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Grover Skeens was the descendant of Alexander and John Skene through the male line - and that is significant Like King David, Grover was after God's Own Heart He was Persecuted and Mocked for his Faith He was a Man that Honored the Lord; and he was a Man that the Lord Honored And, He was a man who Prophesied the Coal Mining Explosion that he died in
All too often history only gives us a glimpse of who someone is and the rest is known to God alone. But in the case of Alexander, Lilias and John history gives us much more than a glimpse.
And, it was from the accounts either written by them or about them that I know that Grover was a reflection of our Scottish forebears. Like his Scottish Forebears the Scriptures were precious to Grover and were his rule every day of his life. The messengers feet of those who published the Gospel were beautiful to Grover so long as those ordinances of man were unto him as the ordinances of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Grover loved the Scriptures more than all things else in this world - it was the Scriptures that Grover answered to. Like his Scottish Forebears, on a daily basis Grover stood before the Lord's tribunal that the Lord may search him and destroy anything in his life contrary to the Scriptures and God's will for his life. And, like his Scottish Forebears Grover was a Man that Contended for the Faith and the Liberty of all Believers.
And, like his Scottish Forebear, Alexander Skene, Grover had a zeal for the Lord and set his face "Thitherward" towards Zion (Jerusalem).
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Grover praying at the Western Wall in 2009 Seven months before he died in the Explosion he Prophesied
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Over 300 years ago my Scottish Forefather Alexander Skene, while still in prison for his faith, along with George Keith co-authored a Book "The Way Cast Up, And the Stumbling - blocks removed from before the feet of those, who are seeking the way to Zion, with their faces thitherward. Jeremiah 50:5; Isaiah 62:10-12 and Isaiah 57:14 See chapter on Alexander Skene for excerpts from the above mentioned book.
To set their faces "thitherward" indicates that it was because of their steadfastness of purpose that God's Remnant would not be turned aside by any difficulties that they encountered on their pilgrimage to Jerusalem.
As it relates to both me and Grover, over 300 years after Alexander Skene co-authored "The Way Cast Up - and the Stumbling Blocks Removed" while still in prison - in 2009, thanks be to God who removed the many stumbling blocks and obstacles that the enemy had put in both our paths - Grover and I made our way to Jerusalem (Zion).
Whether it is in our home or in a Church Building - Wherever we Worship the Lord - that is our "Spiritual" Jerusalem: Needless to say, one doesn't need to go all the way to Jerusalem to worship the Lord. It is as Christ told the Samaritan woman at the well - the hour was at hand in which the spiritual worship of God was about to be established in "All" the earth. Christ put the focus on worshipping the Lord in spirit and in truth - not the location. John 4:1-26
The Gospel was birthed in Jerusalem but just as Christ commanded His Disciples - they took the message of the Gospel beyond the borders of Israel to the ends of the earth. The hour was at hand that one didn't have to come to Jerusalem to worship the Lord. The worship of God the Father would remain the same - but Christ declared that an end shall be put to all differences about the place of worship. The Gospel began in Jerusalem but it was taken to the ends of the earth - and as such our place of worship whether it be in our own home or a Church building - that is "our own personal Jerusalem".
Like Alexander Skene it was because of our own personal steadfastness of purpose that Grover and I were not going to be turned aside from worshipping the Lord in spirit and in truth by any of the difficulties and obstacles that were constantly and consistently placed in our paths by those who said Lord Lord but knew Him not. We were not going to be turned aside by those who placed the traditions of man over worshipping the Lord in spirit and in truth.
Someone doesn't have to be Imprisoned to be in Captivity: Grover and I were never imprisoned for our faith but as Psalm 126 reveals - one doesn't need to actually be imprisoned to be in captivity. Both Grover and I have been mocked for our faith not only verbally but in court documents as well. [these documents will be included in another chapter]. Not only were we consistently harassed by the enemy - our adversary the devil used people to physically threaten us. And, sadly those that threatened us included members of our own household who raised a loud war cry against us (Jeremiah 12:6). And, like the "Worldly Believers" that opposed the Apostle Paul - family members who were Worldly Believers who lived like Unbelievers opposed us (1 Corinthians). Paul described these "Worldly Believers" who live like unbelievers as unspiritual.
Not just the People - but Jerusalem itself was under Siege: Psalm 126:1 reads "When the LORD turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream". And, in the context of Psalm 126 "OF" is a key word in understanding the Psalm. When the Lord turned again the captivity "OF" Zion it wasn't referring to the Israelites who had been forced from their homes in Jerusalem and taken against their will to Babylon. It was referring to those like Jeremiah who the Babylonians left in Jerusalem and the surrounding area to take care of the land and cultivate it. Even though they were not taken to Babylon - Jeremiah and the others left behind were still living under the rule of the Babylonians who had laid siege to Jerusalem. When the Lord "turned again the captivity "OF" Zion it meant that when Babylon fell Jerusalem itself had been liberated from the Babylonians who had laid seize to Jerusalem. It meant that the presence of the Babylonians in Jerusalem had ended - the Babylonians who had entered Jerusalem had left and gone back to Babylon.
In other words, someone doesn't have to be imprisoned to be in captivity. To be rescued from any horrible and frightful affliction or overwhelming oppression would be correctly described as "Captivity Turned".
Jeremiah's Captivity: It was terrifying enough that Babylon had laid siege to Jerusalem but to make matters even more terrifying for Jeremiah Scripture reveals that members from Jeremiah's own family, raising a loud war cry had turned against him - even plotting his death. Jeremiah 12
And, just as it was in the days of Jeremiah, Christ revealed that our enemies are right in our own household - Matthew 10:36. Sadly, we can be in captivity in our own homes and the members of our own household who raise a loud war cry against us can be as terrifying, dangerous and cruel as the Babylonians.
Our Scottish Forebears most heart breaking and fiercest battles were battles that came from inside the seemingly safe confines of the Presbyterian Church where they once worshipped. They had been betrayed by Believers who were once their close friends. And, without a doubt, even today, it is from inside the walls of the Church where the greatest challenges to Christianity lie. For me and Grover our greatest challenges to Christianity came from within our own household.
The Connection between Family and Comfort. On a personal level, stressing the importance of the family unit is an important aspect of my ministry. Knowing that the family unit is so important to the Lord, I understand how He provides for those hurt by family to be comforted. One of the most painful things for people to comprehend is why their loved ones reject them after becoming "Spirit Led" Believers. Our family members who are "Worldly Believers" who according to the Apostle Paul live like unbelievers more often than not will persecute the "Spirit Led" Believer. 1 Corinthians 3:1-3 & 2 Corinthians 13:5
On page 649/Volume 2 of The Popular and Critical Bible Encyclopedia and Scriptural Dictionary, Reverend Samuel Fallows explains it best:
"Before Christianity became the prevailing and established religion, families were in continual danger of being molested by popular violence, and of being utterly broken up in times of legalized persecution. But besides these dangers and troubles, there were sometimes others hardly less painful within the family itself, when only a part of the household had become Christians. The antagonism and consequent discomfort, if not positive misery, must then have been almost perpetual; and the difficulty of maintaining religious faithfulness, without losing family affection or breaking family ties, must have been very great. Jesus himself had warned His disciples beforehand that 'a man's foes might be those of his own household;' and that his religion, in such a case, might bring 'not peace but a sword.' St. Paul, while desirous that this difference of religion should not actually separate a husband and wife, admitted that it would and must sometimes have this effect. Tertullian (ad Uxor. ii:4) describes in detail the sort of hindrances, opposition and ridicule which a Christian woman must expect if she married a husband who was an unbeliever; and how impossible she would find it to fulfill in peace, if she could fulfill at all, her Christian duties - even if nothing worse occurred. But in times of persecution, or of any strong excitement of anti-Christian feeling, it was not merely difficulties and discomforts that had to be encountered. The strongest words of Christ were then often literally realized, when the most powerful natural affections were shattered, and Christians were betrayed and denounced by their nearest relatives and given up to the persecutor's sword."
It is only after reading the words of Jesus that they, like Grover and myself, come to the understanding as to why many of our loved ones have turned against us. From that understanding comes an acceptance.
Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. For I have come to 'set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law'; and 'a man's enemies will be those of his own household.' He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it. Matthew 10:34-39 - NKJ
In addition to Romans 8:28, many Christians can quote from memory the prophetic word God spoke through Jeremiah:
“For I know the plans I have for you.” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11 - NIV It's a great source of comfort to know that over 2,000 years ago Christ Jesus cared so much for us that He wanted us to know that if we find ourselves in a family that doesn't want to serve Him - that we are to choose Him over our family. That it's not our fault! It's not our fault that our faithfulness to Christ Jesus didn't bring peace to our household that we hoped for. It's a great comfort to know that in these particular family situations that Christ the Prince of Peace didn't come to bring peace to a family that doesn't want to serve Him - rather Christ brought a sword.
It's difficult to live at peace with a husband or wife who professes to be a Believer but acts as an unbeliever demanding that you join in their sins - sins too unspeakable to mention. But even though this is a bad situation as Romans 8 reveals - God can use this situation for good. When we choose God over our spouse and children it brings Him glory.
What a relief for those of us who have experienced the betrayal of family to understand that God can use it for good even though it's not good. As my brother said, “All His ways are just,” which can also mean “justified.” God knows what He’s doing; it is ultimately for our good (as well as His Kingdom purpose), and coming to understand His purpose brings comfort which removes guilt, emotional pain, shame, and mental anguish.
It is truly life changing when a person comes to understand they are a part of God’s eternal family. The Apostle John wrote:
How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called the children of God! And that is what we are!” 1 John 3:1 NIV
As if that were not great enough, God intends for us to know the purpose (the reason for being) He had in mind when he made us individually. Our backgrounds and experiences are not mistakes. God planned for us to be a part of His family and left amazing blessings for us with which to worship Him.
This too is another aspect of my ministry - to help people to understand that the Scriptures about the Holy Spirit being our Comforter are a reality; not just words. I can only be a witness unto the Lord if I have experienced the reality of His Word. Because I have experienced the reality of His Word, I have no fear in reading or speaking His Word, even in countries where people are offended by the Gospel of Jesus Christ. My heart is for the unbeliever to know who Christ Jesus is and to know the power of my King!
Back to the Western Wall: The Western Wall is also known as the "Wailing Wall" and in 2010 just one year after Grover and I make the pilgrimage to Jerusalem I stood at the Western Wall and mourned for my beloved brother who died in a coal mining explosion in April of 2010. A coal mining explosion that Grover prophesied would happen and warned those that he worked with to get their lives in order.
And, in 2019 I will set my face towards Jerusalem and make my thirteenth pilgrimage to Jerusalem where I will once again celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles alongside the Jewish people.
And, it is here in Jerusalem standing alongside the Jewish people at the Western Wall that I am reminded that Christ Jesus united Jews and Gentiles into one people when, in His own body on the cross, He broke down the wall of hostility that separated us. Ephesians 2:14
And, where once again I will mourn at the Western Wall for my beloved brother.
My Scottish Forebears wrote many articles, letters, poems and books about their love for Israel and what it meant to serve the Lord. And, it was the same love Grover had for Jerusalem and the same love that I have.
Grover and I took to heart the numerous Scriptures that encourages us to Bless Israel - to pray for the peace and prosperity of Jerusalem. It's a part of who I am - a part of my Spiritual DNA so to speak. The Psalmist encourages us to pray for the peace of Jerusalem and with a sincere heart Grover and I constantly prayed for the peace of Jerusalem. Psalm 122:6, Psalm 125:5, Psalm 128:6
The very name "Jerusalem" comes from the Hebrew root for Shalom - the Hebrew word for peace. So, to pray for the peace of Jerusalem is most fitting for a city whose name literally means peaceful and which is and will always be the dwelling of the God of Peace. Zechariah 8:1-3; Romans 15:33; Hebrews 13:20
And, Scripture tells us that it is here in God's Holy city of Jerusalem that Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, will return to the Mount of Olives. Isaiah 9:6-7; Acts 1:9-12; Zechariah 14:4
Needless to say, God's Holy city is rich with meaning especially for those of us who realize that it was in this very city that Christ Jesus paid the price for our sins in order to reconcile us to God - that it was in this very city that we were reconciled to God through the Blood of Jesus Christ.
2 Corinthians 5:18 who reconciled us - who brought us back to Himself through Christ.
Christ restored peace between us and His father in the very city whose name means peace. How fitting that Yeshua accomplished all this in God's Holy city of Jerusalem. And for those reasons we should not be surprised that it was here in Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost that the Holy Spirit fell on the Apostles and the Church was born. Acts 2
And, there is a promise for those of us who bless Israel. Genesis 12:3 speaks of God's promised blessings for those who bless Israel and curses on those who curse Israel. We who pray for the peace of Jerusalem will be granted peace ourselves - that is one of God's promises. |
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From the Hollows of West Virginia
Grover, my Beloved Brother, my Father and me in the hollow where we lived
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A hollow (also spelled “holler”) is a very small valley surrounded by mountains located off the main road which more often than not has dirt roads and a creek either in front of or behind the houses. Whether it was spring, summer, fall or winter, I was always amazed at the natural beauty of the mountains that surrounded the hollow where my brother Grover and I grew up in the coalfields of Boone County, West Virginia. These scenic mountains and creeks provided endless hours of fun and adventure for any child with an imagination. I'm sure there was more than one makeshift cabin or fort that Grover and I built in those mountains.
There were many family customs back in the hollows that I didn't find when I moved to the Washington, DC area. When someone came to visit us, my mother and father would go back and forth to the doorway and look down the road hours before company was expected to arrive, just in case they came early. It was just their way of expressing how much they anticipated company coming. When the company left, Mom and Dad would stand in the doorway or yard until their car vanished out of sight. When I grew up, left home and came back to visit, I just knew they would be in the doorway waiting for me to arrive, and they were. However, it was extremely hard when it was time for me to go back to Virginia. They would always stand in the front yard until they could no longer see my car and I just knew they didn't want me to leave. So it was with Grover for the last seven years of his life while living with me in Virginia.
Grover stayed in West Virginia at Massey’s Guest House during the work week, but his legal residence for the last seven years of his life was my home in Virginia. I would always try to be outside, waiting for his return as he completed the long commute from his job. It was my way of letting Grover know how much I looked forward to seeing him. When he left to go back to West Virginia, I would stand in our driveway until his truck was out of sight just to let him know how much I was going to miss him while he was away at work. It was my way of letting Grover know what was in my heart and he understood my deep love for him!
I remember the joyful smile on his face when he would come home; a smile that was contagious; one that always made me smile. Without fail, the first thing I heard him say when he saw me was, "Praise the Lord, little sister!" And then, without fail, he would precede to tell me in all the ways that he was "Heavenly Blessed," and he was!
I am eternally grateful for the seven years the Lord allowed him to live with me. Even though Grover passed away almost ten years ago, sometimes when I think about him, I still find myself walking out to my front porch and looking down the road just as I did when he was living and I find myself just standing there thinking about how much I miss Grover. No words can ever describe the loss I feel. Yet, I also know the love I felt for him was the love of the LORD. Even before either Grover or I knew that he would need a place to live – the LORD quickened me to the following scripture:
God places the solitary in families and gives the desolate a home in which to dwell; He leads the prisoners out to prosperity; but the rebellious dwell in a parched land. Psalm 68:6 NKJ
At the time I shared this verse with Grover, neither he nor I knew why he would ever need to come live with me in Virginia. Soon afterwards, he was faced with an unwanted divorce and instead of finding a house in West Virginia, he had a dream to come live with me in Virginia and I'm so thankful that he did.
My mother's kitchen table was probably the most important and enjoyable place in our childhood home. It was not just a place where you ate your meals; it served as a gathering place. The many hours on end that Grover and I would sit at my kitchen table here in Virginia just "talking" always reminded us both of the many hours that we spent around our childhood kitchen table with our mother.
It was at the kitchen table that first and foremost, like our mother, we shared our love for the Lord. And it was at the kitchen table that we tried to solve the "spiritual" problems of the world – at least to the degree that the problems of the world affected us on a personal level. It is here that Grover and I would reminisce about our childhood, especially about our parents and how growing up in the Appalachian hills of West Virginia helped "spiritually" shape our lives.
There was not much pay for a coal miner in my father's day and as some miners would say – they owed their soul to the Company Store. However, just like everyone else in our hollow, they were all grateful that there was a Company Store to owe their soul to. Nonetheless, growing up in the coal fields and being poor had many advantages. If my father had owned a car, neither Grover nor I would ever have known the joy of the endless walks with him to the company store and back. It was on those two mile walks down and two miles back on a dirt road that my father would share his childhood memories with us and we learned so much about him and our forefathers. And we also heard a lot of tall tales. We learned other things on those walks as well.
It seems that no matter where you live in West Virginia, if it's in a hollow, there is a creek either in front or behind your house. As kids, we found these crystal clear creeks to be a wonderful playground. There were always plenty of minnows trying to escape from us and crawdads hiding under the rocks just waiting to pinch us as we tried to catch them.
I soon found out that creeks were multifunctional. Our playground was my father's refrigerator. My mother didn't approve of my father's drinking, which meant, at times she wouldn't let him keep his beer in the refrigerator. So, my father being the ingenious man that he was, didn't see any reason why the creek in front of our house couldn't serve as a refrigerator for his beer. Actually, it was even better than the refrigerator in the house because it made his weekend walks between our house and the company store a special event.
On most Friday evenings my father would purchase 12 cans of beer at the company store and on the way home he would drink one can of beer and then one by one he would hand me the other eleven cans of beer and I would very lovingly wade into the creek and carefully lodge those eleven cans of beer behind eleven different rocks until all eleven cans of beer were refrigerated. Then when my father wanted a can of beer, we would take another walk down to the company store and back. Once again, I would wade into the creek, only this time to retrieve a can of beer for him. But, I must say my father wasn't too happy and I was quite surprised when we had an unexpected flash flood that washed his beer away.
My father was never faced with a situation where he couldn't find a solution to a problem and the solution never seemed to be what one would call conventional. And that was the whole point. My father loved kids and he was forever coming up with ways to entertain us. This was just one of the many things he came up with to make us smile. That's why I would very lovingly wade into the creek - because I always knew the intent of his heart - and it was to make us smile.
The Importance of Family Grover was my biological brother but first and foremost Grover was my "Spiritual Son"
According to Scripture the Family Unit is the first Divine Institution that God established which means that the "spiritual" importance of the Family cannot be emphasized enough. The family unit was the first Social Order as well as the first Spiritual Order established by the LORD. The idea of a family unit was not just happenstance; it was established by the Lord for His higher purposes at the beginning of time, when He created Adam and Eve. This fact was confirmed by Jesus, Himself, who said:
But from the beginning of the creation, God ‘made them male and female.’ ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’; so then they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate. Mark 10:6-9 NKJ
Needless to say, we have responsibilities to our biological families, as our biological families matter to God. But for the purposes of this chapter I want to focus on our spiritual brothers and sisters and our responsibilities to our "Spiritual Family".
Interestingly the Apostles used the analogy of a "Spiritual Family" as the relationship between Christ and His church. Throughout his letters to the Church - Paul refers to Believers as brothers and sisters when referring to the Church (Romans 1:13, 1 Corinthians 1:10, Galatians 1:11, Philippians 1:12). Paul even refers to Timothy as his spiritual son (Philippians 2:22). The analogy between the Church and a family is seen in relation to God as our Father and Christ Jesus as our brother. In essence Believers are part of a spiritual family.
Needless to say, the spiritual family does not take away from the value of a secular marriage or blood relationships. The Apostle Paul never failed to recognize the value of our biological family. For example, Paul encouraged the Believing wife or husband to stay with the Unbelieving spouse - who knows - the Believing spouse may be the catalyst for the unbeliever becoming a believer (Corinthians 7:12-16; 1 Peter 3:1). Needless to say the biological family has a great purpose in the Kingdom of God as well as the spiritual family.
Having said that, it's obvious that the spiritual family is the most important of the two as clearly demonstrated by Christ Jesus Himself.
Those who "Do the Will of God" is the True Family of Jesus: When Jesus was told that His biological mother and brothers were outside asking for Him - He turned His attention to the crowd sitting around Him and answered by saying, “Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of God, he is My brother and sister and mother.” Mark 3:34-35
It wasn't that Christ didn't value the relationship with His Biological family - but He understood that His relationship with those who "Do the Will of God" was superior to that of the family members who came to restrain Him because they thought Christ was out of His mind. Mark 3:21
Mark 3:20-21 20 One time Jesus entered a house, and the crowds began to gather again. Soon he and his disciples couldn’t even find time to eat. 21 When his family heard what was happening, they tried to take him away. “He’s out of his mind,” they said. ……….. 31 Then Jesus’ mother and brothers came to see Him. They stood outside and sent word for Him to come out and talk with them. 32 There was a crowd sitting around Jesus, and someone said, “Your mother and your brothers are outside asking for you.” 33 Jesus replied, “Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?” 34 Then He looked at those around Him and said, “Look, these are my mother and brothers. 35 Anyone who does God’s will is My brother and sister and mother.” (NLT)
And, that holds true today. My desire to do the Will of God is superior to my relationship with family members who knowingly choose not do the will of God to the point they try and make me do what they want me to do.
It's important to note that Christ placed the focus on those who "Do the Will of God". The focus is on those who do the Will of God - not just those who say Lord Lord but know Him not! Jesus placed the relationship with Him and His kingdom above "biological" family relationships - Luke 14:26. The account of the Apostle John and Mary at the cross is one such example. John 19:25-27
John 19:25-27 5 Standing near the cross
were Jesus’ mother, and His mother’s sister, Mary (the wife of Clopas), and
Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus saw his mother standing there
beside the disciple he loved, he said to her, “Dear woman, here is
your son.” 27 And He said to this disciple, “Here
is your mother.” And from then on this disciple took her into his
home. (NLT) As he was dying on the cross Jesus said to His mother "Woman, behold your son" and to John "Behold your mother" - and from that hour His beloved disciple John took Mary into his home. He entrusted his mother into the care of the Disciple He loved. Needless to say, the relationship between His beloved mother and His beloved disciple was higher than the relationship between His biological brother and mother.
Grover, my Beloved Brother: I call Grover my Beloved brother because Grover was much more than my biological brother - he was a brother who was obedient to God's will!
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The above picture is from a TV Ad that Don Blankenship paid for and if you go to Chapter 13 you will the contents of a Memorial to Grover that I created on Facebook. |
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As pictured, Grover and I would take our Bibles with us everywhere we went including the Shenandoah Mountains as pictured below.
Our Family History is "Spiritually" Important The Lord has a Purpose for the Spiritual Offspring of the Skene Household |
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Chapter 5 of Genesis is devoted to the family history of the first man and reveals the importance of the family unit as a whole according to the unfolding of God's plan. Genesis not only records the family history of the ten people named as Adam's immediate descendants, it also includes how long each lived.
For instance, verse 24 reveals a most interesting fact about one of Adam's offspring - Enoch. Due to Enoch's relationship with God, he never saw death; rather, he was translated directly to heaven. Then, there is the account of Methuselah, a man who lived for 969 years; the longest of any man. Next, in verse 29, we find that Noah's father prophesied that Noah would be a blessing to mankind. Even the name Noah, meaning “to rest; be quiet,” reflects his father's prophesy. Chapter 5 ends with the mention of Noah's three sons. This particular genealogy records the succession from Adam through Seth to Moses. On the other hand, it seems that it was unnecessary to include Cain and Able or the other sons and daughters that were not a contributing factor in that succession. Interestingly, it was through Moses that the Lord gave the Ten Commandments for all of mankind to live by and three of the ten commandments speak of the family unit.
And, so it was the with the House of Skene. All too often history only gives us a glimpse of who someone is and the rest is known to God alone. But in the case of Alexander, Lilias and John history gives us much more than a glimpse. Each and every book that was either written by them or about them includes details of the lives of Alexander, Lilias and John Skene.
The Family Unit is Important to the Lord. Anyone who has read the Bible knows that many other chapters have been devoted to genealogy. For example, Matthew 1:1-17 gives the account of the genealogy of Jesus Christ all the way back to Abraham. We know from Scripture that God spoke many times to people about their offspring even before they were born. For example, God told Abraham that He was going to bless him and his descendants; descendants that he would never meet (Genesis 22:17-18). Such Scriptures reveal that the Lord placed an emphasis on one's forefathers and offspring as much as he did the individual.
It's obvious that there were certain facts the LORD chose to have recorded about the individuals lives which would provide insight about their future descendants. So it is with the Skeens family. And, for the purposes of this Chapter I want to leave a record of all the things concerning Grover's life that that provide insight into Grover's walk with the Lord that only the Lord could have brought about before and after his death.
