering places’ or ‘way stations’ along the ‘gathering trail’ . . . we actually see this concept in the account of Joseph in Egypt. In Genesis 45:5, Joseph declares that GOD had sent him ahead into Egypt to preserve the lives of the house of Israel.  “GOD has sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance”, declares Joseph in Gen 45:7 . . . So how does any of that apply to me today.

GOD made a promise to Abraham concerning ‘The Land’ . In Gen 24:7 Yahweh promises Abraham, “to your descendants I will give this land” . . .( side note : If I am ‘in Christ’ then I am Abraham’s seed  – descendant – and therefore heirs to the covenant of promise. Gal 3.29 ) AND, ” through Isaac shall your descendants be named ”  . . .Gen 21:12, Rom, 9:7 . . .Gen 28:13-14 tells us that the promise was handed to and through Jacob / Israel. “I am YHWH GOD of your father Abraham and the GOD of your father Isaac . . . and I will give this land to you and your seed . . . and through you all the families of the earth shall be gathered . . . ”  So the promise starts with Abraham, through Isaac and to Jacob but does not come to fruition until the nation of Israel comes out of Egypt under the leadership of Moses, Aaron & Miriam. So, OK Jerry, why the history lesson ?  It’s because there is a picture and a lesson here for us.

GOD promised  Abraham ( and his seed) that HE would give them the land we now know as Israel. But the promise did not come to pass until several generations later. In the meantime, Abba sent ‘Joseph’ into Egypt to prepare a place for Israel, to save them and ‘put for them a remnant in the earth’ . . . And GOD used Joseph to guard Israel in a safe place until it was time to go into and take the land. GOD promised the Land to Abraham. But it took all those years for the people to get ready and for the Land to be readied.

Some folks have the idea that Abba is going to take us straight out of here and hustle us straight into the ‘Promised Land’ . . . and if we get to vote on it, COUNT US IN !  But what if that’s not the case. What IF GOD is going to do again what HE did before the first exodus. What IF HE is making arrangements to bring HIS people into ‘safe places’ until the time is right and ‘ The Land’ is ready ?  Isn’t that what happened in Goshen ?   What IF GOD is raising up ‘Goshens’ in this day for HIS people to have a safe place until time to go home ?

One thing we can be sure of . . . there IS going to be a ‘catching away’ for GOD’s people. What IF that ‘catching away’ is what Jeremiah is referring to when he mentions the ‘latter exodus’ ?  Can you envision Messiah returning, catching His people up and out . . . ‘and we will be caught up with Him in the air, forever to be with Him.( 1 Thess 4:17 )  Where is He going to be ? Well, according to the Word, HE is going to Jerusalem. So, if we are going to be with Him, and He is going to be in Jerusalem, guess where we are going to be  . . . BUT . . . until that time comes, be mindful . . when HE took his people out of ‘Egypt’ the first time, HE allowed for them to have ‘Goshen’ until the time was right for going home. He is doing the same today . . .  So  . . . Listen for the voice of the Shepherd . . .fan into flame the gifts within you . . .study to show yourself approved of GOD . . . be filled with the Holy Spirit . . . and remember ‘faith’ is a ‘DO’, an action, a verb, and not just a thing to have . . . For by faith Abraham left his home and went to a place ‘he knew not’ . . .Blessings –