In addition to this chapter - Chapter 13 includes a copy of all the pages from the Facebook Page that I created in Memory of Grover. The main focus of the Face Book page is on the spiritual aspects of the UBB explosion that Grover died in and the "political" aftermath that after nine years continues to manifest.
There was a Spiritual Aspect to Grover living with me. The Lord taught Grover and I a lot about His attributes through our mother whose greatest desire was for all her children to walk with the Lord. It wasn't just that he needed a place to live; after all, he was a grown man and he could easily have made it on his own. The Lord knew that I would love Grover as a mother would love her son. When the Lord quickened me to Psalm 68:6, it was His way of revealing beforehand that when Grover found himself in a situation where his wife wanted a divorce, God’s will was for me to let Grover live with me so he wouldn't be alone. The key word in Psalm 68:6 is "solitary" (lonely) and Grover told me on more than one occasion that he didn't want to be alone. It was God's love for Grover that He didn't want Grover to feel he was all alone. It's so easy to understand why Grover's response to anyone who asked him how he was doing was always, "I'm Heavenly Blessed." These were not just words; that was his heart.
The Angel of the Lord communicated with Joseph through dreams that he was to wed Mary (Matthew 1:20) and to arise and take Jesus and his mother into Egypt for safety (Matthew 2:13). Since the Lord still speaks through dreams (Acts 2:17), it was in the same way - through a dream - the Lord communicated to Grover that he was to go home to his mother, and Grover knew that the Lord was referring to me.
What does “quickened” mean: To be quickened to a particular Scripture simply means that the Scripture came “alive”. There was an understanding that the passage applied to them (their situation) at that moment in time - as they were reading or receiving it. Suddenly, a particular scripture verse seemed to jump off the page and they were quickened in their spirit. For example, note the following two pictures of Grover. Both are the same picture, but the one on the right seems to jump off the page compared to the picture on the left.
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As the word quicken implies, the picture on the right seems to be more alive than the picture on the left. From the time of King James (responsible for the Bible translations we know as the King James Version), this was the word used to mean, “to make alive.”
It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life. John 6:63 KJ
This is my comfort in my affliction: for thy word hath quickened me. Psalm 119: 50 KJ
With a quickening comes an understanding that was not there before. It is an understanding in your spirit (not just your head); it's like a “spoken” thought, which is quite different than a normal thought. We know from Amos 4:13 that the same God who created the wild and wonderful mountains of West Virginia where Grover and I grew up will also reveal His thoughts to us - hence the spoken thought that we hear in our spirit.
He who forms the mountains, creates the wind, and reveals his thoughts to man, he who turns dawn to darkness, and treads the high places of the earth-- the LORD God Almighty is His name. Amos 4:13 NIV
The Coal Mining Explosion at UBB: While reading God's Word, it was through a quickening in my spirit that the Lord revealed to me there would be an accident, at the coal mine where Grover worked and eventually died, four years before it happened. On the other hand, it was through recurring dreams that the LORD revealed this same fact to Grover approximately one and a half years before the accident actually occurred.
Grover Prophesied that a Book would be Written about Him and that his Life would be Highlighted
Whether the Lord communicates with us through dreams or His word, it is His love for us that He wants us to realize there is a spiritual aspect to something that is either happening in our lives, or will happen, and know what His will is concerning the situation. I find it very comforting that the Lord wants His children to know that He is mindful of us on a daily basis.
And, so it was on the day of Grover's death! The Lord was mindful of the day Grover died as well as how he died. That's why the Lord quickened me four years before the explosion and quickened Grover one and a half years before the UBB explosion that something really bad was going to happen. And, in his dreams Grover was always in the coal mines when whatever was bad was going to happen. And, all during this time Grover had time to get his life in order.
Several years before Grover died, we were browsing through some old books in an antique store in the Shenandoah Valley when, just like the wind that blows in John 3:8, all of a sudden Grover said the Holy Spirit just gave him the understanding that a book was to be written about his life. He just couldn't imagine why anyone would be interested in his life. After all, according to him he was just a Coal Miner. But, Grover was so much more! And, like Grover, I certainly didn't know why a book would be written about Grover. But knowing that Grover was prophetic I told him I would help him write the book; we just needed to wait for the LORD to tell us when and why.
John 3:8 The wind blows (breathes) where it wills; and though you hear its sound, yet you neither know where it comes from nor where it is going. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit. Amplified
Then just days before he died, we were talking and once again, all of a sudden, he said the Holy Spirit gave him the understanding that the Lord was going to bring him to a place where his life would be highlighted. Neither he nor I could even begin to comprehend what that might mean. However, I told him to write it in his journal and, in His faithfulness, the LORD would give us the understanding in due time. That understanding came on April 5, 2010 when Grover died along with 28 other coal miners, in a mining explosion at Upper Big Branch in Mont Coal, West Virginia; the very mine where God told him something bad was going to happen.
Like our Scottish Forebears, Grover was prophetic and like my foremother Lillias, who was among the women who bear and publish the news (Psalm 68:11) the Lord equipped me in the same way he equipped Lillias to record Grover's vision and prophetic words as they pertained to the UBB explosion he died in - and publish them - all part of God’s prophetic plan for the Skene household. And, just as Lillias confronted the Magistrates of Aberdeen the Lord opened the door for me to confront President Barack Obama when he came to Beckley, West Virginia to a memorial service for the 29 coal miners who died in the UBB explosion. I had held onto this prophetic for approximately 18 months waiting for the Lord to open the door for me to personally give the word to President Obama and that door opened when Grover died. And, in this same Chapter I'm including a copy of the Prophetic Word that I gave President Obama as well as pictures.
The Lord had quickened me to Psalm 68:11 several years before Grover even came to live with me and over the years I have written quite a few articles on the spiritual roots of America. I'm now writing the book I told Grover I would help him write and I do so in loving memory of a man who, like his spiritual forefathers, was a man after God's own heart!
The following Post "Precious in the Sight of the Lord is the Death of His Saints" s a Post from the Face Book Page that I created in the memory of Grover. |
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Many people that I have talked with refer to Grover as a "victim" of the UBB explosion but I explain to them he may have been a victim to those who do not understand the ways of the Lord - but Grover's death was precious in the eyes of the Lord! And, Grover would never want to be remembered as a victim because he knew that God was in control of his life and that the day he died and how he died would be according to God's will.
Going back to the conversation just days before Grover died when he told me that the Holy Spirit gave him the understanding that the Lord was going to bring him to a place where his life would be highlighted. As you continue to read this chapter you will find just how the Lord highlighted the life of Grover Skeens and whose death was precious in the eyes of the Lord.
Grover’s life is highlighted each and every time someone tells what God did in Grover’s life because each and every time Grover’s testimony is given, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is highlighted! It was not until his death that I understood just how his life would be highlighted. I now understand that it was through his death that his uncompromising walk with the LORD would be highlighted.
A Scriptural example, producing Scriptural results. Grover’s death was not accidental, but rather directly aligns with Christ’s example. Grover knew that he was going to be in the coal mines when whatever bad was going to happen. More to the point, Grover could have left Massey and gone to another company - but he chose to stay in obedience to the Lord. No doubt, this will seem strange to a secular Believer - but it is a Biblical principal that we find all throughout the Scriptures from Genesis to Revelation.
Although the LORD calls all His children to lay down our lives (yield and, if necessary, release our own plans and desires for His), this is not to say that His purpose for us all is to lay down our lives in the “act” of death. However, those called to that end (like Stephen in Acts 8) they follow the example of Jesus who said,
Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal. John 12:24-25 KJ
Some may not understand why a corn (seed) of wheat only produces fruit after it is sown in the ground. However, they accept it as truth because they see the results that are produced - a crop for harvest. Even though we may not understand how it works, when Jesus compared his life (and that of others) to a seed, he was saying that such deaths would be used by God to bring in a harvest of people (souls). As it did (and still is doing) with Jesus and Stephen, so it is with Grover. Due to Grover’s death and his uncompromising walk with the LORD, many have come to understand that the LORD is real and that the LORD does speak on a personal level.
The time came for Grover to rest. John 12:25 speaks of men and women who, like Grover, prefer being home with the LORD rather than being here on earth, away from Him. The Apostle Paul spoke of that very thing as well. Paul wanted to be home with the LORD, yet he knew it would be better to stay here until his work was done (Philippians 1:21-26). Obviously, Grover’s work here on earth was done. Interestingly, Grover was 57 at the time of his death and Isaiah 57:1-2 speaks of a righteous man who is placed in his grave to find rest from evil. At the age of 57 Grover entered that eternal rest.
The righteous perishes, And no man takes it to heart; Merciful men are taken away, While no one considers That the righteous is taken away from evil. He shall enter into peace; They shall rest in their beds, Each one walking in his uprightness. Isaiah 57:1-2 NKJ
At times, Grover reminded me of the great prophet Elijah, who told the LORD that he wanted to die because, quite simply, he had "had enough of spiritual warfare." Yet, like Elijah, Grover had great victories in overcoming the enemy. It wasn't that Elijah or Grover were defeated or weak, but there comes a point in the lives of some people that they've had enough. Truly and compassionately, the LORD understands that (1 Kings 19:4).
From time-to-time, Grover would express to me how “spiritually tired” he was of the spiritual attacks. Even though Grover was an over comer, as the spiritual attacks increased, Grover grew more and more weary, much like Elijah. As Isaiah 57:1 points out, the righteous man is "Taken Away from Evil." The American Standard Version reads that the righteous is taken away from the "evil to come." That is the whole point of what Grover would express to me - he wanted to be taken away from the evil. In other words, from this and other Scriptures, Grover's own expressed desire to go home to be with the LORD, and a dream the LORD gave me after Grover's death; I know that the LORD took Grover before something evil could have happened to him.
On April 5, 2010 his spiritual battles were over. He entered into God's eternal rest which is different than God's rest that we as Christians enter into while still in this world. Even though I didn't find out until 8 pm that there had been an explosion about five hours earlier, it was at that very moment in time - a little after 3pm - that I knew something in the spiritual realm had shifted. I always have the peace of the LORD, but I was discerning "liberty" in the spiritual realm. When I found out that Grover had died in the explosion, then I understood that the "liberty" I was discerning in the spiritual realm was the LORD letting me know that Grover had been liberated; he had been set free and that he was home with the LORD.
Grover’s desire to “go home” was not a “running” from life. Grover fought the good fight and ran the race God had set before Him. He was forever pressing toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:12-14). Regardless of the spiritual battles, Grover never let them become an obstacle from pressing forward to what was ahead in Christ Jesus. Indeed, he was weary of spiritual battles. However, it was Grover’s longing to be with the LORD more than his weariness that was the real reason Grover wanted to go home. The last Scripture that Grover shared with me on Sunday night, after he arrived at the guesthouse, was Psalm 2 which speaks of those who come against God’s people - one of the spiritual battles of which he was constantly aware. It referred to those who maliciously mocked Grover because of his walk with the LORD before his death and who continued to do so even after his death. Grover felt the pain of those who maliciously mocked him because when they mocked Grover, they mocked the LORD!
There is a difference between those who didn’t understand Grover’s walk with the LORD and those who hated him because they did understand his walk with the LORD! Amos 5:10 reveals that there are those who despise people like Grover because they speak the truth. In other words, the Word of God becomes offensive to them because they can no longer hide behind a lie. They can no longer sin in peace (without being challenged). According to Grover, these are the same ones that mocked him for not embracing the traditions of man that misrepresented Jesus Christ. Grover believed they wanted the “gift”, but not the “Giver”. Grover knew they despised him for following the LORD and not following their ideology that misrepresented our LORD and Savior.
As Grover cried out for relief from these spiritual attacks, he also cried out for God to have mercy on those behind the attacks. Even though Grover may have been hurt, he never took offense with the culprits. Yet, Grover knew that those who mock the LORD will reap from what they sow:
Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. Galatians 6:7 KJ
Like the Apostle Paul, Grover believed that if he lived, it was unto Jesus Christ and to die was his gain because he would then be with Jesus Christ, which is far better. (Philippians 1:21-25) These same Scriptures reveal that Paul had set his forehead like flint to walk through whatever he had to face. And, like Paul, Grover had set his forehead like flint to endure those things through which God called him to walk.
From my conversations with Grover as late as the night before the explosion, I knew that he was concerned about being in the explosion. However, from the understanding the LORD has given me as well as a Scripture Grover had written on the wall of his prayer closet here in my home, Grover didn’t fully understand until sometime in the night that the explosion would be the next day. And, from the Scripture that Grover left his Bible opened to on his bed at the Guest House, even though the earth would be shaken, he no longer feared being in the explosion.
I was not to Mourn in the same way that others would mourn Grover's death. The last Scripture Grover shared with me before he left our house in Virginia, just the day before the explosion, spoke of his death and the manner in which I was to mourn for him. However, at the time neither Grover or I understood that the Scripture was speaking about his own death. Yet, those Scriptures were very helpful for me in understanding that God was in control of everything, including the manner in which I was to mourn for Grover, as it was to be a sign and symbol to those who buried Grover, knowing that Grover never wanted a funeral. The Scriptures that Grover shared with me were from Ezekiel:
Son of man, behold, I take away from thee the desire of thine eyes with a stroke: yet thou shalt neither mourn nor weep, neither shall thy tears run down. Sigh, but not aloud, make no mourning for the dead; bind thy headtire upon thee, and put thy shoes upon thy feet, and cover not thy lips, and eat not the bread of men. So I spake unto the people in the morning; and at even my wife died; and I did in the morning as I was commanded. Ezekiel: 24:15-24 NKJ
Just as the Scriptures revealed, in one stroke, the day after Grover shared the Scriptures with me, the LORD took Grover away. Grover never wanted a funeral and in accordance with Ezekiel 24:17, I did not go to Grover's funeral. I stayed in Virginia and mourned in silence. Grover never wanted a funeral because the very ones that mocked and betrayed him in life went to his funeral.
Proverbs 14:10 reveals that each one of us best knows his own sorrows or joys. In other words, no one will ever know the sorrow I feel concerning the loss of my brother; it is indescribable. Nor will I ever realize the depth of the sorrow of the other families. Each family knows their own sorrow and each family grieved and mourned in a way that was appropriate for them; according to their beliefs and traditions. For that reason, I needed to mourn in a way that honored Grover's beliefs.
A Story of Redemption
A righteous man. In Psalm 15, King David asks the question concerning the character of a citizen of Zion, “LORD, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? who shall dwell in thy holy hill?” The LORD's answer was, “it is the man who is sincere in his walk with the LORD.” A man who walks in righteousness, whose faith is expressed through good works, and a man whose words are an expression of the thoughts and purposes of a pure heart. He is the Godly man who he professes to be. A man who walks the talk. He is a man like Grover Skeens.
LORD, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? who shall dwell in thy holy hill? He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart. He that backbiteth not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to his neighbour, nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbour. In whose eyes a vile person is contemned ; but he honoureth them that fear the LORD. He that sweareth to his own hurt , and changeth not. He that putteth not out his money to usury, nor taketh reward against the innocent. He that doeth these things shall never be moved. Psalm 15:1-5 KJV
Verse 4 continues to describe the character of a citizen of Zion as one who does not keep company with those who are evil. Rather, he honors others who have a reverential fear for the Lord, he seeks their friendship and shows them the greatest respect. This is a man who mourns with those who mourn and rejoice with those who rejoice. He is a man who grieves at the death of a Godly friend and whose memory is most dear to him.
As I read verse 4, the LORD gave me the understanding that I was to write a book to honor Grover simply because of Grover's reverential fear for the LORD and because Grover also honored others who had a reverence for the LORD. Well, as He told Grover, the LORD did bring Grover to a place where his life was highlighted, even though it came about in an unexpected way. Now, I have written the book that I told him I would, and it is a joy to share with others the testimony of a man who was after God's own heart.
Psalm 15 speaks of those who, like Grover, have a reverential fear of the LORD (fear in the sense that he saw God as an Awesome God), a God to be honored and shown reverence. Again, it is the character of my brother that is the object of this chapter and that of the Face Book Page I created in his memory. The fact that he was my brother or that he prophesied that something bad was going to happen at Performance Coal is of minor importance in the overall scheme of his life. I want to honor my brother's memory because of his reverence for the LORD. For him, it was because of God's majesty and holiness that he hated the evil around him - the very evil that at one time he embraced - from which he had turned away from when God brought him into the Kingdom.
Like the man in verse 4, when it turned out that he had sworn to do something which was to his own hurt, as long as it didn't cause him to sin, Grover still kept his word out of reverence for the LORD. At times, the consequences of keeping his word would have shaken most men. However, as verse 5 reveals, Grover was not moved - he never wavered - simply because God's grace was sufficient for him. Even when keeping his word was to his own hurt (which never overwhelmed him), the hurt was never able to rob him of the LORD's peace that surpasses all understanding and, “guards our hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” - Philippians 4:7.
A story of redemption. The most remarkable thing about Grover keeping his word to his own hurt was that before he came into the kingdom, the old man was a lawless man and if anyone was going to be hurt, it wasn't going to be him. Before accepting Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior Grover would not have kept his word with or without an oath if he didn't want to because he could not detect or even hate the evil in his life. In fact, at one time Grover wouldn't even answer his telephone if he knew it was me calling, simply because he didn't want to hear about the LORD or the truth of God's percepts. He just wanted to sin in peace. So, I decided if he wasn't going to answer the telephone I would just write a letter to him. Then, shortly after sending Grover a Bible with a card of Jesus holding a lamb, the LORD quickened me to the parable of the lost sheep (John 15:3-7). Within a day or so, Grover called and said "Guess what little sister; I just got saved" Oh, what rejoicing that the LORD went and found Grover, one of his lost sheep. It was at that moment in time that Grover's life changed!
When Grover came into the Kingdom, Grover crucified the old man and a new man was born. Due to the reverential fear of the LORD that Psalm 15 speaks about as the beginning of knowledge (Proverbs 1:7), and his reverential fear of the LORD, Grover was then able to detect and hate the evil in his life. He became able to make choices according to the precepts of God's law. Oh, how it grieved him when he realized how lawless that old man had been. As children, we grew up in the coal fields of West Virginia singing Amazing Grace, yet it was not until Grover became a new man that he truly understood the reality of God's Amazing Grace. Grover was like the man in Psalm 66:16 which says, “Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare what he hath done for my soul.” (King James Version)
He was so eternally grateful that God the Father revealed the spiritual truths about His Son, Christ Jesus to him, he was eager to share with others the reality of God's Amazing Grace. Because Grover knew that if God could forgive him the LORD could forgive anyone. Thelast years of his life were dedicated to helping others and sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ; and he touch many many lives. Even though Grover has gone home to be with the LORD, his Testimony for the LORD continues to touch the lives of others. The workers may die, but the work goes on.
Grover prayed at the Western Wall, on God's Holy Hill, in Jerusalem's Old City: Again, the Psalmist asks the question, “LORD, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? who shall dwell in thy holy hill?” Again, The LORD's answer was the man whose character reflected righteousness. So it was with Grover! Seven months before he went home to be with the LORD, Grover went to God's Holy Hill in Jerusalem and there he worshipped the LORD. While we can worship the LORD wherever we are, it was a desire of Grover's heart to make a pilgrimage to the Holy Land before he died. Even though the Temple has been destroyed, Scriptures reveal that God's Name is still there. It was there that Grover prayed - at the Western Wall in the Old City of Jerusalem. |
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For Grover, as it was for all of us who went to Jerusalem with him, it was a trip of a lifetime. Grover walked uprightly - His walk was blameless. His good works and faith working together were an expression of his righteousness. James 2:26 reveals that as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead. Grover's good works in helping others was a manifestation of his professed faith and love for the LORD - his religion was genuine. Grover didn't just talk about helping others; he walked the talk. Grover spoke the truth in his heart and he spoke the truth from a sincere heart. He was not double-minded; he spoke as he thought. Grover truly was a Psalm 15 man.
The book is about the old man as well as the new man. Grover’s story is one of redemption. One can only appreciate what the Lord truly did in Grover's life if they understand the lawlessness of the old man, and lawless he was. |
Grover Praying at the Western Wall
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Even as a Christian, Grover often missed the mark. However, it was through his sufferings from missing the mark that Grover learned obedience and that was what the LORD was seeking; Grover’s obedience.
The LORD did indeed bring Grover to a place where his life was highlighted. As the book draws attention to Grover’s life, in turn, his life will draw attention to the LORD. All the glory and all the honor belongs to the LORD! It is not about Grover, it is about the God he served – the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. This chapter dedicated to the memory of Grover is a Witness unto the LORD” and His amazing grace.
The book will serve another purpose as well. The LORD gave me the understanding to protect and preserve Grover’s testimony unto Him, because Grover's witness is unto Him!
But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. Acts 1:8 KJV
One cannot help but pause and consider that just as Jesus said to the disciples in Acts, the Lord opened the door for Grover to be a witness unto Him in Jerusalem as well. Grover truly was a disciple of the Lord.
Given Grover’s past, some would think that he was the least likely of people to be forgiven and that’s why it is Amazing Grace. Scriptures reveal that our hope is our anchor. Grover’s testimony was one of hope that was anchored in God’s Amazing Grace. God’s grace was at the core of his relationship with the LORD. If there was no grace for Grover’s past sins, then where is the hope for those who may feel they are more of a sinner than Grover?
Jesus did not come for the hypocritical righteous; He came for people like Grover who needed His Amazing Grace. You see, Grover had an encounter with God. Grover had gone to the Mountain Top and it was because of God’s Amazing Grace that Grover could even run the race or reach the Mountain Top. It was because of that encounter with His Savior that Grover wanted to live a life of obedience; to walk the walk that was pleasing to the LORD in all that he said and did. It is God’s amazing grace that allows each of us to stand before Him and leave the old man behind. His amazing grace enables us to become that new man and to live the new life in Christ Jesus. This was the case with Grover.
Grover's Prayer Closet
All the days of our lives are pre-ordained. Grover always had a habit of leaving his Bible on his bed, opened to the Scriptures that he had read that morning. I knew that the last morning of his life would have been no different; that Grover would have left his Bible open to the particular Scriptures the LORD had quickened him to that morning. For that reason, while we were waiting at the Family Center for news of the miners who were still unaccounted for, I spoke to the miners about locating his Bible. I told them if I could find out where Grover left his Bible opened to on the morning of the explosion, I would know the degree of understanding God had given him concerning the explosion. I knew the LORD would never have let Grover enter that mine without giving him the understanding that he was going to die.
I knew the LORD would give me the understanding, in His Word, why Grover died on April 5th - why that particular day and not another day - because Scriptures reveal that all of our days are numbered and they are numbered even before we are born. I knew that the day Grover died was not just happenstance.
LORD, make me to know mine end, and the measure of my days, what it is; that I may know how frail I am. Psalm 39:4 KJ
Seeing his days are determined, the number of his months are with thee, thou hast appointed his bounds that he cannot pass; Job 14:5 KJ
Is there not an appointed time to man upon earth? are not his days also like the days of an hireling? Job 7:1 KJ
Your eyes saw my unformed substance, and in Your book all the days [of my life] were written before ever they took shape, when as yet there was none of them. Psalm 139:16 Amplified Version
After returning to Virginia I, received a telephone call from one of the miners who had gone to Grover’s room at the guesthouse and found Grover’s Bible opened to Psalm 46. Then, I knew that the LORD had revealed to Grover that the earth would be shaken that particular day and that Grover was not fearful. In Psalm 46, the Psalmist says that even though the earth be shaken, he does not fear. That was a comfort to me because when Grover left our home in Virginia on Sunday to go back to West Virginia, he was fearful of being in the mining accident that God had revealed was going to happen at Performance Coal. In the most recent dream just prior to the week of the explosion, he said it was like an atomic bomb that went off in the mine. I know the LORD wanted me to know that Grover had overcome that fear of being inside the mine when the earth shook. In other words, Grover not only knew that this was to be the day of disaster, but he willingly went underground unafraid, all in obedience to the Lord.
As some of the miners already knew, Grover went to those in authority over a year before the explosion and requested to be transferred from Performance Coal to Revolution. When they asked him why, he told them that God told him that something bad was going to happen at Performance Coal and he didn’t want to be there. Not understanding that God had actually spoken to Grover, those in authority denied his request to transfer. From a business perspective, they did the correct thing. On April 5, 2010 that Word came to pass. On that day, Grover went home to be with the LORD.
Grover Recorded his Prophetic Insight On The Walls Of his Prayer Closet. The morning after the coal miner called, he came to Virginia and brought me Grover's Bible and journal. Since Grover had shared with many of the miners that he had a prayer closet in his home in Virginia, I wanted to show him Grover’s room and prayer closet before he went back to West Virginia. Grover never used this closet for clothes. His prayer closet was literally a closet where he prayed and he had written seven different Scriptures on the walls. It was at this time that I wondered if any of the Scriptures that the LORD quickened Grover to write on the walls over three years before would be relevant to the explosion of April 5th. |
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Scriptures in Grover's Prayer Closet
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As I read these Scriptures, I realized that all seven Scriptures were relevant. Pictured in Figure 12, these Scriptures were: (1) Psalm 46, (2) Ezekiel 3:13, (3) John 3:12, (4) Psalm 23, (5) Job 18:12, (6) Isaiah 53:5, and (7) Job 4:12.
Knowing that Psalm 46 was the last Scripture Grover read on the morning of April 5th, I was comforted to find that Psalm 46 was one of the seven Scriptures Grover had written on the wall of his prayer closet. Needless to say, that was not just happenstance. I know from Scripture that the LORD does certain things on certain days and I know that the LORD is in control of all things, including the day of the explosion and the timing of Grover’s death. Therefore, I asked the LORD for understanding about why, of all days, the explosion occurred on April 5th. God answered my prayer. The 7 Scriptures Grover wrote on his wall spoke of the explosion to some degree or other. However, it was Ezekiel 3:13, in particular, that was key to understanding why Grover died on April 5th and not some other day.
I heard also the noise of the wings of the living creatures that touched one another, and the noise of the wheels over against them, and a noise of a great rushing. Ezekiel 3:13 KJ
The 1st verse of Ezekiel 1 reveals that it was on the 5th day of the 4th month that the LORD gave Ezekiel the vision of the wheels of which Ezekiel 3:13 speaks - the Scripture that Grover had written on his wall. Needless to say, the 5th day of the 4th month equates to April 5th. Again, this could not just be happenstance.
Now it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, in the fifth day of the month, as I was among the captives by the river of Chebar, that the heavens were opened , and I saw visions of God. Ezekiel 1:1 KJ
The “Powerful Whooshing” And The “Great Rushing.” There was a specific reason why Grover wrote Ezekiel 3:13 on his wall. When Grover first came into the Kingdom, the LORD quickened him to the verses in Ezekiel that speak of these wheels. He was so excited because the LORD gave him the understanding that some day he would hear the sound of the wheels and when he did, he was to follow the sound. Anyone who reads the description of the sound of these particular wheels cannot help but see that the sound relates to the sound of the explosion. From time to time, over the years, Grover would ask me what I thought that meant and I would repeatedly tell him that I didn't know, but he would know when he heard the sound of the wheels and to just follow the sound. I now know what it meant: on the 5th day of the fourth month it was not the sound of the great rushing of the explosion that Grover heard. Rather, Grover heard the noise of the wings of the living creatures that touch one another, and the noise of the wheels over against them, and a noise of a "Great Rushing" of which Ezekiel 3:13 speaks. We know from the first 3 chapters of Ezekiel that the sound of the wheels is part of the description of God's glory. Ezekiel 3:12 reads:
Then the spirit took me up, and I heard behind me a voice of a great rushing, saying, Blessed be the glory of the LORD from his place. Ezekiel 3:12 KJ
At the time of the explosion, one of the miners at the mouth of the mine described the wind from the explosion as a “powerful whooshing.” This powerful whooshing that the miners experienced can be likened to the noise of a “great rushing” as described in Ezekiel 3:13. Yet, while some heard the sound of the explosion, I know Grover heard the sounds of the wheels within the wheels. When the Apostles were filled with the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, they too heard a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind. Scriptures record:
And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. Acts 2:2-4 KJ
Dealing With Rebellion. The first three chapters of Ezekiel also speak of the people being a “rebellious house.” Just the week before the explosion, Grover shared a dream where the LORD showed him all the rebellion around him at the mine (see Figure 13). In his dream, Grover said to one of the coal miners, “There’s rebellion here; we can’t be part of it - we have to leave.” This rebellion speaks of rebellion against the LORD. |
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Those who have ears to hear and eyes to see. Several miners that I spoke to during the time we were all waiting for news of any surviving miners told me that they thought Grover was just being Grover. They never really gave it much thought that God had really revealed to Grover that something bad was going to happen at Performance Coal. I recall the numerous dreams that the LORD gave Grover; they all spoke of a horrendous explosion and that’s what happened on April 5th. Grover likened it to an atomic bomb going off. Somewhere along the line, Christians have been wrongly taught that God doesn’t speak on a personal level as He did in the Bible. Rather, Christians have been taught to follow the traditions of man rather than what God’s Word reveals about Him. That’s not how God wants us to walk with Him. He is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow (Hebrews 13:8)!
Not only does Ezekiel speak of those who won’t listen to him concerning the things of the LORD (another of the seven Scriptures written on Grover’s wall), Jesus speaks to this as well:
If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things? John 3:12 KJ
These Scriptures speak of those who didn’t understand or didn’t believe what Grover was saying. Because many could not understand the spiritual aspects of the explosion they focused on what the media and government were focusing on - all things that were misleading. On the other hand, those who failed to seek God and understand how He wanted them to walk through this situation found themselves being devoured by the accuser of the Brethren – our adversary, the devil. Many were being devoured by mistrust, hatred and un-forgiveness.
Another Scripture from Grover’s wall that I want to share is Psalm 23; verse 4 in particular:
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Psalm 23:4 KJ
Many Pastors read Psalm 23 at the time of a funeral, but Psalm 23 really speaks of someone who is walking through the valley of the shadow of death before they die. As Grover walked through the valley of the shadow of death, the LORD wanted me to know that Grover feared no evil because the LORD was with him. It was the rod and staff of the LORD that comforted Grover. Again, the LORD gave Grover Scriptures which showed Grover would be in the explosion, but also showed that the LORD would be with him. Grover’s wall of Scriptures proclaim that he heard the voice of his Shepherd and Grover’s actions demonstrated he followed Him faithfully.
Psalm 23 speaks of the "Shadow of Death" and Job 28:3 reveals that those who work in Mines work in the "Shadow of Death"
There are Scriptures for all things - even coal mining. Mining is referred to in the Book of Job as a hazardous occupation. In fact, it refers to the areas of the earth where men go to mine for the hidden treasures underground as the region of the “Shadow of Death.”
He setteth an end to darkness, and searcheth out all perfection: the stones of darkness, and the shadow death. Job 28:3 KJV
More to the point, while man has safety regulations and takes safety precautions to make coal mining safer, coal mining will always be a hazardous occupation, as this is what the Scriptures reveal (i.e., the “shadow of death”). Referring again to one of the seven Scriptures that Grover wrote on the walls of his prayer closet at my home in Virginia, it is written:
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Psalm 23:4 KJ
The coal industry has instituted the much needed safety regulations that my father’s generation and those before them did not have. Needless to say, those safety laws need to be enforced. However, regardless of the safety measures taken, coal miners and their families will always have the awareness that coal mining is a dangerous occupation and an accident can happen at any given time simply because of the nature of mining. To try to make mining "completely safe" is a physical and spiritual impossibility. To try to control the nature of mining is to try to control God who created the mines and who is in control of all things.
For this reason, like so many praying miners and their families, we all need to understand what God reveals about mining. Such understanding goes beyond natural things upon which the mining industry is expected to place its focus. Miners and their families are rightfully concerned about the dangers of mining. In reality, many are discerning the Biblical truth that miners are always working in the “shadow of death.” Therefore, in the timeframe immediately following the explosion, to conclude that safety violations were the main (if not sole) reason (as so many did, especially the government) was incorrect. When Grover was communicating that something “bad” was going to happen in the mines, he didn’t assume it had anything whatsoever to do with safety violations. If safety violations were a factor in the explosion, then it was something the LORD never revealed to Grover and they were of no concern to him. The understanding the LORD gave Grover about knowing that “something bad was going to happen” was related to rebellion - but it wasn't the rebellion of Massey.
MSHA, the very agency that was created to protect the miners are the very ones who made Massey change the flow of the ventilation that led to their deaths. Had MSHA not forced Massey to change the airflow the sparks from the shearer would never have caused the explosion.
God gave true wisdom and revelation for Grover to speak. The LORD used mining in Grover’s life to teach him certain Biblical principles. Interestingly, Scriptures in Job use the example of mining to make the point that “true wisdom can only be found in God” (not mining)!
There is a mine for silver and a place where gold is refined. Iron is taken from the earth, and copper is smelted from ore. Man puts an end to the darkness; he searches the farthest recesses for ore in the blackest darkness. Far from where people dwell he cuts a shaft, in places forgotten by the foot of man; far from men he dangles and sways. The earth, from which food comes, is transformed below as by fire; sapphires come from its rocks, and its dust contains nuggets of gold. No bird of prey knows that hidden path, no falcon's eye has seen it. Proud beasts do not set foot on it, and no lion prowls there. Man's hand assaults the flinty rock and lays bare the roots of the mountains. He tunnels through the rock; his eyes see all its treasures. He searches the sources of the rivers and brings hidden things to light. But where can wisdom be found? Where does understanding dwell? Man does not comprehend its worth; it cannot be found in the land of the living. The deep says, 'It is not in me'; the sea says, 'It is not with me.' It cannot be bought with the finest gold, nor can its price be weighed in silver. It cannot be bought with the gold of Ophir, with precious onyx or sapphires. Neither gold nor crystal can compare with it, nor can it be had for jewels of gold. Coral and jasper are not worthy of mention; the price of wisdom is beyond rubies. The topaz of Cush cannot compare with it; it cannot be bought with pure gold. Where then does wisdom come from? Where does understanding dwell? It is hidden from the eyes of every living thing, concealed even from the birds of the air. Destruction and Death say, 'Only a rumor of it has reached our ears.' God understands the way to it and he alone knows where it dwells, for he views the ends of the earth and sees everything under the heavens. When he established the force of the wind and measured out the waters, when he made a decree for the rain and a path for the thunderstorm, then he looked at wisdom and appraised it; he confirmed it and tested it. And he said to man, 'The fear of the Lord - that is wisdom, and to shun evil is understanding. Job 28:1-28 NIV
While those things produced by mining are valuable to man, true wisdom is not found in man’s worldly ability to overcome the obstacles of mining, nor can wisdom be purchased with those precious things the mines produce. True wisdom can only be found in God who created the mines.
Needless to say, Grover understood mining from a worldly perspective; all miners do. However, after he became a Christian, the LORD began to show him mining from a Biblical perspective as well. There’s always a Biblical principle behind the things of the world. Grover came to a place where he could not separate out the worldly principles from the Biblical principles. When speaking to us about mining, he would always share what the LORD revealed to him about any given mining situation. Therefore, I can only speak from that perspective as well. I cannot separate one out from the other. To do otherwise would misrepresent Grover and how God used mining in Grover’s life to teach him certain Biblical principles. Scriptures summarize God’s message to the mining industry by saying that true wisdom is to fear God and shun evil! Fear in this context does not mean that we are to be afraid of the LORD. Rather, it simply means that we are to show reverence for the LORD! These were principles that God wanted Grover to understand and apply to his life when working underground.
The Potter's House is Part of Grover's Testimony
The place Grover called The Potters House. Grover lived with me in Virginia which was his permanent place of residence. When he commuted back to West Virginia for work, he stayed at Massey's Guest House on company property. Grover was very appreciative of Massey's generosity for the seven years they allowed him to stay at their guest house which he always referred to as "The Potter's House." The reason Grover referred to the Guest House as the Potter's House was because of a dream the Lord gave him and a Scripture from the Book of Jeremiah that the Lord had quickened me to. More to the point, the LORD directed Grover's footsteps to the Guest House. That is where the LORD wanted Grover to stay when he wasn't in Virginia and, as long as it was God's will, Grover was content.
Shortly before moving into the guesthouse, Grover had a dream that he went to Billy’s house. When he arrived at Billy’s house, he found he was quite comfortable being there. He took his shoes off and relaxed in a big easy chair. However, he didn’t know who Billy was in the dream. At the same time, the LORD quickened me to share Jeremiah 18 with Grover where God instructed Jeremiah to go down to the potter’s house. At the Potter’s House, God gave Jeremiah revelation and a message to share with those to whom God would send him. The message in Jeremiah is both about how God can shape us individually as well as how He’s able to shape all events; even re-shape them when things have gone wrong.
How Prophetic the Potter's House came to be - in a way that neither Grover or I could have ever imagined.
Shortly afterward having his dream, Bill Potter (a former Massey executive) found out that Grover needed a place to live when he was not with us in Virginia and Mr. Potter sent word to Grover giving him permission to live at the same guesthouse where he lived. At that point, we realized that “Billy” in Grover’s dream was Bill Potter and the “potter’s house” in Jeremiah 18 was symbolic of the guesthouse where Bill Potter lived. This was the potter’s house where Grover was to go. Grover was so excited about living there because God had given him the dream about Billy. Grover really did enjoy his walk with the LORD.
It was here, at the potter’s house over the next seven years, that God molded and shaped Grover for His Kingdom purposes. His job at Massey became more than a job. It was at the potter’s house that the LORD began to use Massey to teach Grover about certain Biblical principles. For example, he learned about respecting authority and no longer signing agreements that he could not keep. In fact, as many know, Grover would forfeit a raise because he would not sign agreements that he knew he potentially could not keep. Grover knew he needed money to pay his bills but he came to understand that his job was not just about making money.
After paying his bills, Grover gave his money away to others who needed help and he did so because God quickened him to the following Scripture:
Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need. Ephesians 4:28 NKJ
Grover wanted to save enough to eventually have his own home, yet every time he would save, he would come to me and say, "little sister, the LORD just took me to Scripture that says store up your treasures in heaven" (Matthew 6:19-20). Then he would give me what he had saved to give to whoever it was that the LORD told either me or him to help. So Grover told me, "little sister, I guess I'll just have to stay with you." Grover never wanted people to know where the money came from and it was only after he died that I told people the money I gave them was from Grover.
We watched as God began to mold and shape Grover over the next seven years. The potter’s house was prophetic in the sense it was during the many years Grover lived there that, like the potter who uses the potter’s wheel to shape and mold the clay, the LORD shaped and molded Grover for the purposes that He wanted to bring about in Grover’s life. While living at the potter’s house, the LORD shaped and reshaped Grover until the vessel was ready. We all know the rest – Grover was ready on April 5, 2010 for God’s purposes at Performance Coal. Like Grover and so many others, we should all come to the place where we ask God what we can do for Him, not just what He can do for us.
The Potter's House in Jerusalem is part of my Testimony
Just like Grover the Lord sent me to the "Potter's House" only the Potter's House the Lord sent me to is in Jerusalem, Israel.
Just as the Potter's House that Grover stayed in was part of Grover's Testimony - the Potter's House in Jerusalem is part of my own personal Testimony unto the Lord.
In 2014 as I was seeking the Lord regarding my upcoming pilgrimage to Jerusalem the Lord quickened me to Jeremiah 19:1-3 which reads:
Thus says the LORD, "Go and buy a potter's earthenware jar, and take some of the elders of the people and some of the senior priests. "Then go out to the valley of Ben-hinnom, which is by the entrance of the potsherd gate, and proclaim there the words that I tell you, and say, 'Hear the word of the LORD, O kings of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem: thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, "Behold I am about to bring a calamity upon this place, at which the ears of everyone that hears of it will tingle.
Needless to say, after reading the account of Grover and the "Potter's House" you can only imagine how I felt when I walked into the "Mount Zion" Hotel the first time and realized that the Hotel lobby overlooked the valley of Ben-hinnom (the Hinnom Valley). And, in the lobby there was a shop that sold clay pots. There was no doubt that this is where the Potter's House was located that the Lord told the prophet Jeremiah to go and buy a clay pot then go out into the Hinnom Valley. Following the "History of Mount Zion Hotel" (taken from their website) you will find pictures taken at the Mount Zion Hotel that is filled with hundreds of clay pots throughout their hotel.
The History of Mount Zion Hotel
FROM ST. JOHN TO MOUNT ZION: Members of the Order of St. John, a British charitable organization dating back to the time of the Crusades, arrived in the Holy Land in 1882 with the aim of founding an eye hospital. They purchased land just outside the Old City walls opposite Mount Zion and overlooking the Hinnom Valley, and built the hospital which served Muslims, Jews, and Christians from all over the Middle East.
During the First World War, the Turks took over the building, turned it into an arms warehouse and destroyed parts of it. This damage, coupled with the results of an earthquake in the 1920s, made repairs necessary.
The War of Independence in 1948 meant that contact with Israelis blockaded in the Jewish Quarter was possible only by means of a cable car, running from a point on Mount Zion to a room in the old hospital building. It was used during the night to transfer medicine and arms to Mount Zion, and the wounded to the hospital. During the day the cable was lowered to the ground so as not to be seen by the enemy.
Today, a small museum, maintained by the Jerusalem Municipality, can be found on the premises where visitors can see the cable car and its mechanism, together with photographs and souvenirs from the period.
The following is a picture of me standing in front of the window at Mount Zion Hotel that overlooks Hinnom Valley. And, as you can see I'm standing beside a large clay pot. And, the next pictures gives you an idea of just how many clay pots are located throughout the hotel. |
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The following pictures are of the shop in the lobby of the Mount Zion Hotel that sells clay pots that are advertised as hundreds of years old.
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Following is another picture of the pots that are sold in the lobby of Mount Zion Hotel and of me standing in Hinnom Valley which interestingly is right below the room where I stay when I'm in Jerusalem. |
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Me standing in front of The Temple Institute before they moved to their new location |
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Was God in Control of the Explosion at UBB?
If God was in control, then why did He allow such a bad thing to happen to 29 coal miners?
Fruit of a Righteous Man's Life: We know that God will permit what seems to us an untimely death only when absolutely necessary and for His Kingdom purposes. “God does not hold His servants in so little estimation as to expose them to death causally.” (John Calvin). Take Stephen for example: verses 3, 5 and 8 of Acts 6 reveals that Stephen was a man of "good reputation" and filled with the Holy Spirit. He was full of faith and power, and did great wonders and signs among the people. Yet, verse 11 and 13 reveals he was falsely accused, and Chapter 7 reveals that he was stoned to death! Worse yet, Acts 7:55-56 reveals that God, the Father, and Jesus Christ watched as he was being stoned! What? If God was in control, then why did He allow such a bad thing to happen to Stephen, a man of good reputation and filled with the Holy Spirit? It doesn't sound very loving that God would just watch and not intervene as a righteous man like Stephen was murdered... unless there was a higher purpose.
Psalm 116:15 reveals that Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of His Saints without a doubt the death of Stephen was precious in His sight. How do I know this? Scripture tells us that as Steven was being stoned the heavens opened and Stephen saw the glory of God. And, how incredibly wonderful that as he was being stoned - Christ Jesus stood in honor of Steven.
As we read the account of Steven as recorded in Acts 7, we find that as Stephen was being stoned, the heavens opened and Stephen saw the Glory of God and Jesus "standing" at the right hand of God. The fact that Jesus was "standing" is significant because Scriptures reveal that at all other times, Jesus is seated at the right hand of God. The Scriptures which refer to Him being seated reveal and convey that His purposes for coming to the earth, at least in this dispensation, were completed - He went to the Cross and rose from the dead. Therefore, the fact that Jesus was standing as Stephen was stoned speaks volumes. When Christ stood, I believe he was honoring Stephen for laying down his life for a higher purpose. How loving that God, the Father, and Christ Jesus comforted Stephen in the midst of his sufferings by opening the heavens and letting Stephen see His Glory. Also, the last verse says he “fell asleep” as opposed to “died.” In other words, instead of experiencing the pain and agony of death, he experienced the peace (comfort) of falling asleep. Some may refute this by saying “fell asleep” was being used in this case as a metaphor for death. However, Luke (the writer of the Book of Acts) consistently used the word “died” when someone actually died. God comforted Stephen as he was being stoned - He wanted Stephen to know He was aware and cared about his sacrifice as well as giving him relief.
A Higher purpose. The LORD was able to use the death of Stephen to scatter the disciples throughout the region of Judea and Samaria, and everywhere they went they preached the Word of God which spread the Gospel further. This was in accordance with the directives that the LORD gave to His disciples in Acts 1:8; that they would be witnesses unto Him both in Jerusalem, Judaea, Samaria and unto the uttermost part of the earth. It just didn't come about in a way they expected; it came about in a way that was beyond the Believer's control. Yet, the LORD was in control the entire time.
Interestingly, the very wiles of the enemy to try and frustrate the Believers became the means by which the LORD scattered the disciples, and everywhere they went the Gospel was established. Further, they scattered out of "fear." On the other hand, Stephen did not shrink back from the fear of being stoned and because he didn't, he saw the Glory of God. Just like Stephen, Grover saw the Glory of God in the Whirlwind. It was only when Grover was able to confront his fear of staying at Performance without shrinking back that Grover could have seen the glory of the LORD in the explosion (Ezekiel 1-3). In other words, if the LORD was going to allow something bad to happen at Performance and Grover was to be in it, then Grover knew the LORD had a higher purpose.
And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, Lord, do not charge them with this sin. And when he had said this, he fell asleep. Acts 7:59-60 NIV
We find out from verse 58 that those who stoned Stephen laid down their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul (Paul), and from Acts 8:1 that Saul (Paul) was there giving approval to Stephen's death. The great Apostle Paul was one of those that Stephen asked the Lord to forgive and, needless to say, the Lord forgave him. Paul understood “Amazing Grace!” Also, Believers over the last 2,000 years have experienced and appreciated Paul’s contribution to the Gospel. Just as Stephen’s death served a higher purpose, so did Grover’s.
Just like Stephen, anyone who was, in any way, responsible for Grover's death, I ask the Lord not to hold this sin against them. In other words, if anyone was responsible, I pray that they will turn as Paul turned. God does not take pleasure in anyone perishing; rather, he delights in redemption. When Stephen asked the LORD not to hold their sins against them, that was a reflection of Christ Jesus on the Cross when He asked the Father not to hold the sins of those who crucified Him against them. As a witness unto Jesus, there should be something in us that reflects Christ. To forgive anyone who is responsible, directly or indirectly, is a reflection of Christ Jesus. It is a witness unto Him. Forgiveness is at the very core of the testimony of a Christian who worships the Lord in spirit and in truth; to forgive is being a witness unto Him.
Another way to look at the explosion is in reference to God’s sovereignty. Since Scriptures reveal that God is Omniscient, it means He was aware of the explosion! Therefore, if He allowed the explosion, there must be a higher purpose. If there is a higher purpose, then not one death was in vain. It is a Biblical truth that God knows everything. Psalm 139 is only one of many Scripture passages which reveal that God has infinite knowledge; there is nothing that He is not aware of or interested in, including future events. He knows everything that will happen before it occurs. There is no facet of God's creation that can escape His awareness.
There are those who deny God's omniscience. In fact, Psalm 73:11-12 reveals that the wicked deny God's omniscience and because they believe that God does not see their sin, they oppress others as they please and live a lifestyle of ease. Nonetheless, Proverbs 15:3 reveals that, “The eyes of the LORD are in every place, Keeping watch on the evil and the good.” Eventually, those who oppress others reap from what they have sown.
Some have said to me that the God they know would never have allowed the explosion, yet, it is a fact - the explosion did happen. They could not explain to me why the God they know didn't intervene and stop the explosion or where He was in all this. I would say to them, “read the account of Stephen; that's the God I know!” I learned a long time ago that God's thoughts and ways are not our thought and ways - they are higher (Isaiah 55:8-9)! Human reason or an individual’s own sense of morality will not reveal divine insight into God’s purpose. However, He gave us His Spirit (John 16:13) and His Word (Romans 15:4) to help us understand.
Spiritual results of the explosion. Yes, the LORD was there. Even though the explosion was not a good or desirable thing, we know from Romans 8:28 that God will use it for good to those who love Him. Again, Grover had written Ezekiel 3:13 on the wall of his prayer closet and in Ezekiel 1-3, the wheels are associated with God's glory.
Grover believed in the omniscience of God. Grover never had a doubt that God was in control of his life and the circumstances around him. For that reason, Grover told me that if he was in the explosion (if God didn't deliver him), he knew it would be for a higher purpose. Grover stressed that even if God didn't deliver him, God was still able, and that all of God's ways are just.
An Act of God. In the natural, the classification of this incident as an “Act of God” indicates an unforeseen and uncontrollable natural event as the root cause of the explosion, such as the gas that seeped through the geological fault zone. An Act of God doesn't mean that the LORD didn't care or wasn't mindful of the 29 coal miners. Also, it certainly doesn't mean that the LORD was judging the coal miners. After all, Grover was in that explosion and I know for a fact that the LORD loved Grover. However, it is the means that I believe God used to get the attention of a nation regarding 29 good men and the coal fields in which they worked.
A Word of Rebuke for President Obama
A door opened to give President Obama a Prophetic Word. Many years ago, the LORD quickened me to Scriptures that gave me the understanding that someday I would be in the presence of the President of the United States. After Barak Obama’s election to the presidency, I knew in my spirit that he was that president since the LORD had given me an understanding as to why he, of all people, was the first African American to become President of the United States. And, I held onto that word for approximately 18 months because the Lord told me not to send the word to President Obama but that the Lord would open the door for me to personally hand the word to President Obama. And, that understanding became a reality on April 25th, the 21st day after the mining accident, when President Obama attended a Memorial Dinner for the families of the 29 miners who died in the explosion. Since it was the death of my brother which opened the door for me to personally hand President Obama a Word, then this too becomes part of my testimony.
21 days. To understand the Word I gave to President Obama, it’s important to understand God’s timing. As I know the LORD does certain things on certain days, I asked the LORD why the Memorial for the miners was held on Sunday, April 25th - the 21st day after Grover's death. The LORD took me to Daniel 10 verses 12-13, which reveals that from the first day that Daniel set his heart for understanding, God heard his words and “a certain man clothed in linen” (verse 5) was sent to give Daniel the understanding he was seeking. Interestingly, this man clothed in linen explained to Daniel that it took him 21 days to finally reach him because the Prince of Persia withstood him for this length of time. It was not until Michael came to help him that the man in linen was able to reach Daniel.
Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words. But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia. Daniel 10:12-13 KJ
Like Daniel, on April 5th, the day of the explosion, I stared to earnestly seek the LORD for understanding that I knew only He could give me as to His higher purposes. Even though the LORD had given me a great deal of understanding from the first day that I started to seek understanding I knew that there was still something the LORD wanted me to personally know. For that reason I continued to seek the LORD and, on the 21st day, the full understanding came. The 21st day was April 25th, the day the LORD opened the door for me to give President Obama a Word from the LORD.
Opposition to attend the Memorial Service. Just as verse 13 reveals that a principality, the prince of the kingdom of Persia, had tried to prevent the heavenly messenger from reaching Daniel with the understanding he had prayed for, so it was with me. After learning that there was going to be a Memorial Service for the miners, I was surprised that no one from the Governor's office had called me; after all, Grover had lived with me for the last seven years of his life. So I decided to call the Governor's office and was quite surprised when I was told by Governor Manchin's office that I was not invited to attend the service because it was for "immediate family" only. Even though I’m his sister and Grover had lived with me for the last seven years of his life, I was not considered immediate family? It didn't seem to matter that I was grieving at the death of my brother; there answer was repeatedly the same: no! I looked for sympathy from the Governor's office but found none. There is a Scripture which describes what I experienced:
Reproach has broken my heart, And I am full of heaviness; I looked for someone to take pity, but there was none; And for comforters, but I found none. Psalm 69:20 NKJ
It was only when I told the Governor's staff that I was coming to the Capitol steps of West Virginia and raise my voice like a trumpet until someone in the Governor's office acknowledged me as immediate family that I receive an invitation. I should not have been surprised because the LORD had already revealed to me there would be opposition, but He would remove the obstacle (and He did). When I attended the Memorial Service, it was clear that even those who were friends of the decedents could attend as long as the respective family representative said so. I spoke with others in attendance that were either distant relatives or friends of the families and none that I spoke with had been told they were not immediate family, even though they weren't.
The point I want to make is about the "opposition from the Enemy" I experienced. Yes, it hurt to be opposed (even rejected) by family members, especially ones who had demonstrated hatred and mockery of Grover for a long time. Further, it hurt that government officials, responsible for representing and defending my interests, were willing being used by my relatives in an attempt to keep me from attending the memorial service. However, it was of critical spiritual importance that I saw the spiritual purpose for the opposition - a tactic of the enemy to keep me from delivering a prophetic word to The President - instead of just naturally. Had I focused on the natural offenses the Enemy was trying to stir up (more grief over Grover’s passing, anger at the hypocrisy of those who were pretending to have cared about him, or anxiety about how to deal with the feelings), I may not have recognized the true source of the opposition and my need to persevere. Anyone who understands spiritual warfare understands that whenever the LORD wants us to do something, our spiritual enemy will oppose us by influencing people in the natural realm, either with or without their knowledge, to try to thwart God's purposes.
The Word from the LORD was delivered. The Word that I gave President Obama is an excerpt from what I had already shared with many people concerning America’s “spiritual roots” and why President Obama was America’s first African American President. For that reason, I am free to share the Word I gave President Obama with you as well. The Word to President Obama is also a word of correction, which is obvious near the end of the Word.
The pictures are significant in that I am seated when I handed President Obama the Word because one of the Scriptures to which the LORD quickened me refers to being “seated” with “leaders” (all of which God appoints - all authority comes from Him - Romans 13:1). President Obama, like everyone else, was seated during the Memorial Ceremony. Psalm 113:8 |
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Me Speaking to President Obama about the Prophetic Word
Here I am pictured handing the Word to President Obama
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Any student of God’s Word and Ways understands there is no such thing as “happenstance.” For that reason, we understand that God could use the mining accident for a Higher Kingdom purpose. For example, President Obama was the first President in the history of West Virginia to honor a fallen miner! There may have been other reasons (like politics) which caused The President to come but, needless to say, being present to honor the fallen miners opened the door for me to personally give him the Prophetic Word I had been holding for approximately 18 months. A Word that not only reveals why he is the first African American to become President but also a Word of correction.
The Word of correction included in what I gave President Obama calls him into accountability for misrepresenting Jesus Christ. He cannot be an “Ambassador for Islam” and an “Ambassador for Jesus Christ.” To place Mohammad on the same level as Jesus Christ misrepresents the Gospel of Jesus Christ! He must choose one or the other. It may have been considered “politically correct” at the times he was lifting up Islam in speeches given to predominantly Muslim audiences, but the Government rests on the shoulders of Jesus Christ; not Mohammad. The LORD will not honor political correctness (a form of “relative righteousness”). The Government rests on His shoulders and His alone. He will not share His Glory with another (Isaiah 42:8). Therefore, I said to President Obama, “To Honor my brother, Grover Skeens, please hear the cry of my heart.” The cry of my heart was that if he truly wanted to honor my brother, then he will honor the LORD, as my brother honored the LORD. Otherwise, President Obama cannot honor my brother who was among the other fallen miners he came to honor.
The Word to President Obama Reads as Follows:
President Obama,
To Honor my Brother – Grover Skeens Please Hear the Cry of My Heart
Dear President Obama,
My late brother, Grover Skeens, who died in the UBB mine accident April 5, 2010, lived with my husband and me for the last seven plus years. We were very close to him and miss him deeply.
The only way that you or I can truly honor the memory of my brother is to honor the Lord. The miners who worked with Grover can tell you my brother would want the focus to be on the Lord and who he was in the Lord. The miners will also tell you that over a year ago, Grover asked to be transferred to another mine because the LORD told him of the explosion in which he died.
For that reason, I have enclosed a testimony to what the Lord revealed to Grover concerning the explosion and how lives are being transformed. They now know that God is real and does indeed still speak on a personal level.
After your election as President, I believed that someday the Lord would possibly open the door for me to personally share with you why He ordained you, of all people, to be the first African America President. Now that door has been opened through the death of my brother (who was aware of what I want to share with you). Even though I may not hand this to you personally, it is still personal in the sense that I may pass this envelope to either you or one of your aides in what is a very personal situation.
The Lord gave me the understanding that He would “seat me with the princes of HIS people” and as of Sunday, April 25, 2010 that Word has come to pass – Psalm 113:8. And, as this door has been opened because of the death of my brother – then this too becomes part of my testimony concerning Grover.
Given this opportunity, I want to share with you what the Lord has spoken to me about why He ordained you as America’s first African America President.
As you read what I have enclosed, you will begin to understand that the free men from Africa that the French Huguenots brought with them and who helped establish America’s first successful colony in 1564 at Fort Caroline, Florida, have a great deal to do with you and your particular heritage. These free men were identified as Moors, Africans with a Muslim heritage. In a similar fashion, you too are a descendant of a free man from Africa and even though you do not practice Islam, you are a descendant of those who have a Muslim background.
The spiritual truths of our past are also prologue to our future; these free men from Africa who were Moors were a prologue to your Presidency.
And my prayer for you is that you succeed in your Presidency.
President Obama, may the LORD bless you and keep you and may HIS face shine upon you. And may you bless the LORD in return for what HE has done for you!
The Spiritual Seeds of America
America has both "Spiritual Founding Fathers" and "Secular Founding Fathers"
And, it was our Spiritual Founding Fathers, the French Huguenots that brought the first free Africans to America. In other words, it was always the LORD’s heart that the Africans who came to America to be free men and women – not slaves!
The Spiritual Seeds of the United States of America were planted in 1564 by the French Huguenots near St. Augustine, Florida. They were the first to bring the Gospel of Jesus Christ to what is now known as America and they were the first to bring free men from Africa to America. Moreover, they were the first to be martyred on American soil.
The Secular Seeds of America were planted by George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and others who wrote the Constitution of the United States which was a product of the Age of Enlightenment. And, it was from these seeds of the “Age of Reason” that “Secular Religion” began to take root and grow in America.
The Spiritual Seed of the United States of America was founded upon the “Martyrdom of the Huguenots” and the "Word of their Testimony"
Revelation 12 [11] And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.
Overview: There is much discussion among the Christian community concerning the spiritual roots of America. Assuming that we do have a Christian foundation (and we do), some attribute this to George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, or other Founding Fathers and documents produced by them around the time of the American Revolution. Others cite earlier roots with William Penn of the Colony of Pennsylvania, while still others refer to the Pilgrims and the Puritans in the New England colonies. However, the earliest spiritual roots of America can be traced back to 1564 to a little-known group of French Huguenots led by a man named Jean Ribault and they were the first to bring the Gospel of Jesus Christ to what is now known as America.
The Huguenots were French Protestants who were persecuted for their faith beginning as early as 1536 in France. Although they wanted to establish a colony for France, the primary reason that the Huguenots came to America was to establish a place where they could worship the LORD in spirit and in truth. It just so happened that they established the first successful colony in what is now America approximately 43 years before the founding of Jamestown and 56 years before the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock. It was at Fort Caroline, the fort established by the Huguenots, and the environs of what later became the nearby town of St. Augustine, Florida, that Jean Ribault went into covenant with the LORD and thereby established the spiritual foundation of America. And it was here that Jean Ribault was martyred.
The Huguenots: To escape persecution for their faith and even extinction, the French Protestants, known as the Huguenots, sailed to America in 1564 and established a permanent colony in modern day Florida. They founded Fort Caroline on June 30, 1564, and it was here at Fort Caroline that the Spiritual Roots of America were laid down on October 12, 1565, with the martyrdom of Jean Ribault, leader of the French Huguenots.
Previous to the Huguenots’ settlement, Spain had attempted to colonize America, but without success. When Spain learned that the French had established Fort Caroline, they were determined to sail to America and destroy both the fort and the Huguenots. Not only were the territorial interests of Spain at issue, but more importantly, their hatred of the Huguenots, whom they considered heretics. The Spaniards destroyed Fort Caroline and subsequently established nearby St. Augustine on September 8, 1565. It is important to understand that Fort Caroline is approximately 15 months older than the town of St. Augustine.
Jean Ribault was a French naval officer and a devout Huguenot Protestant. In 1562, he led an expedition to explore Florida and before he returned to France, he set up a stone marker on the land in Florida claiming the land for France. It was decided that the French Huguenots would sail back to Florida to set up a French colony establishing a refuge for the French Huguenots in the New World. However, upon his return to France, Ribault found himself on the losing end of a religious battle in France. Hoping to find refuge, he escaped to England only to find himself imprisoned in the Tower of London.
With Ribault imprisoned, it was decided that another Huguenot leader, Rene Laudonniere, would return to Florida in 1564 to establish the colony. Laudonniere was successful in establishing Fort Caroline near what is now St. Augustine, Florida in 1564. Upon his release from prison in 1565, Ribault led another expedition and set sail for Florida to join Laudonniere and to establish another colony.
Ribault was not the only one en route to Florida. King Philip II of Spain had commissioned Pedro Menendez de Aviles as his Adelantado and as a Knight in the Order of Santiago to sail to Florida with instructions to dislodge the French Huguenots (Menendez’s role as a knight is discussed more fully in the article entitled The American Crusade). Upon their arrival to Florida, both fleets actually confronted one another on the seas. Ribault tried to defeat the Spanish in a naval battle, but his ships were destroyed by a hurricane and he and those with him found themselves stranded near what is now Daytona.
In the meantime, the Spanish chose a land route to reach Fort Caroline before Ribault could return. With the exception of those few who managed to escape, the Huguenots were massacred by the Spanish. The Spaniards posted the following inscription over those Huguenots who they hung: “I do this, not as to Frenchmen, but as to Lutherans.” i (emphasis added)
The Martyrdom of Jean Ribault: After the slaughter at Fort Caroline, Ribault was eventually captured by the Spanish and executed. Below is an account of Ribault’s death and martyrdom taken from Fort Caroline and Its Leader by Charles E. Bennett (emphasis has been added):
"Solis de Meras, a Spaniard and an eyewitness to the scene, described the massacre in the following words:
‘The Adelantado [Menendez], taking Jean Ribault behind the sand hills, among the bushes where the others had their hands tied behind them, he said to these and all others as he had done before, that they had four leagues to go after night, and that he could not permit them to go unbound; and after they were all tied, he asked if they were Catholics or Lutherans, or if any of them desired to make confession.”
“Undoubtedly Menendez was cruel and bigoted, but he was a product of his era. He hated Lutherans, Huguenots, and other members of the new religious sects and showed them no mercy.”
“Jean Ribault replied, "that all who were there were of the new religion," and he then began to repeat the psalm, "Domine! memento Mei"; and having finished, he said, "that from dust they came and to dust they must return, and that in twenty years, more or less, he must render his final account; and that the Adelantado might do with them as he chose." The Adelantado then ordered all to be killed, in the same order and at the same mark, as had been done to the others. He spared only the fifers, drummers and trumpeters, and four others who said that they were Catholics.
The man who actually killed Ribault first inquired of him whether the French commander did not expect his soldiers to obey orders, Ribault answered, "Yes." Then the Spaniard said, "I propose to obey the orders of my commander also. I am ordered to kill you." The Psalm that Ribault recited before the dagger was thrust into his body was the 132nd Psalm which begins “Lord, remember David"; but Ribault began it, according to an eyewitness, with ‘Lord, remember me.’”
"History has justifiably recognized the greatness of Jean Ribault. He and his followers chose to die for principle rather than recant and abandon their religion”
The Spiritual Roots of America: When Ribault recited Psalm 132, he spoke a "creative word" into the spiritual realm declaring God’s true purpose for him coming to America. It was at that time that Satan and the kingdom of darkness understood that Jean Ribault and many other Huguenots were willing to lay down their lives for Jesus Christ. Jean Ribault and other Huguenots with him overcame Satan by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. Ephesians 3 [10] "[The purpose is] that through the church the complicated, many-sided wisdom of God in all its infinite variety and innumerable aspects might now be made known to the angelic rulers and authorities (principalities and powers) and in the heavenly sphere." Amplified Bible
Ribault had the same heart’s desire as King David in seeking a place in the New World where God might be worshipped in freedom. Just as David vowed in Psalm 132 to find a habitation for God, so did Ribault.
Psalm 127 [1] Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain.
Immediately before Ribault was martyred, he quoted Psalm 132. Just as King David swore an oath to the Lord to find a habitation for God, Ribault also sought to find a habitation for God. Ribault went into covenant with Yahweh with this oath, and at that time, the LORD laid down the foundation and the spiritual seed of our nation in 1565.
Many others came from different countries to this land and were eager to either buy or take land from the Indians. However, it is interesting to note that Ribault's interest in the land was to find a habitation for God where God could be worshipped in spirit and truth and in freedom. For God to build the house and to plant the seed of America as a Christian nation, a covenant was necessary between God and man just as God went into covenant with Abraham and Moses. All other covenants between men, whether they were covenants between two individuals or between two countries, would be building upon the foundation already laid in 1565. Needless to say, many of these covenants were not pleasing unto the LORD. Although Ribault claimed the land for France, there is no record, at least to my knowledge, that Ribault himself purchased or went into any covenant for land with the Indians. In addition to Ribault, Rene Laudonniere, Governor at Fort Caroline, laid down the roots of government in America.
Martyrdom: Revelation 6:9-11, Revelation 12:11, Revelation 20:4 and others speak of the importance of the death of the martyr. Among other things, the death of the martyr brings damage to the kingdom of darkness. Just as praise and wielding the Word of God over the enemy weakens or pulls down principalities [Psalm 149:6-9], so too does the death of the martyr [Revelation 12:7-13].
We know that Jesus sits at the right hand of the Father. However, as Stephen was being martyred, rather than being seated, Stephen saw Jesus "standing" at the right hand of God (Acts 7:55-56). Scripture tells us that Jesus is seated at the right hand of the Father because His work is complete.
For Jesus to stand at the martyrdom of Steven speaks volumes of how He views those who are willing to lay down their lives for Him.
African Roots in America: It is significant to note that when the Huguenots came to America they brought “free men” from Africa with them. They were identified as Moors,ii meaning Muslims of African descent, thus establishing a spiritual basis of racial freedom and equality in the land. More than likely, Rene de Laudonniere, the founder of Ft. Caroline, met the Moors that came to America with him while he was in Morocco. Interestingly, the first Muslim nation to sign a peace treaty with America was Morocco in 1786.iii
The Spanish saw these free black men as a threat and an infringement on their slave trade in nearby Cuba. When the Spanish murdered the Huguenots, they invoked the principality “Santiago, the Moor Slayer” to come to their aid in the battle. With their war cries of “Santiago, Santiago,”iv they also massacred the Moors who came to America with the Huguenots.
When the Spanish invoked the principality, Santiago, new gods came to the gates of Fort Caroline and America and subsequently, war ensued. This can be understood in the context of Judges 5:8 and Daniel 10:13:
Judges 5 [8] They chose new gods; then was war in the gates: was there a shield or spear seen among forty thousand in Israel?
Daniel 10 [13] But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days; but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there3 with the kings of Persia.
These Scriptures, among others, clearly reveal that warring geographical principalities exist and are very much involved in the activities of mankind, operating behind those who allow it. Ephesians 6 even warns us that our battle is in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 6:12).
It was at this same time (the martyrdom of the Huguenots) in America’s history that the roots of slavery were established by the Spanish Conquistadors. The Spanish Conquistador, Pedro Menendez, had brought 500 or so African slaves with them to America, and it was these 500 slaves that the Spanish used to build St. Augustine,v the first Spanish mission in America. Thus began slavery and slave labor in America.
Not only is it significant that the first Africans to set foot in America were free Africans, it is also significant that they were identified as Moors. This was a derogatory term used by the Spanish to describe Muslims of African descent who had invaded their country in previous centuries.
It should also be noted that the Moors that came to America with the Huguenots were not believers as the Huguenots referred to them as “infidels.”vi Similar to the “mixed multitude” accompanying Moses to the Promised Land on the exodus from Egypt (Exodus 12:37, Numbers 11:4), these infidels (as well as agnostics, and prisoners) accompanied the Huguenots to the New World.
Those who settled in new lands did not always have the choice of who came with them. Often times, to receive funding for their voyage and new colonies they were required to bring along with them others that a country may have wanted to rid themselves – hence, the mixed multitude.
Just as the mixed multitude was a snare to Israel, the Moors proved to be extremely problematic for the Huguenots. However, the Huguenots never compromised their beliefs for the Moors; rather, Laudonniere, the governor at Ft. Caroline, called them into accountability for their sins according to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. (see excerpted pages from Fort Caroline and Its Leader at the end of this chapter)
Barak Hussein Obama: With the understanding that the first Africans to arrive in America were also Muslims, then President Barrack Obama’s ancestry immediately becomes noteworthy!
Whose son are you, young man? Scripture reveals that the sins of the fathers go down three and four generations. We also know that the genealogy of someone was extremely important to the Israelites. For example, after David killed Goliath, King Saul asked David “whose son are you, young man?”
1 Samuel 17 [55] And when Saul saw David go forth against the Philistine, he said unto Abner, the captain of the host, Abner, whose son is this youth? And Abner said, As thy soul liveth, O king, I cannot tell. [56] And the king said, Enquire thou whose son the stripling is. [57] And as David returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, Abner took him, and brought him before Saul with the head of the Philistine in his hand. [58] And Saul said to him, Whose son art thou, thou young man? And David answered, I am the son of thy servant Jesse the Bethlehemite. (emphasis added)
It seems that David’s courage and character, spiritually as well as physically, in some way was a reflection of his father. Thus, the ancestry of President Obama’s forefathers cannot be ignored – they are part of his spiritual DNA as well as his DNA in the natural. They are part of his identity.
Who were Barack Obama’s fathers? Even though Barrack Obama was born in America, his father and grandfather, citizens of Kenya, were African Muslims. His stepfather was Muslim as well and for a period of his life, Barrack Obama was raised in a Muslim country. Even though Barrack Obama is a confessing Christian, he was raised with an appreciation of the faith of his ancestry – the Muslim faith. When addressing Turkey’s Grand National Assembly in April of 2009, he reached out to Muslims saying:
“…So let me say this as clearly as I can: The United States is not, and will never be, at war with Islam. … We will convey our deep appreciation for the Islamic faith, which has done so much over the centuries to shape the world – including in my own country. The United States has been enriched by Muslim Americans. Many other Americans have Muslims in their families or have lived in a Muslim-majority country -- I know, because I am one of them.”vii (emphasis added)
Moreover, in a joint press availability session with President Gul of Turkey, President Obama stated,
“… although as I mentioned, we have a very large Christian population, we do not consider ourselves a Christian nation or a Jewish nation or a Muslim nation; we consider ourselves a nation of citizens who are bound by ideals and a set of values.”viii
Many Americans were appalled that President Obama even dared to indicate that America was not a Christian nation – as though he was the first President to make such a bold claim. In fact, President Obama was only echoing the beliefs of many of America’s Founding Fathers.
As mentioned earlier, Morocco was the first Arab nation to recognize America as a nation, a detail not lost on President Obama. He referred to this fact in his address to the Arab nations when speaking in Cairo:
“I also know that Islam has always been a part of America’s story. The first nation to recognize my country was Morocco. In signing the Treaty of Tripoli in 1796, our second President, John Adams, wrote, ‘The United States has in itself no character of enmity against the laws, religion or tranquility of Muslims.’
President Obama was quoting from Article 11 of the Treaty of Tripoli (the official name of this treaty was the Treaty of Peace and Friendship between the United States of America and the Bey and Subjects of Tripoli of Barbary). The treaty was actually comprised of individual treaties, the first signed with Morocco in 1786. Collectively, these treaties were also known as the “Barbary Treaties” or the “Treaty of Tripoli”. As a whole, the Treaty of Tripoli was signed in 1796-97, ratified by Congress and then signed into law by President John Adams in 1797 – eleven years after the individual treaty was signed with Morocco. Article 11 of this treaty reads:
“As the government of the United States of America is not in any sense founded on the Christian Religion,-as it has in itself no character of enmity against the laws, religion or tranquility of Musselmen,-and as the said States never have entered into any war or act of hostility against any Mehomitan nation, it is declared by the parties that no pretext arising from religious opinions shall ever produce an interruption of the harmony existing between the two countries.”ix (emphasis has been added)
Article 11 confirms that America’s second President as well as the sitting Congress who ratified the Treaty of Tripoli, like Obama, did not consider America to be a Christian nation. And like President Obama, they were certainly not offended by Islam nor did they want to offend the Arab nations concerning their practice of their religion.
President Obama’s appreciation of Islam and his own Muslim ancestry is also echoed in a subsequent speech delivered in Cairo, Egypt on June 4, 2009. The text of this speech, in its entirety, is included in the Appendix and bears witness that Barrack Obama’s character – spiritually as well as physically – is truly a reflection of his Muslim forefathers. In this speech he said,
“There must be a sustained effort to listen to each other; to learn from each other; to respect one another; and to seek common ground. As the Holy Koran tells us, ‘Be conscious of God and speak always the truth." (Applause.) That is what I will try to do today -- to speak the truth as best I can, humbled by the task before us, and firm in my belief that the interests we share as human beings are far more powerful than the forces that drive us apart.
Now part of this conviction is rooted in my own experience. I'm a Christian, but my father came from a Kenyan family that includes generations of Muslims. As a boy, I spent several years in Indonesia and heard the call of the azaan at the break of dawn and at the fall of dusk. As a young man, I worked in Chicago communities where many found dignity and peace in their Muslim faith.
As a student of history, I also know civilization's debt to Islam. It was Islam -- at places like Al-Azhar -- that carried the light of learning through so many centuries, paving the way for Europe's Renaissance and Enlightenment. It was innovation in Muslim communities -- (applause) -- it was innovation in Muslim communities that developed the order of algebra; our magnetic compass and tools of navigation; our mastery of pens and printing; our understanding of how disease spreads and how it can be healed. Islamic culture has given us majestic arches and soaring spires; timeless poetry and cherished music; elegant calligraphy and places of peaceful contemplation. And throughout history, Islam has demonstrated through words and deeds the possibilities of religious tolerance and racial equality. (Applause.)”x (emphasis has been added)
Obviously, the Muslim influence is there. The Muslim name, Barack Hussein Obama, speaks for itself. This too is a Biblical principal as names often defined a characteristic or the nature of a person.
It is important to understand that the spiritual offspring of the Spanish who attacked Ft. Caroline and killed the Moors and the French Huguenots, both of whom the Spanish hated, would spiritually perceive Barrack Obama as a Moor. They would also view him as a heretic in much the same way as their ancestors viewed the French Huguenots as heretics. Even though the French Huguenots, like Barrack Obama, confessed to be Christians, the Spanish considered them heretics nonetheless because they would not come under the authority of the Roman Catholic Pope.
Like the first free men from Africa to arrive in America, Barrack Obama comes from a line of free men, whereas his wife is an offspring of slavery. In this sense, they are both making history in America. Like the first Africans to arrive in America, it can be said that Barrack Hussein Obama, like his father and grandfathers, is a Muslim of African descent and that he too is a Moor. At least, he will be perceived as such by the spiritual offspring of the Spanish Conquistadors and the Knights of Santiago, as well as many other Americans!
Ambassador for Islam: In his speech given in Cairo, Egypt and heard throughout the world, President Obama’s remarks bear witness against him that like his forefathers, he too is an “Ambassador for Islam.” Many Arabs took note that President Obama presented himself as a Teacher of the Muslim Religion, even comparing himself to Muslim’s religious leaders.
Islam was at the very core of his address. Even though he mentioned Jesus and Moses, it was only in passing. Rather, at times, it seemed that President Obama was proselytizing for Islam. His comments seemed to indicate that Islam could solve all of the world’s problems.
This point was not missed by Muslim world leaders. In his first interview following President Obama’s speech in Cairo, Egyptian President Mubarak shared his perception of President Obama’s personal views of Islam as reported by Reuters and the Associated Press (emphasis has been added):
“He [President Obama] is a sympathetic man, and says the United States will not fight Islam because Islam is a heavenly religion,”xi and
“Obama ‘sympathizes and says Islam is a heavenly religion like other religions’ … ‘President Obama is someone who differs from the other presidents of the United States’”xii
Jesus said “Woe to the teachers of the law and Pharisees” who sat in Moses’ seat of authority and who traveled over sea and land to proselytize according to their own beliefs, but not according to God’s will:
Matthew 23 [15] Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are. NIV)
Ambassador for Christ: As Christians, we are called to be Ambassadors for Christ. As a professing Christian, one would expect President Obama to choose to win converts for Jesus who alone can save. Yet, rather than referring to those Scriptures of the Old Testament and the New Testament that testified of Jesus as the Messiah, President Obama quoted from the Koran. President Obama presented Jesus Christ as nothing more than an equal, if that, of Islam’s Prophet Muhammad, thus diminishing the very heart of Christianity.
Instead, President Obama should have pointed to the Scriptures that reveal that the Mohammedans, who look to Ishmael as their spiritual father, are only the natural offspring of Abraham, not the spiritual offspring of Abraham, because Ishmael was the son of Abraham’s flesh. On the other hand, Christians look to Abraham as their spiritual father because, like Isaac, we are the children of the promise, and for that reason, we are the true spiritual offspring of Abraham. (Galatians 4:21-30).
Furthermore, President Obama should have pointed to the Scriptures that reveal that the spiritual offspring of Ishmael will never share in the promise of the spiritual offspring of Isaac (Galatians 4:30). For that reason the spiritual offspring of Ishmael, including those who practice Islam, will always “spiritually” persecute the children of promise (Galatians 4:28-29).
More to the point, once President Obama stepped into the “Seat of Moses”, he should have pointed to the Scriptures that reveal that Islam and Christianity are incompatible. When Barrack Obama, a teacher of the civil law, wrongly took it upon himself to sit in Moses’ “Seat of Authority” presenting himself as a Teacher of the Law and a Teacher of Islam, he misrepresented the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Thus, he too is accountable for traveling over sea and land to proselytize according to his own beliefs rather than according to God’s will. (Matthew 23:15)
Notice the differences between the beliefs of America’s first and highest-ranking government official, Governor Laudonniere, and today’s equivalent, President Obama concerning Islam. When the spiritual roots of America were laid down, Moors were considered “Infidels”, not “Brethren. In other words, the Huguenots were Ambassadors for Jesus Christ, but Obama whether knowingly or unknowingly is an Ambassador for Islam.
Civil Leaders are Ordained by God: Like all civil leaders, Barrack Obama is ordained of the Lord (Romans 13). Moreover, it was in God’s timing and for His specific purposes that Barrack Hussein Obama was elected President of the United States.
Today’s civil leaders, just like Pilate who gave the order to crucify Jesus, are conscious of the power and authority they wield. However, like Pilate, they don’t understand that their earthly authority and power is given by God and they can abuse that power (Romans 13) (John 19:10-11).
Obviously, God can and does use the civil leaders He ordains to carry out His righteous purposes, even though they are not righteous themselves. For example, God gave Pilate the power and authority to crucify Jesus in order that the words Jesus spoke concerning the kind of death He was to die would be fulfilled. (John 18:32) Like righteous King David, who served God’s purpose in his own generation (Acts 13:36), today’s leaders also have a purpose in their own generation. Even though King David was a righteous man whose heart was after God, God’s sovereign will does not depend on the righteousness of man, as was the case with Pilate.
Interestingly, Pilate realized that Jesus was an innocent man and not wanting to become involved with their religious matters, Pilate encouraged the Sanhedrin, the Jews High Court, to judge Jesus according to the Jewish law. Instead, the Sanhedrin not only lied when they said that it was unlawful for them to put any man to death,xiii they also manipulated Pilate by threatening to go to Caesar with charges of high treason against Pilate himself (John 19:12). Even today, we find religious leaders who turn religious battles into political battles – and vice versa – for their own selfish reasons.
John 19:11 reveals that even though Pilate was guilty of sin, the Sanhedrin was guilty of a greater sin. There are several reasons why one was more guilty than the other, but the one I want to emphasize is that Pilate was given an authority that the Sanhedrin was not. Furthermore, Pilate never presented himself as an “expert of the law” in religious matters as they pertained to the Jewish law, whereas the Sanhedrin did. Similarly, when a civil leader like President Obama goes outside his boundaries as a civil leader and takes it upon himself to sit in the “Seat of Moses”, yet misrepresents God’s righteous laws as he did in his address to the Arabs in Cairo, Egypt, then he is guilty of the greater sin, just as in the case of the Sanhedrin.
Needless to say, President Obama and his Moorish ancestry, the spiritual seeds that were sown in America by the Huguenots and their martyrdom by the Spanish are prologue to current events in America. What seems incomprehensible in the natural realm, such as our economic meltdown in 2008 or an African American elected as president of the United States, becomes clear as the spiritual dimensions of our history are revealed and understood. The spiritual truths of our past are also prologue to our future, such as the coming persecution of spiritual Christians by carnal Christians and the State. |
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Pioneers of France in the New World p.59 |
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Endnotes _________________________________________________________________________________________
i Charles E. Bennett, Laudonniere & Fort Caroline: History and Documents, p 38 ii Ibid, p.18 iii Collectively, the treaties were known as the Barbary Treaties, ratified by the U.S. Senate and signed by John Adams, the second president of the United States iv Francis Parkman Jr., Pioneers of France in the New World, p.59 v Herbert E. Bolton, The Spanish Borderlands, p.140-141 vi Charles Bennett, Fort Caroline and Its Leader, p.18, 71-72 vii White House Website, “Remarks by President Obama to the Turkish Parliament”, 6 April 2009, http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/REmarks-By-President-Obama-To-The-Turkish-Parliament/ viii White House Website, “Joint Press Availability with President Obama and President Gul of Turkey”, 6 April 2009,http:/www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/Joint-Press-Availability-With-President-Obama-And-President-Gul-Of-Turkey/ ix Charles I. Bevans, Treaties and Other International Agreements of the United States of America 1776-1949, Vol.11, p.1070-1072 x White House Website, “Remarks by the President on a New Beginning”, 4 June 2009, http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/Remarks-by-the-President-at-Cairo-University-6-04-09/ xi Edmund Blair, “Egypt’s Mubarak says Obama has new approach to Islam” Washington Post website, 11 June 2009, http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/06/11/AR2009061101068.html xii Maamoun Youssef, “Egypt praises Obama as welcome change from Bush”, Washington Post Website, 10 June 2009, http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/06/10/AR2009061003009.html xiii Scripture reveals they attempted several times to set traps to stone Jesus and they stoned Stephen to death on charges of blasphemy – the same charges against Jesus. |
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of a Vision of the Crack in the Floor of the Mines at UBB that ran 11 to 5
On December 6, 2011, I attended MSHA’s briefing to the families at MSHA’s facility in Beckley, WV. Included on page 87 of their "Report of Investigation" that was distributed to the families, they show the following map of the mines with a projected “fault zone” that is at least 4.5 miles in length and runs at an angle of “11 to 5” as indicated by the red lines. According to MSHA's "Report of Investigation" when the coal miners "unknowingly" mined into the "Geological Fault Zone" gas seeped through the breach into the mines that led to the explosion that the 29 coal miners died in on April 5, 2010.
And, this 11 to 5 "Geological Fault Zone" is significant because 19 months before MSHA released their findings I sent myself an email to document a vision the Lord gave me of this very Geological Fault Zone. In fact, I sent myself the email of the vision even before MSHA began their underground investigation. [a copy of the email is included in this section] |
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As the following emails indicate, the LORD quickened me to Psalm 60 to understand the spiritual aspects of the vision of the breach in the floor of the mines that ran on an angle of 11 to 5 that MSHA eventually found. To understand the spiritual aspects of the breach one also needs to keep in mind that breaches in the earthly realm are a reflection of the spiritual breaches created in the spiritual realm.
This map was a key to a fuller understanding of the vision. In the vision there was a crack in the floor of the coal mines that ran 11 to 5 and according to the map MSHA included in their "Report of Investigation" the "Geological Fault Zone" also ran 11 to 5. In other words, the "Geological Fault Zone" was the manifestation of the crack in the floor of the coal mines that the Lord revealed to me in a vision approximately 19 months earlier.
It's obvious and unmistakable that Grover had Divine Revelation from the LORD concerning the explosion. Grover was never concerned with safety - his only concern was that MSHA had changed the airflow. At this point I need to stress that mining into the Geological Fault Zone was what "Led" to the explosion however, it is not what caused the explosion. Had MSHA not required Massey to make changes to their ventilation system there would have been enough air to prevent an explosion.
The vision as recorded in the emails clearly identify a breach running at an angle of 11-to-5. I want to point out that in the email dated June 2, 2010 (18 months before MSHA published the map with the fault zone pictured on an 11-5 angle) I state:
"Grover shared with others that the LORD had told him something bad was going to happen and if the investigators find a literal 'Breach" in the floor of the mines then that will surely be a manifestation of the 'Breach' in the Spiritual realm!’"
1 Corinthians 13:9 reveals that we know in part and we prophesy in part; in other words, even though we have a good idea of what the LORD is saying to us in our dreams and visions, often times we have to wait for events to unfold to be able to understand our visions and dreams to the degree that the LORD wants us to. For example, in Acts 10:17 Scripture reveals that Peter didn’t have the complete understanding of his vision nor could he have until Cornelius sent for him and he actually went to Cornelius’s house (verses 17-33). In other words, Peter’s understanding was dependent on events occurring on the outside.
Like Peter, I did not have full knowledge of the meaning of my vision until the LORD arranged the circumstances and events that would correspond to my vision. In other words, the events as they unfolded with MSHA were “one” of the keys to my understanding of what 11 to 5 meant. I just simply needed to wait as the ongoing events unfolded.
Following are copies of the two emails I sent to myself documentation the vision. |
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In the second email dated December 14, 2010 (12 months before MSHA published said map) I clarify that the crack (breach) noted in the June 2 email runs 11 to 5 which we now know was the exact course of the Fault Zone. Again, according to MSHA’s report, the coal miners mined into this geological “Fault Zone” that was a reservoir and conduit for methane. It was from this Fault Zone that gas was released into the mine’s natural environment.
More to the point: the LORD has confirmed His Word to Grover that something bad was going to happen. Again, it's obvious and unmistakable that Grover had Divine Revelation from the LORD concerning the explosion.
Daniel recorded his dreams and visions - Daniel 7:1: Those who understand the spiritual aspects of prophecy understand the significance of why the LORD revealed both the breach and the 11-to-5 path it took before MSHA released the information to the families on December 6, 2011.
Visions emphasize the relationship between the spiritual realm and the earthly: Those who understand visions also understand that visions emphasize the relationship between the spiritual realm and the earthly. Visions are one of the ways that the LORD communicates with man and reflects the fact that He is aware of the daily events of mankind – for example the explosion at UBB. Needless to say, based on my vision it is not just happenstance that this particular Fault Zone is strategically placed on a path that runs 11 to 5. Further, based on my vision, the LORD was clearly aware of and wanted to convey His awareness of and interest in that explosion.
An Act of God: Clearly, I could not have documented the breach in the floor of the mines or the 11-to-5 path it took before MSHA documented the same unless it came by revelation from the LORD. In other words, if the LORD revealed the breach and the course it took, then He wanted those who have ears to hear and eyes to see to understand the spiritual aspects and His will concerning that explosion. More to the point, according to Psalm 60, the explosion was an Act of God meaning that God was in control of the explosion and there was not one thing any of the miners could have done to prevent that explosion. However, this does not negate MSHA’s role that contributed to the explosion.
What does an "Act of God" mean? The secular definition of an "Act of God" means that the explosion at UBB was beyond the control of the coal miners. For example, on April 5, 2010 the coal miners at UBB could not have possibly known that they were mining into an underground "Geological Fault Zone" which serves as a reservoir and conduit for gas. They could not have known that they were mining into a Geological Fault Zone that would ultimately lead to their deaths.
As you can see from the copy of the email I've included in this post to understand the meaning of the breach in the vision the Lord quickened me to Psalm 60:2 which reads: Psalm 60:2 2 Thou hast made the earth to tremble; thou hast broken it: heal the breaches thereof; for it shaketh. Because of the vision I knew that in due time MSHA would find that a breach in the floor of the mines was the "Root" contributing factor of the explosion.
Needless to say, the coal miners could not have known that they were mining into a Geological Fault Zone that was located underneath the earth. And, needless to say, I could not have documented the breach in the floor of the mines or the 11 to 5 path it took before MSHA documented the same unless it came by revelation from the Lord. In other words, if the Lord revealed the breach and the course it took, then He wanted those who have ears to hear and eyes to see to understand the spiritual aspects and His will concerning the explosion at UBB. More to the point, according to Psalm 60 there was not one thing any of the miners themselves could have done to prevent that explosion.
Again, I want to stress that mining into the Geological Fault Zone was what "Led" to the explosion however, it is not what caused the explosion. Had MSHA not required Massey to make changes to their ventilation system there would have been enough air to prevent an explosion.
Needless to say, we all know that the investigative findings of the explosion has to be based on facts - not a vision. I said that to say this: Grover was afraid of going back to the mines "BECAUSE" MSHA changed the ventilation. MSHA was Grover's only concern. The vision is for me and others like me who want to understand the spiritual aspects of the explosion as well as what happened in the natural realm.
Again, to understand the “spiritual” significance of the crack or fault zone in the floor of the mines, the LORD quickened me to Psalm 60, which I referenced in my June 2, 2010 email. Interestingly, this particular breach has a name, “Fault Zone”. It is not coincidental that the meaning of the word “fault” indicates an imperfection, errors or mistakes and in the context of Psalm 60:1, fault zone is symbolic of the spiritual aspects of the explosion.
However, regardless of the faults and all that the faults encompassed, there is also much hope in Psalm 60, that in due time the LORD will heal the breaches that continue to shake the men who still tremble for a variety of reasons. Psalm 60:1-2 reveals that even after the explosion on April 5th there was still commotion. Things were still unsettled and disturbed. Like the psalmist, many of the coal miners and their families prayed for the stability and continued success they once knew. Verses 1-4 reveal that the coal miners had been scattered and in a sense, their brotherhood had been broken. They really did not know who to trust or not to trust; because there was division and betrayal within and without their community, confusion was everywhere, there were breaches within and without. Only the LORD could deliver the men who still felt the tremors of the explosion, particularly the threats of being prosecuted for something that was really beyond their control. Psalm 60 is a teaching Psalm and the psalmist used the metaphors of an earthquake to illustrate that life is not always as secure as we believe it to be. Psalm 60 expresses the feelings of a mining community that was shocked and confused by the explosion that took the lives of either a family member or friend in the April 5, 2010 explosion. Some even felt that the LORD had forsaken them. It might be said that for the last nine years this particular mining community continuously felt the aftershocks that follows an earthquake. The wine of confusion that the psalmist speaks of (verse 3) is the example he used to compare the impact that wine has on the mind with the confusion which came from the tragedy at UBB – the explosion was unthinkable, a heartbreak that would shake the entire community of UBB.
The Quaking. When we attended MSHA’s meeting, I felt the aftershocks of the explosion. It was as though I found out about Grover and the other men for the first time. Every time I read an article, I felt the aftershocks of the explosion. I do not understand how hatred or a root of bitterness (that Scripture reveals defiles many) honors the 29 fine men that died that day. But, then I cannot judge how others mourn or feel.
Nevertheless, I keep in mind there is hope that the quaking will cease altogether. I keep in mind that the psalmist reveals that there is yet hope for even those who feel so confused and at such a loss, who do not even know who they can trust. For there is a man they can trust – it is the man who raises the Banner of Truth (verse 4). After all, we know that it is the truth that sets us free. These men will raise the banner that the Holy Spirit is our Comforter. They will make the point that there is no comfort in bitterness, unforgivingness and fear. They will raise the banner that God was in control of the events that occurred on April 5, 2010 and in due time we will understand more fully. They will raise the banner that in due time the quaking will stop and hopefully things will not only return to normal, but better than normal. No one would say that the explosion was good, yet men of truth will point out that while not all things are good, the LORD can and will use them for good (Romans 8:28). The LORD has raised the banner, He is our rallying point and He will heal the breaches. And, I know there are coal miners who were not there the day of the explosion who are lifting up that Banner! |
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MSHA's Sin was Greater than the Sin they Falsely Accused Massey of
So! "Why didn't MSHA prevent the UBB Disaster?"
The headline of the December 7, 2011 WV Gazette blog, the Coal Tattoo, reads, "Why didn't MSHA prevent the UBB Disaster?" In other words, whether it was from a Spiritual Perspective or a Secular Perspective the question has been raised: "Why didn't MSHA prevent the UBB Disaster?" Or from my perspective, MSHA didn't prevent the UBB Disaster.
Ken Ward Jr., "Why didn't MSHA prevent the UBB Disaster? (blogs, Coal Tattoo)," The Charleston Gazette. December 7, 2011. http://blogs.wvgazette.com/coaltattoo/2011/12/07/why-didnt-msha-prevent-the-ubb-disaster/
Because they didn't prevent the UBB Disaster - the Greater Sin is MSHA’s
Matthew 7 4How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? 5You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.
The Government Rests Upon His Shoulders: Isaiah 9:6 reveals that The Government rests upon the shoulders of Jesus Christ and we know from Romans 13 that the government was ordained by the LORD to protect society at whole. And, we as a society expect the government to make and enforce effective laws. More to the point, because the government failed to enforce the existing Mine Safety Laws that may have lessened the chances of and possibly could have prevented the UBB explosion the 29 Miners died in then they are the ones who have the plank in their eye; therefore, the government’s sin is greater than what they falsely accuse Massey of.
Only after the Government and MSHA amend their own faults can they consistently reprove and correct the Coal Operators. Then and only then can they see clearly and see things as they really are regarding the safety of our coal miners.
The Sin of the Government: According to the official reports that I have read even from a secular perspective others have come to the conclusion that MSHA did not protect the life of my brother Grover. No one can deny that MSHA has passed "numerous" laws - but numerous laws do not equate to effective laws. And, how effective is an effective law if it is not enforced! The sin of the Government was its laxness in passing effective laws and their laxness in enforcing the existing laws that were meant to protect the safety of the Coal Miners who daily work in the Shadow of Death; the reality of either dying prematurely or dying a violent death or both as the UBB miners did. MSHA should take responsibility without the qualifying “BUT”.
The Government bears Witness against itself: As we already know, according to an Independent Panel’s Assessment of an Internal Review of MSHA inspections and Enforcement Actions at the UBB Mine South, “… the IP’s overall analysis suggest that if MSHA had engaged in timely enforcement of the Mine Act and applicable standards and regulations, it would have lessened the chances of – and possibly could have prevented – the UBB explosion." (said panel was identified by OSHA – an agency of the United States Department of Labor)
"An Independent Panel Assessment of An Internal Review of MSHA Enforcement Actions at the Upper Big Branch Mine South," Mine Safety and Health Administration website. March 22, 2012, p.9
And, speaking of the Government, it was admirable that our lawmakers passed H.Res.1236 to honor the 29 coal miners that died in the explosion at UBB and it was certainly admirable of Representative Nick Rahall (D-WV) to state, “We will hold accountable those who failed our miners, so help me God”
Government Printing Office. "Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 52 [Pages H2537-H2542]." U.S. Government Printing Office website. April 14, 2010. http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CREC-2010-04-14/html/CREC-2010-04-14-pt1-PgH2537.htm
I’m not surprised that Representative Rahall invoked God, after all Romans 13 reveals all Governments were ordained by God to pass and enforce moral laws to protect our citizens. Sadly, however, it was these same highly regarded lawmakers who failed to protect the life of my brother.
Hopefully Representative Rahall will "Walk the Talk": Now, considering that Representative Rahall called on God (the Spiritual) – hopefully he will be faithful in his oath to the LORD in holding accountable those (in the natural realm) who failed the UBB miners – and from all accounts answerability needs to begin in the halls of Capitol Hill – with our lawmakers as well with MSHA who failed to enforce the laws meant to protect our coal miners who daily risk their very lives working in the “Shadow of Death”.
For one, Grover was always mindful that he and the other miners worked in the Shadow of Death, not because of safety violations but because Job 28 said so. However, just the fact that Job 28 associates mining with the Shadow of Death, then the Government should be extra sensitive to passing laws that are effective. And, if the laws are effective then there will not be a need for "numerous laws".
What does a Shadow of Death look like: Someone not familiar with coal mining might ask what does a Shadow of Death look like? Well, one example is the gas, which investigators concluded was liberated from floor fractures after UBB miners mined into another Shadow of Death, the fault zone that was a reservoir and conduit for gas – a fault zone that MSHA was aware of and even made recommendations to Massey that would have minimized the threat of the explosion that 29 UBB miners died in. Clearly seeping gas and fault zones can be likened to Shadows of Death that cast their shadows of untimely and violent deaths over the UBB coal miners who mined into it.
MSHA's Sin: MSHA never followed up on their recommendations to Massey that would have minimized the threat of an explosion at UBB and it has been determined that as of April 5, 2010 those recommendations were never implemented! Needless to say, given that coal miners work in the Shadow of Death, they of all people need good safety laws to be enforced. At least one would think so. After reviewing the MSHA report, Ken Ward of the Charleston Gazette went to the heart of the matter:
"What's not said there is what MSHA has partly acknowledged already, that agency officials never made sure Massey implemented these recommendations or some other plan to avoid methane doing exactly what it did on April 5, 2010. I say partly, because MSHA has not really explained in any detail how in the world this could have happened, ..... Yes, it's true that the primary duty to protect miners and provide them with a safe workplace is that of the mine operator. But what's the point of having an agency like MSHA, if its job isn't to make sure operators do that! ... this is a situation where MSHA knew about not one, not two, but three previous methane incidents at the same mine, knew what the underlying cause was, and recommended steps to fix the problem. Was it too much for the families of 29 coal miners to expect that MSHA would ensure appropriate steps were taken?"
Ken Ward Jr., "Why didn't MSHA prevent the UBB Disaster? (blogs, Coal Tattoo)," The Charleston Gazette. December 7, 2011. http://blogs.wvgazette.com/coaltattoo/2011/12/07/why-didnt-msha-prevent-the-ubb-disaster/
While I was happy to see a news reporter call MSHA out Ken Ward and many of the other news reporters are extremely biased against the coal operators and it seems they accuse the coal operators even when there is no proof that they violated MSHA's safety laws as was the case with Performance Coal.
Representative Rahall made mention of will be reflected in deed not just in words as we know that the LORD holds accountable those lawmakers who misrepresent Him.
The Sin of the Government & the "Supposed" Sin of Massey: Massey was falsely accused of being guilty of "poor housekeeping" and unethical practices. However, from all accounts the Government and MSHA are the ones to be held accountable. And, even if what MSHA was saying was true about Massey - MSHA's sin was greater. Because if MSHA was correct regarding Massey then the sin of the Government/MSHA was their laxness in enforcing effective laws and overseeing Mining Safety Laws that could have otherwise protected the life of my brother and could possibly have even prevented the explosion. Needless to say, because the Government failed to take measures regarding the fault zone 29 men who were working in the Shadows of Death at UBB died in the Shadow of Death that Job 28 speaks of.
Say to the Mountain Move and the Mountain will move: With the understanding that there is a spiritual aspect to our Government (Romans 13) as well as all that occurs in the natural realm Scripture also reveals that there comes a time when those who have Spiritual Faith in the LORD are to say to the Mountain, meaning the Government: to MOVE! (Matthew 17:20)
Mountains are also symbolic of obstacles. And in matters concerning mine safety the government itself was an obstacle to protecting and furthering mine safety laws not to mention enforcing them. More to the point our Government not only needs to pass effective Mine Safety Laws but they need to ensure that the obstacles within their own governmental agencies that prevent Mine Safety Laws from being enforced are removed.
Therefore in the Name of Christ Jesus I say to the Governmental Mountain and its Mountain of Obstacles that hinder the safety of America’s Coal Miners: Move! I say to the lawmakers and MSHA: Move – Move the obstacles that you as our lawmakers and MSHA have set before yourselves that hinder the safety of our coal miners who daily work in the Shadow of Death.
Furthermore, as a reminder to our Lawmakers and I quote U.S. Representative Nick J. Rahall: “To quote Mine Safety and Health Administration’s Administrator for Coal Mine and Health Kevin Stricklin: “All explosions are preventable. It’s just making sure you have things in place to keep one from occurring … it’s quite evident that something went very wrong here.”
Government Printing Office. "Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 52 [Pages H2537-H2542]." U.S. Government Printing Office website. April 14, 2010. http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CREC-2010-04-14/html/CREC-2010-04-14-pt1-PgH2537.htm
Yes, Representative Rahall and Mr. Stricklin, from all accounts something went very wrong because of MSHA’s failure to enforce Mine Safety Laws at UBB! My suggestion is Physician Heal Thyself: make sure you have things in place to keep an accident from occurring because it’s quite evident that something went very wrong at UBB!
Luke 4 23And he said unto them, Ye will surely say unto me this proverb, Physician, heal thyself: whatsoever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in thy country.
According to "Barnes’ Notes on the Bible,” the meaning is this: "Suppose that a man should attempt to heal another when he was himself diseased in the same manner; it would be natural to ask him first to cure himself, and thus to render it manifest that he was worthy of confidence."
The connection is this: You profess to be able to pass and enforce laws that keep our coal miners safe – so show us that you have the power, that you are worthy of our confidence, by continuing to pass and actually enforce those laws, as you profess to do. In other words, what you expected from Massey and other Coal Operators you need to do so yourselves.
Matthew 7 (4) How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? (5) You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.
The Government and MSHA need to take the plank out of their own eye. Again, only after the Government and MSHA amend their own faults can they consistently reprove and correct the Coal Operators. Then and only then can they see clearly and see things as they really are regarding the safety of our coal miners. MSHA should take responsibility without the qualifying “But”. Again, because MSHA is the one to enforce Mine Safety the greater sin is with MSHA (the plank) while the lesser sin is with Massey (the speck).
If the Government had looked at the plank in their own eye they may not have been so quick to have passed Judgment on Massey until after the investigation and they found that the Long Wall crew had mined into a fault zone that they had no way of knowing was there. In their attempts to minimize their own faults MSHA stirred up needless strife in the UBB community to take the focus away from MSHA.
Like Grover, I always see the spiritual behind the natural and while, needless to say, no one would say that the explosion the 29 men died in was a good or desired tragedy, Romans 8:28 reveals that “all things work together for good to them that love God and are called to His purpose”. In other words, I see the spiritual purposes behind his death as well as the causes in the natural realm.
Scripture reveals that God will only permit what seems to us as an untimely death or violent death only when absolutely necessary and for His Kingdom purposes. As John Calvin put it: “David introduces this sentiment, that God does not hold His servants in so little estimation as to expose them to death casually”. Verse 16 of Psalms 116 reveals that: Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of HIS Saints – Psalms 116:16
And, so it was with Grover, therefore let Grover’s death be as precious to us as it was to the LORD! Grover’s death was not in vain and for that reason he could not have been a victim. Quite the contrary, his death has and will continue to accomplish whatever purposes that the LORD intended for his death to bring about! It does not honor the LORD or Grover to refer to Grover as a victim. In essence, to refer to Grover as a victim, is to indicate that the LORD held Grover in such low estimation that He was indifferent and uncaring as to when and how Grover died.
I know for a fact that Grover was a man who was always aware that all external circumstances concerning him, his death as well as his life, would work together for the good of God’s eternal purposes. And, as Grover said, if he was there when the atomic bomb exploded whether or not God delivered him was not the point; the point was that God was still able. Grover knew if he died in the explosion it was for a higher purpose.
I ask the Mountain – could Moving the Governmental Mountain be one of those higher purposes? I call on the Name of Jesus to move the Mountain because to deal with man alone, apart from God, would be both an endless and fruitless labor. One might ask why it would be a fruitless labor for me or anyone to expect our Lawmakers to do the right thing concerning passing “Effective” Mine Safety Laws and expect them to be “Effectively” enforced?
Why? Because America's Lawmakers are like the ill natured children that Jesus spoke of: History bears witness that the Democrats and Republicans are like the playmates in Luke 7:29-32 who refuse to play with one another for no other reason than they are disagreeable and ill natured children and they do so to their own hurt as well as to the hurt of America’s citizens. Many of America’s lawmakers are like the Experts in the law that Jesus spoke about in Luke 7:30-32. Verse 30 reveals that throughout the ages man has had the right to exercise his own free will; therefore, men can and do reject God’s purpose for their own personal lives. And, so it is today – many of America’s Lawmakers have rejected God’s purpose in their lives as well. Instead, one can likened them to the “Stubborn Children” that Jesus is speaking about in these particular Scriptures who would not play together in a civil manner. In other words, Effective Mining Laws are not passed and enforced because the Democrats say we piped unto the Republicans and they would not dance with us; we mourned unto the Republicans and they would not weep with us and vice versa.
As a Coal Miner’s daughter and sister of a coal miner, if I may be so bold, I suggest that both parties stop whining, grow up and put aside your childish differences and come together in unity to ensure that “Effective” Mine Safety Laws are passed and “Sufficiently” enforced before another Coal Miner dies in the Shadow of Death. It would be greatly appreciated by the Coal Mining Community if our Lawmakers would stop whining, man-up and do the right thing. For one, I would have more respect for America’s Lawmakers if you would stop being so self-centered and consider how you are acting – change your viewpoints and perspective on the situation and move forward in a way that helps Americans, not harms them.
Luke 7 29 And all the people that heard him, and the publicans, justified God, being baptized with the baptism of John. 30 But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the counsel of God against themselves, being not baptized of Him. 31 And the Lord said, Whereunto then shall I liken the men of this generation? and to what are they like? 32 They are like unto children sitting in the marketplace, and calling one to another, and saying, We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned to you, and ye have not wept.
So, now I wait patiently upon the LORD to Move the Mountain of Obstacles at the Governmental level that hinders the safety of America’s Coal Miners - I wait upon the LORD because the Government rests on the Shoulders of Jesus Christ - Isaiah 9:7
Isaiah 9:6-7 (NKJV) 6 For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7 Of the increase of His government and peace There will be no end, Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, To order it and establish it with judgment and justice From that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.
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On March 1, 2011, The Washington Post ran an article concerning Massey Energy Company employee Hughie Stover, Chief of Security at the UBB mine. Stover was arrested and charged with “lying to the FBI and trying to dispose of key documents.” After reading this article, I knew it was a manifestation in the natural realm regarding a vision of a basket that the LORD had given me on August 24, 2010. As you can see from the date stamp on the email, I received this vision approximately seven months before the article that was published in the Washington Post.
A day before the article was published, on February 28, 2011, The Charleston Gazette posted a story on its website which also shed light on the vision I had of the basket. The following is an excerpt from that article:
"The grand jury also alleged that Stover directed 'a person … to dispose of thousands of pages of security-related documents.' … Stover was attempting to 'impede, obstruct, and influence' the government investigation, the indictment alleges. The documents were apparently stored in the garage of a house known as the 'barracks' near the main security gate at Upper Big Branch, the indictment said. On about Jan. 11, this 'known person' sorted through the documents … disposing of thousands of pages of security-related documents in the trash compactor."
Ken Ward Jr., "UBB security chief charged with lying, destroying files." WV Gazette website. February 28, 2011. http://wvgazette.com/News/201102280915 (accessed February 21, 2013).
The building in my vision that was “like the building where the families of the miners were waiting for news of any survivors” speaks of the “barracks” where the thousands of documents were stored. The “heavy burden” in my vision speaks of whatever was in those documents. That is why the countenance of the men who were watching was both sober and solemn; it was a serious matter indeed. Being accused of not destroying the documents but also hindering the investigation was a very serious matter. That is why the men in the vision didn’t know what to say or even wanted to say what they may have been thinking.
Since the building in the vision was like the one where we waited for news of the miners, I wrote in the email, "I wonder if this basket has something to do with the explosion (or/and Grover) at Performance Coal. Will they find something they hadn't expected to find .... Will something hidden be brought to light.” Obviously, what was hidden was brought to light!
Since it was clear to me that by giving me this vision the LORD was showing me something more about the ongoing situation regarding the mine, I wrote it out in an email and sent it to myself. I knew the LORD would bring clarity. The email serves as another proof that I (and, therefore, Grover also), heard clearly and accurately from the LORD about future events concerning the UBB explosion. May this also serve as an encouragement to others, like Grover, who hear but may be around those who mock and try to discourage the hearer. Documentation like this not only helps one remember accurately, but also confirms the truth (Habakkuk 2:2-3). |
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Psalm 2 - The Last Scripture Grover Shared with Me
Mocking: Psalm 2 was the last Scripture Grover shared with me - approximately 18 hours before the explosion. He was very troubled and grieved in his spirit as this Psalm speaks of those who were mocking him at that very moment in time. I think the point I want to make is that the LORD knew the hurt that Grover felt - yet Grover was unyielding in his walk with the LORD in spite of the hurt. And, the LORD gave me the understanding that I was to protect Grover's Testimony unto Him. You see, they can no longer mock Grover - but to continue to mock Grover's Testimony is to mock the LORD. And, I have set my face like flint to protect Grover's "Testimony" unto the LORD.
The LORD gave Grover the understanding to Pick Up His Cross and Follow Him. It's one thing to read the Scriptures about picking up our cross and following Jesus; however it's a totally different thing when the LORD quickens us to these verses. Very early in his walk with the LORD, Grover heard the LORD speak into his spirit to pick up his cross and follow Him.
And, Grover did.
Salvation is a free gift - but it is a choice whether or not we pick up our cross and follow Jesus.
Those of us who pick up our cross are told to count the cost. In Matthew 10:36-39 and Luke 14:26-33 we find that Jesus told his Disciples that they should count the cost of following him. Jesus wanted His disciples to know what the journey would be like because victory would come - but not come easily. For those who pick up their cross and follow Jesus conflict is to be expected - even from within our own households. Luke 14:26 reads: 26 If any man come to Me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple.
Luke is not suggesting that we have hatred in our hearts for our love ones rather Luke is saying that we should hate the hindrances or stumbling blocks that our loved ones would put in our paths that would cause us to stumble in our walk with the LORD. In other words we are not to put our loved ones above the LORD when they are asking us to sin.
Matthew 10: 36 reads: 36And a man's foes shall be they of his own household. In other words, the cost of following Christ Jesus might mean that our family will walk away because we are no longer willing to compromise in our walk with the LORD. And, so it was with Grover - that's why he came to live with me for the last seven years of his life. My home was his refuge.
I loved him as a mother loves a son: In a dream the LORD told Grover to go home to his mother - meaning me - and he thought in terms of me as his spiritual mother. And, the LORD spoke to me through Psalm 68:6 that He sets the lonely in families - and I knew that I was to open my home to Grover. And, I loved him as a mother loves a son. And, verse 6 also reveals that those who are bound up he sets free - and at the same time Grover was set free.
Matthew 10:39 reads: 39 He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for My sake shall find it. Needless to say, Grover did not put his life above his walk with the LORD.
Christ Foresaw the Sufferings of all His Disciples: The point is this: Christ foresaw the sufferings of all His Disciples and He encouraged them to keep walking. And, I hope Grover's Testimony is an encouragement to all those who have picked up their cross and are experiencing conflicts from within and from without. It really is worth the cost! Victory may not come easy - but it does come. And, you will be vindicated - that is your heritage in the LORD - Isaiah 54:17. And this vindication is peace, righteousness, security and triumph over opposition!
I don't mean to imply that we should seek vindication - Grover certainly didn't - nor should we. But all of God's ways are just and it is a Biblical principal that God vindicates His people. Those like Grover who are "truly" disciples of Christ will pick up their cross and follow Jesus no matter what.
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Caesarea Philippi
And the Gates of Hell will not Prevail
Jesus journeyed to Caesarea Philippi and declared to the kingdom of darkness that the gates of hell would not prevail against His Church
And, seven months before Grover went home to be with the LORD Grover Journeyed to the "Gates of Hell" at Caesarea Philippi and declared that the gates of hell would not prevail against him
When we went to Israel - Grover and I went to Caesarea Philippi and standing in front of the gates of hell - Grover proclaimed into the spiritual realm that the gates of hell would not prevail against him. |
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Me, Grover and a Friend standing in front of the "Gates of Hell" in Caesarea Philippi |
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Satan asked to Sift Grover: Shortly after Grover came into the Kingdom I told him the LORD had given me the understanding that Satan had asked to sift him - just as he asked to sift Peter (Luke 22:31). And, it was at that point in time that I realized Satan was seeking opportunities to place obstacles in Grover's path that would shake Grover's faith and cause him to doubt in his ability to hear from the LORD. And, one of the ways was to put people in Grover's path that mocked Grover when he said the LORD told him something - for example that it was by divine revelation that Grover knew something bad was going to happen at Performance Coal.
Yet, the Gates of Hell did not prevail against Grover! He never wavered in what the LORD told him about the accident at Performance Coal or anything else for that matter. And, it was upon Grover's ability to hear from God the Father that something bad was going to happen at Performance Coal and the fact that Grover never backed down regardless of the mocking or the unbelief of others - that the gates of hell did not prevail against Grover.
And, that brings me to the account of when Jesus journeyed to Caesarea Philippi and declared to the kingdom of darkness that the gates of hell would not prevail against His Church.
Grover's journey to Caesarea Philippi: When we were in Israel, Grover went with me to Caesarea Philippi for a very specific reason: to declare into the spiritual realm that the Gates of Hell would not prevail against us. We stood where Jesus stood over two thousand years ago and read Matthew 16:13-19 into the spiritual realm, the Scriptures that declare that the Gates of Hell would not prevail against the LORD's Church.
Jesus at Caesarea Philippi: This is where Jesus stood and declared to Satan, the father of lies, and to the kingdom of darkness, that all of God’s children, not just the prophets, would have the ability to hear from God the Father and that it was upon our ability to hear that He would build His church.
There were two profound revelations at Caesarea Philippi. First of all, it was God the Father who revealed to Peter that Jesus was the Son of God, and secondly, Jesus revealed to the disciples that it was upon that revelation from God the Father that He would build His church. And so it was with Grover - it was by Divine Revelation that Grover knew something bad was going to happen at Performance Coal.
The rock at Caesarea Philippi is not like the Rock that Jesus builds His Church on: Jesus questioned His disciples asking, “He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” (Matthew 16:15-18, KJV).
The timing of this declaration is interesting as the disciples had been walking with Jesus for approximately 2 ½ years by the time they reached Caesarea Philippi and had witnessed first-hand His miracles. And until then it seemed that none of the disciples, other than Peter, had received revelation from the Father as to who Jesus was. This should be encouraging to those who have yet to recognize the voice of the Father. And, Paul tells us to eagerly desire spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophecy, which is the ability to hear from God. When we eagerly desire to hear from God the Father, we too will recognize His voice.
However, Satan will wants us to doubt our ability to hear from God the Father for obvious reasons - Satan does not want the Church to prevail. And, Satan will use false teachers and others to oppose those who hear from God the Father in an attempt to keep the true Church from being built. Satan will work through others around us to constantly try and put doubt in us as to our ability to hear from God the Father or that God the Father actually speaks to His children. Unfortunately some of these attacks will come through the brethren and from those that we trust in. This can be done knowingly or unknowingly.
Their rock is not like our Rock: Deuteronomy 32:30-31 reads:
30 How could one man chase a thousand, Or two put ten thousand to flight, Unless their Rock had sold them, Unless the LORD had given them up? 31For their rock is not like our Rock, As even our enemies concede.
Moses was saying that the rock in which the pagans trusted is not like the God of Israel – the only true God and the God of Salvation! Take for example, the "rock of the gods" at Caesarea Philippi.
Niches to the false god Pan are literally built up against and into a mountainous rock – the rock of the gods: It is also significant that Jesus made this profound declaration at Caesarea Philippi. After all, one would think that Jerusalem would have been preferable to Caesarea Philippi which was an especially pagan area, geographically located at the foot of Mount Hermon. It was here that the pagans worshipped Pan the pagan god of fear. According to history, Caesarea Philippi was originally called Paneas in honor of the god Pan whose shrine was located there and was literally built into the rock of the mountain side.
The journey to Caesarea Philippi identified the northern limit of Jesus’ travels outside Jerusalem and the journey would not have been easy due to the topography. Given all that then "why" would Jesus make this difficult journey to a pagan High Place to prophesy such a profound prophecy?
The answer becomes clear when we examine Caesarea Philippi more closely. Jesus referred to the Gates of Hell in Matthew 16:18 because it was here at Caesarea Phillip that the pagans believed the Gates to the Underworld – the gates of Hell were located.
With the understanding that Caesarea Philippi was a gateway to hell we can now begin to grasp the fuller purpose of Christ’s journey. Jesus fearlessly walked right up to the Gates of Hell and spoke a creative word into the spiritual realm. Jesus let Satan, the father of lies, and the kingdom of darkness know that all of God’s children, not just the prophets, would have the ability to hear from God the Father and that it was upon our ability to hear that He would build His church.
And, when we were in Jerusalem, Grover stood beside me as I read Matthew 16:13-19 into the Spiritual Realm declaring that the gates of hell would not prevail against our lives or our ability to hear from God the Father - nor would we be afraid to serve the LORD.
Fear Not - Says the LORD All throughout Scripture we are told "Not to Fear"
Scripture reveals that we do not have to serve the LORD with fear, rather, we can serve Him fearlessly. Just as Luke wrote over two thousand years ago we have been rescued from our enemies so we can serve God without fear. And, so it was with Grover!
Luke 1:74 74 We have been rescued from our enemies so we can serve God without fear, NLT
Grover Overcame the Overwhelming Fear of Staying at Performance Coal: The word "panic" associates panic attacks and fear with this particular pagan deity that was worshipped at Caesarea Philippi. In other words, panic and fear are manifestations of the pagan deity Pan. And, it was Grover's overwhelming fear of being in that explosion that he needed to overcome.
Adam and Eve: It's interesting that after Adam and Eve sinned they hid in the Garden because they were "Afraid" - Genesis 3:10. Afraid is not the same as Reverential Fear. The LORD wants us to have a Reverential Fear for Him - on the other hand Satan wants us to be afraid of serving the LORD. And, when any Believer serves the LORD - afraid - then Satan knows that particular Believer becomes ineffective in serving the LORD. And, that would explain why the deity "Pan" was worshipped at the gates of hell - a pagan god of panic and fear.
And, I know that the fear we see in America today is because of the attacks of Satan. But once this spirit of fear is exposed and people understand that it is not them but a spirit of fear that is trying to influence them - then they too can be set free. It is the truth that sets us free - and it is the truth that binds the enemy.
Satan hid behind the goat-demon just as he hid behind the serpent: Revelation 12:9 refers to that old serpent, called the Devil and the Hebrew meaning for the word devil in Leviticus 17:7 is referring to a shaggy goat, a hairy one and a satyr. In other words it was Satan hiding behind Pan the Satyr, the he-goat whose shrine was and still is at Caesarea Philippi. Just as Satan hid behind the serpent he hid behind another animal at Caesarea Philippi.
Revelation 12:9 reads: And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
And Leviticus 17:7 reads: And they shall no more offer their sacrifices unto devils, after whom they have gone a whoring. This shall be a statute for ever unto them throughout their generations.
The Hebrew meaning of the word "devils" according to Strong's H8163 means: or sa'ir, saw-eer'; from Hebrew 8175 (sa'ar); shaggy; as noun, a he-goat; by analogy a faun:-devil, goat, hairy, kid, rough, satyr. And, 8175 is a primitive root which means to storm; by implication to shiver, i.e. fear:-be (horribly) afraid, fear, hurl as a storm, be tempestuous, come like (take away as with) a whirlwind.
Note that the Hebrew meaning for devils also means to "be horribly afraid". Again, fear is a manifestation of both Satan and Pan so it is easy to understand that those who are horribly afraid of something have what are known as panic attacks.
But, without a doubt Grover knew that the gates of hell would not prevail against his life. Grover knew that he heard from God the Father – and he knew that he would overcome the fear of being in that explosion and because of that - the gates of hell did not prevail over that man's life. Because of Grover's reverence for the LORD, Grover was able to overcame his fear and stay at Performance Coal.
Remember, the miners found Grover's Bible on his bed opened to Psalm 46 which reveals that Grover no longer had fear of being in the explosion. And, Psalm 46:1-2 reads:
1 God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble. 2 Therefore we will not fear, Even though the earth be removed, And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; |
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Me, Grover and a friend at Caesarea Philippi |
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Gateway to the Coal Fields: Madison, West Virginia
Photo courtesy of the West Virginia Division of Culture and History, Historic Preservation Office |
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The Boone County Courthouse was constructed in 1921 and sits on a hillside above State Street in the town of Madison, West Virginia. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1981 as a significant architectural landmark of the Neo Classical Revival in southwestern West Virginia. Moreover, according to the West Virginia Office of Miners' Health, Safety and Training, coal was first discovered in what is now West Virginia and what is now Boone County in 1742, making it truly a “Gateway to the Coalfields” of West Virginia.
In 1847, Boone County was formed from parts of Kanawha County as well as parts of Cabell and Logan counties. As the name implies, Boone County was named after the legendary Daniel Boone, who had resided in the Kanawha Valley at one time.
As a young girl growing up in Boone County, the Boone County Courthouse was quite impressive. Even though Madison was a small town, for a young girl who had lived the first seventeen years of her life in the hollows Madison seemed larger than life. And, even after being away from West Virginia for over forty years, not much seemed to have changed. It was still the same small town and the Boone County Courthouse was as majestic as it ever was. The people were still the same pleasant likeable people I grew up with. And, even though it no longer seemed larger than life, in some ways there was still a sense of being back home.
As many times as I have been to the Boone County Courthouse for various reasons, I could never have imagined going to this Courthouse to settle Grover's estate. Knowing that that both my faith and Grover’s faith had been mocked in court documents before meeting on that day, it was a very unsettling feeling.
On that particular day several members of Grover's family met at the Courthouse to settle his estate and the weather was much the same as in the picture above. It was a beautiful day, and as always, I was amazed at the beauty of the mountains. Yet, it felt like a dark cloud was hovering over the Courthouse - spiritually there was. However, Scripture reveals that light dispels the darkness - and there was light hovering over the Courthouse as well - and it was the light that prevailed that day. John 1:4-12; John 8:12
The Boone County Court House is situated within a stone's throw inside the sign that reads: Welcome to Madison - Gateway to the Coal Fields - and this is the Gateway that the LORD sent me to - to turn back the battle between me and Grover's biological son who mocked Grover for his walk with the LORD in death as in life - and in mocking Grover he mocked the LORD!
Isaiah 28:6 6 For a spirit of justice to him who sits in judgment, And for strength to those who turn back the battle at the gate. NKJV |
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There is a Kingdom Purpose for including this particular Chapter: To begin with, as many of us already know and have experienced, Scripture reveals that a man's enemies will be those of his own household. And, as much as it grieved Grover, it grieves all Christian parents whose son or daughter mocks them for their faith. Nonetheless, Matthew 10:36 reveals that a man's enemies will be those of his own household. And, this Chapter is an encouragement to those, who like Grover, even though they grieve because they are mocked by their own household - to keep your focus on the LORD - and not the mocking.
Furthermore, my hope is that this Chapter will also encourage the Over-Comers, who like myself, at some point in their lives will find themselves in a court room situation where they are being mocked because of their faith - not by the court as a whole - but from someone operating within the court system such as an attorney. And, the encouragement is not to shrink back in fear, rather face the opposition even when it is threatening. And, I believe as America moves farther and farther away from Christianity - the threat of being mocked because of our faith in and outside the court room is becoming more and more threatening.
The Sanhedrin's Threat: Nonetheless, when the LORD calls us to take the battle to the gate and confront the mocking - and we are willing to go - then He will give us the strength to turn the battle back at the gate (Isaiah 28:6). We need only ask for the fearless courage that the Disciples asked for when they were threatened in the court rooms of the Sanhedrin - Acts 4:29 reads: 29 Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. NIV
Acts 4:17-21 reads: 17 But so that it spreads no further among the people, let us severely threaten them, that from now on they speak to no man in this name." 18 And they called them and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. 19 But Peter and John answered and said to them, "Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge. 20 For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard." 21 So when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding no way of punishing them, because of the people, since they all glorified God for what had been done. (NKJV)
The Sanhedrin was mistaken when they thought their threats would stop the Disciples from speaking the Name of Jesus and spreading the Gospel. And, like the Disciples - when we are opposed in court because of our faith let us become more determined to be a witness unto Jesus and spread the Gospel.
Judges who Champion the Truth: Just as Isaiah 28:6 speaks of those within the legal system who judge rightly, needless to say, there are many within America's legal system who stand up for the truth as well! On the other hand, there are those within the legal system who will make false accusations and who will mock someone's Christian Beliefs all under the guise of standing up for the truth. In other words, when I speak of the court mocking me it is Grover's biological son's attorney that I am referring to - not the Circuit Court of Boone County itself.
Suffering for Being a Christian: Even though it was the death of my brother that opened the door for me to go to court and legally refute those who were mocking Grover for claiming that he heard from the LORD that something bad was going to happen at Performance Coal - first and foremost it was because he was my Brother in Christ Jesus - not my biological brother. And, the trials he went through before his death and that I have gone through after his death is only what many have already gone through and that many more will go through in the days to come - for as 1 Peter 4:12-16 reads:
12 Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. 13 But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. 14 If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. 15 If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler. 16 However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name. NIV
In other words, this is as much about those Christians, if not more so, who are being mocked because of their faith as it is about my brother - and that is one of the reasons I have written this chapter. And, it is in that spirit that I write the following.
Shortly after my brother's death, when the LORD quickened me to Isaiah 28:6 I knew He would open the door for me to take the battle between me and those who were mocking my brother to the gates of a Court Room. Scripture interprets Scripture and Isaiah 28:6 was in harmony with the last Scripture that Grover shared with me the evening before he died - Psalm 2 - which also speaks of a Court Room setting where the LORD laughed at those who futilely mocked Him and His servants Psalm 2:4.
Grover was mocked in death as in life: And, the LORD would not let me forget my last conversation with Grover - and how Psalm 2 pertained to Grover's life. Psalm 2 was in my spirit! And, it was during this same time that the LORD quickened me to Isaiah 28:6 with the understanding that He would open the door for me to refute Grover's biological son in a court of law for mocking his father in death as in life. One of the reasons that this had to happen in a Court Room was because Psalm 2 takes place in a Court Room.
On Earth as in Heaven: Given that Grover was speaking Prophetically and the LORD had quickened me to Isaiah 28:6 I know that the LORD was aware of the proceedings taking place in the earthly court room in Boone County just as verse 4 of Psalm 2 reveals.
In the context of Isaiah 28:6 the gate speaks of a place where justice was administered - in other words a Court Room! And, at the time I just couldn't imagine the circumstances under which I would refute Grover's biological son in a court of law for mocking Grover - let alone for mocking my faith. Yet, I knew the LORD had quickened me to Isaiah 28:6. And, I just couldn't imagine who as Psalm 2:2 reveals would "take counsel together" with Grover's biological son in mocking me and Grover. After all "Counsel" could be referring to an Attorney and I just couldn't imagine an attorney mocking Grover or me for our faith yet they did in a document they filed with the Circuit Court of Boone County.
Filed Under Court Ordered Seal: Even though the Court documents were "Filed Under Court Ordered Seal" I have been given permission via an email from the Circuit Court of Boone County that I can describe in my own words the statements made in the two correspondences between my attorney and the attorney for Grover's biological son that I make reference to in this chapter.
The Gateway to the Coal Fields & the Boone County Court House: Several months after the LORD quickened me to Isaiah 28:6 a letter from Jeff's attorney arrived informing me that by law they were required to notify all of Grover's brother and sisters that they, as well as Grover's sons, were entitled to file a claim in Grover's wrongful death suit. And, it was at this point that I knew where the Gateway was that I would be confronted by Grover's biological that would open the door for me to refute him: the Circuit Court of Boone County. And, it was not just happenstance that the Boone County Courthouse is located within a stone's throw of a sign that reads Welcome to Madison - Gateway to the Coal Fields. More to the point - the confrontation was to take place not just in a gateway - but the "Gateway to the Coal Fields". And, anyone who understands the Biblical principle of gateways will understand the significance of "The Gateway to the Coal Fields"!
It was here in the "Gateway to the Coal Fields" that the LORD opened the door for me to refute Grover's biological son and the attorney he took counsel with and who joined Jeff in mocking.
And, it's important to note that it was the LORD who opened the door and not me. Given that the reason for being in Court was to settle Grover's estate - I knew I could not be the one who initiated the confrontation because this was not the forum. Yet, given the Scriptures, it was inevitable that his biological son and his attorney who he "took counsel with" would legally mock Grover and my Christian Beliefs which in turn would open the door for me to legally refute their mocking.
And, that's exactly what happened!
Form the time the LORD quickened Grover to Psalm 2 and me to Isaiah 28:6 I knew the LORD had a plan already in motion and He did. Jeremiah 15:11 reveals that I was to wait "because the LORD knew that Grover's biological son would have to ask for my aid":
Jeremiah 15:11 reads: The Lord said, Truly your release, affliction, and strengthening will be for good [purposes]; I will intercede for you with the enemy and I will cause the enemy to ask for your aid in the time of evil and in the time of affliction.
Again I couldn't imagine why Grover's biological son would need my aid for anything. However, for Grover's Estate to be fully resolved I found out they needed for me to sign a form releasing Grover's biological son to make decisions concerning the settlement for family members - hence the letter from Jeff's counsel that I mentioned earlier. Having said that, according to their letter, it was also their understanding that I did not intend to make a claim.
And, verses 20-21 of Jeremiah 15 reveals they would fight against me but they would not prevail:
20 And I will make you to this people a fortified, bronze wall; they will fight against you, but they will not prevail over you, for I am with you to save and deliver you, says the Lord. 21 And I will deliver you out of the hands of the wicked, and I will redeem you out of the palms of the terrible and ruthless tyrants.
Just as verse 20 revealed that they would fight against me it was obvious from their document submitted to the court - that they were fighting against me - but just as verse 20 also reveals they did not prevail over me - needless to say - because as verse 20 goes on to say - the Lord was with me.
The Government Rests on His Shoulders: It was not just happenstance that the last Scripture Grover shared with me the night before he died was Psalm 2. Without a doubt I know the LORD had Grover to share Psalm 2 with me for a Kingdom purpose. And, even though many have tried to intimidate me with fear to shrink back - and at times it has been frightening - the LORD knew that I would be willing to do what He asked me to do and that was to go to the Gateway that He quickened me to in Isaiah 28:6 and refute those who mocked the LORD and His Servant in the very court system that the LORD ordained (Romans 13). And, the LORD knew that "when He opened that door" I would go and face my accusers in the Circuit Court of Boone County.
Grover and Psalm 2: The day before Grover died he and his biological son spoke on the telephone. And, according to Grover there was strife between he and his biological son concerning Grover's beliefs. On that same day, Grover left my house to go back to West Virginia and after arriving back at the Guest House Grover called and told me the LORD quickened him to Psalm 2 with the understanding that others would be joining his biological son in mocking him for his beliefs and I soon found out that the mocking would include mocking Grover's belief that the LORD had revealed to him that there would be an accident at Performance Coal. More to the point: Christ Jesus and whether or not Grover was hearing form the LORD was at the center of the on-going contention between Grover and his biological son including the day before Grover died and even after he died!
Furthermore, the real reason that some in Grover's household didn't want others to believe that Grover heard from the LORD did not go to the grave with Grover. Many besides me know the reason and we know it to be true.
Grover was deeply hurt by the constant attacks and the mocking of his faith. And, it was his their constant mocking and irreverence of the LORD that precipitated Grover’s estrangement from some of his family.
Psalm 2 reveals that those who mock God's people - first and foremost they are mocking God - and this is what really grieved Grover. And, I could feel Grover's hurt when he expressed to me that Psalm 2 revealed the mocking would continue into the future. And, as Psalm 2 reveals, Grover knew that others would join Jeff in mocking him. But who were the others? After all, according to Psalm 2 that is quoted in part in Acts 4:25-26, we know that two of the groups who mocked Christ was the legal system: the Sanhedrin (the Jewish lawyers) and Pilate. And, who can forget "Judas" supposedly a trusted disciple of Christ Jesus - only to lovingly betray Him - and so affectingly, with a kiss! But who were the others as it pertained to Grover's life - Who?
Mocking in Court: Grover never lived to see the fulfillment of Psalm 2 - but I did! Grover never lived to see that it was his biological son's attorney that joined him in mocking both Grover and me in a document entered into the Circuit Court of Boone County on May 13, 2011 in which they twisted and mocked a website I created in loving memory of Grover.
This document was a formal request to the court to dismiss any claim I had to a compensatory award from Grover's estate. As this petition was sealed by court order, I do not have permission to quote directly from the document. However, I do have permission from the court to describe the statements made therein. Thus, the below discussion contains paraphrases and general statements instead of exact word-for-word quotes.
In the petition to the court, Grover's biological son's attorney relied heavily on the information that I published in my website memorializing Grover. Given that they twisted and misrepresented my website, it seems their strategy was to discredit my statements in the website by ridiculing and mocking both Grover and me, trying to persuade the court that I was unworthy of any consideration because of my questionable character and my website statements. According to Grover's biological son and his attorney:
Most of all, I was mocked, along with Grover and God Himself, because throughout my website, I stated that both Grover and I heard from the LORD. Moreover, these words from the LORD were true.
We were mocked for claiming that the LORD revealed to both of us that there would be an accident at Performance Coal. For example, their court document reveals that Grover's biological son viewed me as not in touch with reality [page 8 of said document] and that his attorney found it very alarming that I claimed both Grover and I had advance knowledge from the LORD about the explosion at the mines. [Exhibit 9 - page 7]
Given the above mentioned Scriptures I wasn't surprised that his biological son and his attorney mocked me and Grover. However I do find it frightening and extremely unsettling that an attorney would actually mock my beliefs in Christianity in a court document! Whether Jeff or his counsel believe God's Word that reveals that God speaks to people in visions or dreams is their personal as well as their legal right - but I have legal rights as well to believe and express the truth concerning what God's word reveals to us about dreams and visions:
Acts 2:17-18 17 And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: 18 And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy: Acts 16:9 reads: And a vision appeared to Paul in the night; Acts 18:9 reads: Then spake the Lord to Paul in the night by a vision, Matthew 1:20 reads: But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying Joseph, ... Matthew 2:12 reads: And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, ...
And, given that his biological son and his counsel are alarmed that Grover and I had visions then they may want to take Job 33:14-18 into consideration that reads:
14 For God may speak in one way, or in another, Yet man does not perceive it.
15 In a dream, in a vision of the night, When deep sleep falls upon men, While slumbering on their beds, 16 Then He opens the ears of men, And seals their instruction.
17 In order to turn man from his deed, And conceal pride from man, 18 He keeps back his soul from the Pit, And his life from perishing by the sword.
And, Grover's biological son mocking me is a reflection of the mocking his father endured even the day before he died.
That the LORD spoke to both me and Grover had nothing to do with the distribution of Grover's estate - yet for their own personal reasons they felt it was an advantage to further their cause!
And, they went as far to claim that Grover may have done something that caused the explosion [Exhibit 9 - page 5] just to prove that he heard from God! [Exhibit 9 - page 7]. And, I find it very frightening and unsettling that they would even consider uttering such an accusation!
They tried to kill Jesus because He claimed to hear from God: John 8:40 reads: 40 But now you seek to kill Me, a Man who has told you the truth which I heard from God. Abraham did not do this. In other words, they were trying to kill Jesus because of the truth that He claimed to hear from God.
This is not just a theological statement - this is exactly how I felt when I read their court document. It seemed that Grover's faith was on trial and that they were trying to legally “kill” Grover's testimony by attacking me and my ability to hear from the LORD. More to the point: at issue was whether Grover and I actually heard from the LORD about the explosion that Grover died in and this line of reasoning was presented to the court.
Why bring my beliefs or Grover's beliefs into court - this certainly wasn't the Forum - or was it? As already stated I couldn't be the one to initiate the confrontation with Grover's biological son about mocking his father's beliefs or my faith in the way they did. verbatim
But come May 13, 2011 when Grover’s biological son’s attorney Mocked my Christian Beliefs in a Court Document - "The Forum Changed" - to "God's Forum": On May 13, 2011, much to the surprise of some people, certainly not me, on behalf of Grover's biological son, his attorney submitted to the Honorable Judge William Thompson of the Circuit Court of Boone County, West Virginia a legal document that not only belittled and mocked my relationship with Grover, but mocked and attacked my Christian beliefs -specifically that I claimed that Grover heard and that I hear from the LORD. In addition, when they mocked my faith as well as Grover's - that opened the door for me personally to refute their mocking in a court document submitted by my attorney.
Some Lawyers will use the Courts to Intimidate People: In Acts 4:25-28 the Disciples quote from Psalm 2 and in verse 29 they ask the LORD to grant them a boldness that they may continue to speak His word. They were asking the LORD to sustain their courage even when they were threatened and mocked by the legal system. They were asking for a "Fearless" courage - to be able to rise above the fear of our spiritual enemy who operates through the worldly mindset of those in the legal system who will try and intimidate us.
We are not to shrink back when times become threatening - but we are to ask the LORD to give us a fearless courage to face our opposition even when it comes from within the legal system. And, from my own personal experiences it can be freighting. However, if the LORD sends us into the Courts - then as Isaiah 28:6 reveals - the LORD will be our source of strength!
And, there is another profound and encouraging revelation in Isaiah 28:6 - not only will the LORD be our strength He will also enlighten many within the legal system from the Judge on down with the wisdom to do what is just and right. And, that holds true with the Circuit Court of Boone County!
Grover's biological son's mocking is now in concrete: The LORD quickened me to Isaiah 50:7-8 with the understanding that I was to set my forehead like flint and to defend and protect Grover's testimony unto Him - the Awesome God that Grover served. And to do that the LORD opened the door for me to face my accusers in a court of law - and the mocking accusations made by Grover’s biological son and his attorney, as well as my rebuttal submitted by my attorney have been memorialized in the Court documents concerning the “Estate of Grover Dale Skeens – Civil Action No. 11-C-77”.
Isaiah 50:7-8 reads: Isaiah 50 7 Because the Sovereign LORD helps me, I will not be disgraced. Therefore have I set my face like flint, and I know I will not be put to shame. 8 He who vindicates me is near. Who then will bring charges against me? Let us face each other! Who is my accuser? Let him confront me! Who dares to charge me with a crime? Let him draw near and do so in court. [More importantly let him face me in God’s court of justice. Who is he that shall condemn me? The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is my advocate for my cause is right and vindication from the LORD is part of my heritage.] Amplified
What does Prophetic Mean: Again, one of the reasons we were mocked was because I claimed that Grover and I heard from the LORD regarding the explosion. Prophetic simply means that the LORD reveals something to us before it happens! And, this can come about through dreams, visions, or when The Lord quickens us to a particular Scripture.
For example, it was through Scriptures that the LORD quickened to me that an accident was going to happen at Performance Coal four years prior to the accident - yet it was through recurring dreams that the LORD revealed this to Grover approximately one and a half years before the accident actually occurred.
What does Quickening Mean: When a Christian says that he or she was quickened to a particular Scripture it simply means that as they were reading Scripture all of a sudden a particular verse seemed to jump off the page. For example, take the two pictures of Grover shown below - it is the same picture however - the one on the left seems to jump off the page compared to the picture on the right.
Or, as the word quicken implies - the picture on the left seems to be more alive than the picture on the left. |
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And with this quickening comes an understanding that was not there before. And, it's an understanding in your spirit - not just your head.
Psalm 119:50 This is my comfort in my affliction: for thy word hath quickened me.
In other words the Holy Spirit wants us to understand that there is a spiritual aspect to something that is happening or is going to happen in our personal life and this particular Scripture will help us to understand the spiritual aspects of that situation. While all situations that we find ourselves in do not have a spiritual aspect many do and it is then that the Holy Spirit will quicken us to a particular Scripture so that we can understand the worldly through a spiritual perspective.
When the LORD quickened Grover to Psalm 2 - certain verses within that Chapter jumped off the page and that's how Grover knew that that others would join Jeff in mocking him - and they did. When the LORD quicken me to Isaiah 28:6 - verse 6 seemed to jump off the page and because of that I just knew that I would personally confront Grover's biological son for mocking his father in a Court Room - and I did. And this is what we refer to as a "Rhema" Word as well - meaning it is a word that pertains to a present day situation. And because both these words, Psalm 2 and Isaiah 28:6 have come to pass then we can say these words were Prophetic Words as well as a Rhema Word.
How Prophetic that the last Scripture Grover shared with me was Psalm 2 - and the confrontation between me, Grover's biological son and his attorneys were exactly what Psalm 2 speaks of! One can't help but notice the similarities.
And, it's interesting that one of the articles from my website referenced and misquoted by Grover's biological son's counsel was "Grover fought the good fight". I say interesting because in that same section I actually talked about why Grover shared Psalm 2 with me the night before he died - that it was because people were mocking Grover and God. And, I included Amos 5:10 in this section as well to say that there are those in the courts who despise people like Grover (and me) who speak the truth in the Courts.
Amos 5:10 reads: 10 There are those who hate the one who upholds justice in court and detest the one who tells the truth. NIV
I am amazed how anyone could be that blatant in mocking both me and Grover. The point I want to make is that their own actions bear witness against themselves. When they mocked both me and Grover in Court their actions only proved that both Grover and I heard from the LORD concerning Psalm 2 and Amos 5:10.
And, interestingly, Psalm 2 reveals that the LORD laughs at them and I believe that the LORD laughed at them is both self-explanatory and understandable.
Grover's biological son and his attorney offered no Rebuttal to my Rebuttal: Given that a rebuttal is the claim, or proof, that an accusation or argument is false - I think it is significant & important to mention that they offered no rebuttal. In other words if I was making false accusations in my rebuttal submitted to the Circuit Court of Boone County on June 1, 2010 shouldn't they have submitted a rebuttal refuting my claims to the Circuit Court of Boone County? Their lack of a rebuttal indicates that they had no proof to disclaim my rebuttal.
I Said That to Say the Following: Vindication from the LORD is a part of our Heritage
Isaiah 54 17 But no weapon that is formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue that shall rise against you in judgment you shall show to be in the wrong. This [peace, righteousness, security, triumph over opposition] is the heritage of the servants of the Lord [those in whom the ideal Servant of the Lord is reproduced]; this is the righteousness or the vindication which they obtain from Me [this is that which I impart to them as their justification], says the Lord. Amplified Bible According to Isaiah 54:17 victory over those who oppose the servants of the LORD is our heritage in the LORD: The LORD will not only deliver us from the strife of tongues and all the false accusations of men, He will also deliver us from our spiritual adversary, the accuser of the Brethren, who is operating through their worldly mindsets.
The King James translation uses the words “condemn” as well as the word judgment and given that both words are judicial terms – then in the context of Isaiah 54:17 we can anticipate the real possibility of refuting every tongue that rises against us actually being refuted in a court room.
No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of Me, saith the LORD. King James
And, so it was with me and those who rose up against me in judgment. I found myself in a judicial setting where I refuted the false accusations and shameful mockery of those who mocked my faith and Grover’s testimony unto the LORD.
If our cause is a righteousness cause then the LORD will vindicate us. And, I knew my zeal for protecting Grover’s testimony unto the LORD was a righteousness cause. And, the LORD honored the man who honored Him.
We know from Acts 4:25-28 that Psalm 2 was an Old Testament Prophecy written by King David that was fulfilled when Christ Jesus was betrayed by Judas, and was falsely accused by the Sanhedrin and sentenced to be crucified by Pilate - all co-conspirators in opposing the Gospel of Christ Jesus.
Acts 4:23-28 reveals that Peter and the Disciples understood that the same spirits that were operating behind the co-conspirators mentioned in Psalm 2 were the same spirits operating behind the chief priests and elders who had detained them for preaching the Gospel. Likewise, the LORD will quicken us to Psalm 2 so that we too can understand why we are mocked and persecuted for our faith - and why sometimes it is in a Court of Law! People die but the spirits operating through them don't - therefore there will always be contention between us and others - including the "Secular Christians" who have a worldly mindset concerning Christianity. They are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge. Romans 10:2 And, so it was with Grover.
Their attacks were vicious attacks on me, Grover and God. It is a mockery, filled with false statements and twisted half-truths. The intent, of course, was to discredit my testimony concerning anything I say about Grover or the revelation I have been given. Again, the heart of this matter is my “claim” to hear from God.
But it is upon this rock that Christ build His Church: the ability to hear from God the Father! And, I'm standing on that Rock!
At issue is "my claim" that both Grover and I heard from the LORD that the accident at Performance Coal would happen before it did. And, the following are examples of how both Grover and I were mocked in their May 13 filing to the Circuit Court of Boone County - simply because "Grover and I really heard from God" concerning the explosion!
Again, they went as far to state that Grover may have done something that caused the explosion [Exhibit 9 - page 5] just to prove that he heard from God [Exhibit 9 - page 7]!
We were mocked for claiming that the LORD revealed to both of us that there would be an accident at Performance Coal. Again, the court document reveals that Grover's biological son views me as not in touch with reality [page.8] and that his attorney found it alarming that I said that Grover and I had visions concerning the explosion at Performance Coal. [Exhibit 9 - page 7]
An "Act of Grover" or an “Act of Man” is not an "Act of God." On page 7 they accuse me of giving the impression that Grover, in some way, was responsible for the explosion that he died in. And, they drive that point home on page 5 of Exhibit 9, where they indicate that I believed that the explosion was either divinely orchestrated by God or by someone following God’s orders, obviously a mocking reference to Grover taking an active part in causing the explosion. And there is a difference between an "Act of God" and an "Act of Man".
Surely everyone knows that by definition "An Act of God" is referring to a natural occurrence beyond the control of man, such as a flood or an earthquake or the methane gas that came up through the breaches in the Geological Fault Zone that the miners mined into on April 5, 2010. While the spark and the buildup of excessive coal dust ignited the gas and added fuel to the fire - the fact remains that the gas that seeped through a breach in the geological fault zone was what started the chain of events that resulted in the explosion. Needless to say, proper ventilation was the primary factor that contributed to the explosion - but what set off the chain of events was the gas from the geological fault zone. Surely, no one would believe that Grover had the power or ability to manipulate a fault zone that he couldn't even see - or would they? Only if they wanted to mock him!
An Act of Grover is an Act of Man - not an Act of God: On the other hand, and needless to say, if the explosion was an act of man or in this case an "Act of Grover," then it wouldn't be an "Act of God" since man brought about the explosion verses a natural cause such as a flood or earthquake or in the case of the explosion the gas from the Geological Fault Zone - all things beyond the control of man - and yes - beyond the control of Grover.
And, I have always maintained that the LORD revealed to both of us that it was an "Act of God" - not an "Act of Grover" or for that matter any other miner. And, it was in that sense that Grover was not concerned about a safety violation as being the cause that would start the chain of events that led to the explosion. He trusted everyone that he worked with!
If Grover's biological son and his counsel ever care to read my email dated June 2, 2010 (Figure 26, p.88), they will find that this particular email documents a vision - yes a Vision – that the LORD gave me - yes that the LORD gave me - of a crack running across the floor of the mines at an 11 to 5 angle. I had this vision a year before the Map of the Fault Zone and its role in the explosion of the mines was revealed to the families and the public.
MSHA's findings support the Vision the LORD gave me a year before MSHA released their findings! And vice-versa - the Vision from the LORD supports MSHA's findings!
If it is any comfort to Grover's biological son and his counsel, MSHA was none too happy about my Vision from the LORD either! Verse 4 of Psalm 2 keeps coming to mind that reveals 4 He Who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord has them in derision [and in supreme contempt He mocks them]. Amplified And, I might add understandably so!
Please take note - I am not "claiming" that Grover and I heard. No, I am emphatically stating that we heard from the LORD! I do not believe we were mocked because we "claimed" to hear from the LORD. I believe we were mocked because we did hear from the LORD!
MSHA: Biblically speaking even Christians can be influenced by Satan. Case in point, Matthew 16:21-23 reveals that when Jesus rebuked Peter (the visible - meaning the natural aspect), Jesus also rebuked Satan (the invisible - meaning the spiritual aspect). Jesus said to Peter, “Get thee behind me Satan - You are an offense to me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.” In essence, Jesus was saying Peter - Satan is able to influence the way you think because you still see spiritual things through a worldly mindset. In other words, when I said in my website that Satan was able to influence MSHA, it was because MSHA didn't see the spiritual aspects of the explosion. However, I did not say that MSHA couldn't see the spiritual aspects of the explosion because our adversary the devil ruled over MSHA. [Page 6 of Exhibit 9] Influence and ruling over something are two very different issues. Nor did I ever state that MSHA was Satan incarnate as alluded to on page 8 of the filing.
However, that does bring me to the point I was trying to make. There was another aspect to the explosion that had yet to be discovered - the crack in the floor of the mines that ran from 11 to 5 - a geological fault zone. The point is that MSHA was so convinced that all aspects of the explosion were due "solely" to Massey's safety violations that they couldn't even comprehend that the miners could have mined into a natural geological fault zone or that they in any way were accountable!
Even OSHA thought that MSHA shared some of the Responsibility for the Explosion: Which brings us to another point. For the sake of an argument let's say that MSHA was correct in that all mining accidents are preventable. Well, according to MSHA, as far back as 2004 MSHA was aware of the geological fault zone and at that point in time if MSHA had done their job and followed through on making sure that Massey had implemented their recommendations concerning the fault zone the accident probably could have been avoided. So, in that sense, I agree with MSHA, the explosion could have been avoided. Physician heal thyself! Again, MSHA could only focus on Massey's accountability. Why? I believe it was because of their worldly mindset that they couldn't see the plank in their own eye!
President Obama: Nor did I believe the explosion needed to occur for me to speak to President Obama about changing his views on Islam as indicated in Exhibit 9 - page 5. I have heard the other families say they didn't want the deaths of their loved ones to be in vain. Well, neither did I. And, I can only express how the LORD let me know that Grover's death was not in vain by the personal things that I experienced after his death. And, whether or not Grover was there that day - the explosion still would have occurred. And, had Grover not been there that day - the LORD would have opened the door for me to give President Obama that Word via another open door. I have been to the White House before and to the Capitol on many occasions. And, President Obama is not the first President I have met.
And, speaking of the written Word I gave to President Obama - in that particular word I did make mention that Grover lived with me and my husband for the last seven years of his life. Needless to say, this was not mentioned in their filing when they mentioned that I said Grover lived at the Guest House.
And, when I told President Obama that the LORD revealed to Grover that the explosion was going to happen - President Obama told me that he believed that God did speak to people in that way. I thought I would point that out given that counsel's belief was that if people believed me that Grover and I heard from the LORD concerning the explosion it would have a negative impact for all 29 families regarding compensation [Exhibit 9 – page 1] and that my goal was to undermine the wrongful death claim [page 7]
And, given that counsel was frighten that I claimed God speaks to me - then I would like to point out that in the written Word I gave President Obama I make mention that "God ordained him" to be President of the United States. Well, against all odds President Obama was re-elected as President in 2012. More to the point: Obviously, I heard from the LORD concerning President Obama being ordained by God to be President. Keeping in mind it's a civil government - whether he was a Christian or not was not why he was ordained. He was ordained because of his African roots. [see Chapter 11, p.71] I keep in mind that the Government rests on the Shoulders of Jesus Christ - and, whether I agree or disagree with President Obama is immaterial - it's God's choice.
April 5, 2010: On page 3 of Exhibit 9 - they falsely assert that I claimed Grover had foreknowledge of the exact date of the explosion and wrote this on his prayer closet wall. Interestingly, I actually posted pictures on my website of Grover's prayer closet that showed all the Scriptures that Grover did make reference to. And, not one picture shows that Grover made a reference to April 5, 2010 or Ezekiel 1:1 which was the Scripture the LORD "Quickened me to" "AFTER" Grover's death that makes mention of the 30th year - not the year 2010 - in the fourth month in the fifth day of the month.
And, given that the only thing that Grover wrote on his wall were Scriptures - I don't believe any Scripture in the Bible specifically refers to the year 2010. Granted, Ezekiel 1:1 does mention the 30th year but I'm having a hard time trying to understand how the 30th year equates to 2010 as far as Grover himself having made that reference on his wall as counsel claims I claimed. Nonetheless, Grover never made reference to either April 5, 2010 or Ezekiel 1:1 on his wall nor did I ever claim that he did.
Nor did Grover, as they claim, call me on April 4 and tell me that he resolved when the explosion would take place, implying that he had control over the date! [Exhibit 9 – page 4]. Such a thing never even entered my mind.
However, from the understanding the LORD gave me "AFTER" Grover died - he knew sometime during the night that the explosion was imminent. But please note I said it was the LORD who gave me that understanding - not Grover - and it was "After" Grover died - not before as they claim. [page 7-8]
And, he never had a vision of the explosion - the LORD gave Grover the understanding there would be an explosion through dreams. Given that most people understand the difference between a dream and a vision I would have thought that Grover's biological son and counsel would have too.
Grover never ever mentioned that the explosion was going to occur on April 5th, let alone tell me that he was the one who decided on that date. I am amazed to the degree that they went to twist what I had written in my website and to the degree that they went to mock Grover even in death.
How could anyone sleep at night after mocking such an honorable man? The first four verses of Psalm 36 reveals that there is a man who is so self-flattering that he actually thinks that he came up with such a smooth plan to deceive others that neither man nor God could perceive it. And this man is so arrogant that he cannot detect or even hate his own sin or even understand that others see through what they are doing.
It was only AFTER Grover's death that the LORD "quickened me" - not Grover - to Ezekiel 1:1 that gives the date of the 5th day of the 4th month (April 5th). And, this was the date that the LORD gave Ezekiel the vision - not Grover. But, it was the day and month that the LORD gave the vision of the wheels within the wheels that Ezekiel speaks about in Chapters 1 through 3. In other words, it was not just happenstance that Grover had written Ezekiel 3:13 on the wall of his prayer closet - not Ezekiel 1:1 nor April 5, 2010.
Nor did I ever celebrate or take delight in the fact that 29 miners died as they claimed on page 8 and once again on page 2 of Exhibit 9. No one would rejoice over the death of 29 miners. It was obvious to anyone that I was devastated by Grover's death. And, even though I had never met any of the other men who died alongside Grover - I knew of many of them. Grover would share so much with us about those he worked with - that when I heard certain ones were in the mines alongside Grover, it was like hearing about Grover's death. To say that I was happy about this - what were they thinking?
I would have expected more respect for Grover. To suggest that I delighted in the deaths of 29 miners because this proved a point is unthinkable. Grover did not need an explosion to prove that God communicated with him. First of all, the fact that the explosion occurred speaks for itself. Second of all neither Grover nor myself need for anyone to validate that we heard from God - he knew who he was in the LORD - and I certainly don't need man's approval to know I hear from the LORD! My walk with the LORD is not dependent on man or circumstances, especially not Grover's biological son or his attorneys! Like Grover was known to say - If God said it - I believe it and it's a done deal. I was praising the LORD that some good could come from such a horrible tragedy! Again, just as the other families did not want the deaths of their loved ones to be in vain - neither did I.
Grover was a legal resident of Virginia: Grover lived in Staunton, Virginia - not Montcoal, West Virginia as Grover's biological son and his counsel claimed. Not only did they claim that Grover lived in Montcoal - they accused me of misleading the court [page 13] by swearing that Grover lived with me in Staunton, Virginia. More to the point: I was falsely accused of "Perjury". Once again, let me restate the fact that Grover lived with me for the last seven years of his life in Staunton, Virginia!
In fact, and I find this interesting to say the least, the excerpt that they included in their filing as evidence to the court that Grover lived in Montcoal and that I was lying that Grover lived in Virginia with me actually included the part where I explained that Grover only needed a place to stay in West Virginia when he wasn't here at home in Virginia. And, I'm the one that lied? I have a hard time understanding their mentality. [Exhibit 9 – page 1] They bear witness against themselves!
Given the fact that Grover's mailing address was the same as mine in Staunton, Virginia, his driver's license was issued in Virginia, he had Virginia tags on his truck and he paid his taxes to the State of Virginia, it was obvious that Grover lived with me and was a resident of Virginia.
It is approximately a two and one half hour drive from my home to Montcoal, so when Grover was working he stayed at a Guest House on Company property. When he wasn't working he lived with me in Staunton, Virginia where everyone knew that he made his home with me.
Furthermore, on page 14 counsel once again claimed that I lied that Grover lived with me. Now, considering that another attorney representing Grover's biological son contacted me via letter dated April 26, 2010 requesting that I send all of Grover's personal documents, reports, letters, titles to vehicles and other personal property to him within 10 days - why would they think Grover kept his personal property at my house if he didn't live here? And, a "CC" of this letter was sent to the offices of the attorney who submitted the filing on May 13, 2011 [Exhibit 3]. So, obviously they too were aware that Grover's personal belongings were at my house.
Furthermore, on page 6 she notes that the same attorney on behalf of Grover's biological son discussed with my attorney here in Virginia the return of Grover's personal property including his bedroom set. So, I ask why in the world they thought Grover had a bedroom set in my house if he didn't live here? And, I was the one accused of perjury?
On page 14, the attorneys petition the Court to deny my husband and me any consideration in the settlement of the estate. It seems that we were not entitled to any of the compensation based on their false accusations that we lied.
Could, that be one aspect of why so much of what I wrote in memory of Grover was turned upside down! One would certainly hope not. Yet, on page 20 they once again drive home the point that Jeff wanted the Court to deny any relief to me and John.
And, this request of the court can be understood according to Psalm 2:3 that reads: Let us break Their bonds in pieces And cast away Their cords from us. In other words, they were asking the court to cast me and John aside as if we were an easy matter to deal with. But, the LORD had other plans that were not to be cast aside that easily.
In my website, I refer to Acts 1:3 that reveals we are to be a witness unto the LORD and the word witness in Greek means a living martyr as well as a martyr in death. The whole point that I was making was that there should be something in our lives that is a reflection of Jesus Christ - and in that sense we are a living martyr. My point was that Grover's life was a reflection of a living martyr - not his death. However, on page 4 of Exhibit 9, the attorneys mock this Scriptural fact and my characterization of Grover putting Martyr all in caps, something not found in my website.
Clearly, from the above statements made by the attorney of Grover's biological son on his behalf, my faith and convictions were unfairly and mockingly put on trial. And, I was falsely accused as well.
Another of the seven Scriptures Grover wrote on the walls of his Prayer Closet in my home has now come to pass as well. John 3:12 reads: I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? NIV
Considering the aftermath of Grover's death it is understandable why the LORD quicken Grover to "prophetically" write John 3:12 on the wall of his prayer closet? Could it be that the LORD wanted both me and Grover to know that there would be some who would not believe that Grover heard from the LORD that something bad was going to happen at Performance Coal.
From the claims of Grover's biological son and his counsel, for whatever reasons, they did not believe Grover nor me when we both spoke of heavenly things concerning the explosion that Grover prophesied and died in.
Again, from all accounts the explosion was due to methane gas seeping through a geological fault zone that the miners mined into which could not have been an "Act of Grover" - then a spark from the shearer combined with an excessive build up of coal dust which was a safety violation all contributed to the explosion.
Having said all that then maybe - just based on the earthly facts - they may come to some understanding that there was another aspect to the explosion that was beyond the control of the miners, hence the Geological Fault Zone, and Grover did not have anything to do with the explosion after all.
Or, as 1 Corinthians 2:14 reveals - 14 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. NKJV
In other words, whether or not Grover's biological son and his attorney could not understand the spiritual dimensions of the explosion which I wove throughout the website - because they are spiritually discerned - they still attempted to interpret the spiritual dimensions of the explosion and even the spiritual aspects of Grover's life as well as mine through a worldly mindset. And, I suppose that's why both Grover and I were portrayed as "foolishness" in the court document dated May 13, 2011 - because as 1 Corinthians 2:14 reveals - the spiritual things of God are foolishness to the natural man.
Man has consistently tried - but man has never been able to define who I am in the LORD because I know the voice of my Shepherd and His Name is Christ Jesus - and I only follow the voice of my Shepherd - not the voice of the stranger - or Grover's biological son - or his counsel!
I will close this chapter by emphatically stating that the LORD gave both me and Grover the revelation that there would be an accident at Performance Coal. And they may continue to mock both of us but verse 4 of Psalm 2 keeps coming to mind that reveals 4 He Who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord has them in derision [and in supreme contempt He mocks them]. Amplified
Again, given that a rebuttal is the claim, or proof, that an accusation or argument is false - I think it is significant and important to once again mention that counsel for Grover's biological son offered no rebuttal to the courts regarding my attorney's rebuttal. Their lack of a rebuttal says that they had no proof to disclaim my rebuttal. |
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Grover Dreamed he was Walking with a very Important Man on a White Carpet along the Tracks in the Coal Mines
In addition to God's Word Scripture reveals that one of the many ways the Lord speaks to man is through dreams which can be thought of as Prophetic Dreams. So, it doesn't surprise me that Grover's last two dreams as well as the seven Scriptures he had written on the walls of his Prayer Closet here in our home in Staunton, Va. were both connected to UBB and the UBB explosion. In his last dream just the night before the explosion Grover wrote in his prayer journal that "he liked working for Massey". And, on April 3 just two days before the explosion Grover wrote that in his dream he was walking on a white carpet laid along the tracks with someone who was "very important". And, this White Carpet was like a table cloth that he and this very important person ate on. I remembered that Grover was fascinated with this particular dream because he knew it was "Prophetic". He couldn't help but wonder who this very important man was that was walking with him along the tracks in the coal mines on a white carpet that turned into a tablecloth. And, after reading the accounts of the Rescuer's who went in the mines to recover the bodies of the coal miners - that in the mist of total blackness - they were surprised to see a "Pretty White Curtain" over by the long wall where Grover worked I knew exactly what the "Pretty White Curtain" was symbolic of and who the very important man was.
On the next several pages are pages from the Rescuers testimonies of their account of the "Pretty White Curtain" they saw when they were recovering the bodies of the coal miners. |
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The "Pretty White Curtain" was a Sign from God
The Apostle Paul tells us that God gives signs and wonders and various miracles and gifts of the Holy Spirit that will confirm to someone and/or others something He has told that person. Needless to say these signs were meant to catch the attention of someone as something out of the ordinary. For example, God put a rainbow in the sky as a sign that He would never again destroy the earth by a flood.
Hebrews 2:4 4 And God confirmed the message by giving signs and wonders and various miracles and gifts of the Holy Spirit whenever he chose. NLT
And, the "Pretty White Curtain" over by the Long Wall where Grover worked that the Rescuers saw in the midst of total blackness and incredible devastation when they went underground to bring the bodies of the 29 coal out was such a sign and it gives insight into Grover's dream just two days before the explosion.
And, according to Acts 2:19 we know that in the last days God will give us visions and dreams.
Acts 2:17-18 17 ‘In the last days,’ God says, ‘I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams. 18 In those days I will pour out my Spirit even on my servants—men and women alike— and they will prophesy. NLT
"Prophetic Dreams" are only one way that the Lord communicates with people and while dreams are often used by God to communicate His will to us we are not to rely solely on dreams to know God's will. First and foremost we are to rely on God's written Word.
Even though we are not to rely solely on dreams to understand God's will - we are not to disregard our dreams either. Even though God's Word tells us that He speaks to man through dreams and even though people worldwide have had dreams from the beginning of time - "Prophetic Dreams" are one of the most ignored and misunderstood ways that God still uses to communicate with us.
There are a number of reasons why the Lord at times will use dreams that more often than not seem like riddles to speak to mankind. Prophetic dreams can offer insight and foresight into something that will happen in the future that we are not aware of. Prophetic Dreams can be a warning (Job 33:14-16; Matthew 29:19) or make us aware of an action we should take (Matthew 2:13, 19), etc.
Before sharing how Grover's dream of a white carpet/tablecloth relates to the Pretty White Curtain the rescuers found in the aftermath of the UBB explosion I want to share two examples of dreams - one from Scripture - and one concerning the dream President Lincoln had about his own assassination.
Pilates' Wife: The account of Pilate's wife is recorded in wife or in Matthew 27:19.
Matthew 27:19 19 While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent to him, saying, "Have nothing to do with that just Man, for I have suffered many things today in a dream because of Him." NKJV
It was through a dream that the Lord revealed to Pilate's wife that Jesus Christ was an innocent man and she in turn sent word to Pilate to have nothing to do with the death of this righteous man. How profound that no one other than the wife of a heathen governor that had the power to crucify Christ was the only one to plead for His life. In the dream the Lord showed Pilate's wife how much she herself would suffer if Pilate gave the order to crucify Christ.
She sent word to Pilate that "after suffering many things in the dream herself". She was warning Pilate not to do anything to this righteous man for which he would later be sorry for. Needless to say, Pilate ignored the divine revelation and gave in to the desires of the people who had been persuaded by the chief priests and elders to crucify Christ.
To suffer many thing in the dream meant that the Lord revealed to her that if Pilate crucified Christ that his household would reap suffering in the real world. According to tradition Pilate committed suicide.
President Abraham Lincoln: It was well known that President Lincoln, who was always eager to share his dreams with anyone who would listen, believed that there was a spiritual aspect to his many dreams - including the one where he saw himself laying in state at the White House just ten days before his death.
Approximately ten days before he was assassinated President Lincoln told Ward Hill Lamon, his friend and sometimes body guard that he had a dream that he had been assassinated. Lincoln's account of the dream:
‘There seemed to be a death-like stillness about me. Then I heard subdued sobs, as if a number of people were weeping. I thought I left my bed and wandered downstairs…..It was light in all the rooms; every object was familiar to me…..I kept on until I arrived at the East Room, which I entered. There I met with a sickening surprise. Before me was a catafalque, on which rested a corpse wrapped in funeral vestments…..’Who is dead in the White House?’ I demanded of one of the soldiers. ‘The President,’ was the answer, ‘he was killed by an assassin!’ Then came a loud burst of grief from the crowd, which awoke me from my dream. I slept no more that night…..’”
Until the day he died Lincoln was fascinated by his dreams which according to those he shared his dreams with had the power both to terrify as well as delight him. Even though Lincoln tried to downplay his fears of being assassinated Lamon recalls that Lincoln was haunted by the dream of seeing himself dead in a coffin in the White House.
Needless to say, the Lord forewarned Lincoln of his death.
Back to Grover's Dream & the Pretty White Curtain: As a reminder - a sign from the Lord is something out of the ordinary that is designed to catch the attention of someone - for example, the "Pretty White Curtain". In other words, there is no doubt that the "Pretty White Curtain" the Rescuers saw in the midst of total blackness and incredible devastation when they went underground to bring the bodies of the coal miners was a sign from the Lord. After all, to see a "Pretty White Curtain" in what the Rescuers described as a situation so black that it was hard to find the victim's bodies is definitely out of the ordinary.
In context of Grover's dream and the Pretty White Curtain the rescuers saw reminds me of the light that shines in the darkness that the Apostle John spoke in John 1:5. John reveals that the light - meaning Christ - shines in the darkness and the evil of darkness has not overcome it. The darkness that John spoke of was the evil in this world and even though the evil is so devastating, disastrous, and earth-shattering - it is not triumphant - not then and not now - because Jesus overcame the evil in this world.
John 1:5 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. ESV
In Scripture White was associated with Light.
And, that Grover was walking with a very important man on a white carpet brings to mind those who have not soiled their garments will walk with Jesus in white.
Revelation 3:4 4 But you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their garments; and they will walk with Me in white, for they are worthy.
Those who have not soiled their garments speaks of those whose character has not been soiled during their walk here on earth. In this sense their character can be thought of as the garment of the soul. They shall walk with Me in white speaks of those that shall be raised to a state of eternal glory and shall for ever be with Jesus Christ through all eternity.
Again, Clayton Sparks was one of the Rescuers at Performance Coal who testified under oath on June 8, 2010 at The National Mine Health & Safety Academy as to what he witnessed inside UBB after the explosion on April 5, 2010. On page 36 and 43 of his Testimony, Clayton Sparks told those present that he and some others thought they saw a “Pretty White Curtain” over by the Long Wall. And, this is where Grover and five other coal miners worked on the Long Wall. Yet, according to page 67-68 of Jerry Cook's Testimony, it was so black inside UBB that it was hard to even find the fallen coal miners.
Given that Grover's last name "Skeens" is a reference to the "tent" of God in Scripture then the sign of the Pretty White Curtain that the Rescuers saw can also be likened to the "curtain" and "tent" that is referenced in Isaiah 40:22.
It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in. Isaiah 40:22 KJ
As Isaiah 40:22 reveals, this particular curtain is closely related to a tent (a skene), Grover's last name. Curtain of the Tabernacle (tent of meeting) (dwelling) (skene). And, it's interesting that the Rescuers thought they saw a "Pretty White Curtain" because a "White Curtain" is used to cover the alter in the Jewish Synagogues at the Feast of Tabernacles (skene).
The White Curtain that Adorns the Alter in Jewish Synagogues during the High Holy Days
The Synagogue: While in Jerusalem during the Feast of Tabernacles, a Jewish family took me to an old Jewish Synagogue inside the Old City. And, they pointed out that it is customary for a white curtain to be draped over the alter on the Day of Atonement as well as on the days of the Feasts of the Lord including that of the Feast of Tabernacles (skene). They do so because the color white is a traditional symbol of purity and forgiveness. And, in addition to draping a white curtain over the alter in the synagogues it is customary to wear white on the Day of Atonement, which symbolizes purity and calls to mind the promise that our sins shall be made as white as snow (Isaiah 1:18).
This Pretty White Curtain was a sign to me from the Lord concerning Grover. The Lord gave me so many things, the two visions that I had concerning the explosion at UBB that have come to pass, Grover's Bible that he left on his bed open to Psalm 46 and the Pretty White Curtain just to name a few to confirm what he had revealed to both me and Grover about the explosion, to give me the spiritual understanding of the explosion at UBB that He knew I would need for a variety of reasons including writing this book.
And, needless to say the symbolism of the Pretty White Curtain hung by the Long Wall combined with the symbolism of the White Curtain over the alter during the Feast of Tabernacles which can be understood as the Feast of Skene as Skene in Greek means Tabernacles was very comforting - especially knowing that both Grover and I are of Jewish descent.
The White Carpet and Table Cloth in Grover's dream are connected to Psalm 23, one of the seven Scriptures Grover had written on the walls of his Prayer Closet.
Psalm 23:5 reveals that as the Psalmist walked through the Valley of the Shadow of Death that the Lord prepared "a Table before him in the presence of his enemies". Now given that Job 28:3 reveals that those who work in mines work in the "Shadow of Death" - then whoever the important person that Grover ate with - then they would have eaten in the "Shadow of Death". In other words, the important person that Grover was walking with along the tracks in the coal mines (or as Job reveals miners work in the Shadow of Death) can only be a reference to the Lord.
The symbolism of Grover's dream and the Pretty White Curtain is clear. The important person in Grover's dream that he ate with on a white tablecloth could be none other than Christ. The point is this: I know that Grover is home with the Lord - and that brings me great comfort that the Lord cared enough about the sorrow at the loss of Grover that the last two dreams he gave Grover to record in his prayer journal as well as the manifestation of the Pretty White Curtain were left to comfort me - because the Lord knew that I would read his last dreams and the Scriptures that I knew Grover would leave his Bible left up to as well as the seven Scriptures written on the walls of his prayer closest - all to comfort me. |