Bob Jones Sings A New Song
We Must Forgive
Bonnie Jones
November 2018
In a dream November 1st, Bob Jones was at a home meeting; not sure whose home but there were three couches in the living room. Several people were on one couch, I was on another with other people and Bob was seated on a couch across from me. He was telling of how he met each of us that were gathered there. Then suddenly he stood up, grabbed his guitar and began playing. He began singing, “We must forgive!” When he finished his song he sat down placing the guitar next to the couch.
Then a young man entered the room and introduced himself as a reporter. He was looking all around the room for somewhere to sit. Without realizing it he sat down on Bob’s lap although the rest of that couch was available. Apparently it did not feel awkward to him. I looked at him and said, “I’m Bob Jones’ wife. Did you know that you are sitting on his lap?” He was really unaware of it. Then Bob said, “Some people are getting another chance!”
Interpretation: I believe Bob represents the Lord in this dream. And the voice of God is speaking through His prophets in this coming season. Their message now is repentance and forgiveness. Unless we forgive others God can’t forgive us. The Lord is giving His loved ones time to repent so He can forgive them, then they can be firmly seated in Christ.
“For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. (Matthew 6:14-15)
Reporters announce the news in the natural while prophets are called to prophesy the word of the Lord, nothing more and nothing less. However many prophetic voices over the years have brought words that the Lord never spoke. Or perhaps they twisted the words God spoke so not to offend people and therefore they remain popular among mankind. But God has kept a chronicle of His books and is now calling all things into accountability. He’s righting the wrongs and balancing the books. Therefore He’s stretching forth His hand once again and giving these prophetic voices another chance. He’s saying, “Repent for the error of your way and I will forgive you. Repent to those you lead astray and they will forgive you. We must all forgive.”
I believe forgiveness is the song on the Father’s heart right now. His grace abounds and He is slow to anger. He wants to forgive us more than we desire forgiveness. I think sometimes we get caught up in all the hypocrisy and put the Lord on a side burner therefore taking Him for granted. But now is the day to set the record straight.
So rend your heart, and not your garments; Return to the Lord your God, For He is gracious and merciful, Slow to anger, and of great kindness; And He relents from doing harm. (Joel 2:3)
On Day of Atonement the Lord spoke to me regarding repentance and forgiveness. He said, “Repentance is a two-edged sword. By this I mean I forgive when My people repent. I remove their sin as far as the East is from the West. (Psalm 103:11-12) However I hold them responsible to abide in the evidence of truth to the degree of understanding to which they repented. Many people hold on to unforgiveness as a weapon. This is not a weapon of a Christian’s warfare; it is a weapon that opposes the work of the cross.”
How Long Will You Falter Between Two Opinions?
Then the Lord had me study about Obadiah in 1 Kings chapter 18. Obadiah was a God fearing man and the governor of Ahab’s house. When Jezebel massacred the prophets of the Lord, Obadiah took one hundred prophets and hid them, fifty to a cave, and fed them with bread and water. After three years of famine, due to the drought Elijah prophesied, the Lord said to Elijah, “Go show yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain upon the earth.”
On Elijah’s journey to find Ahab he encountered Obadiah. Immediately Obadiah fell on his face in honor and fear of this holy man of God. Elijah then sent him to find Ahab saying, “Behold, Elijah is here!” With fear and trembling Obadiah ran off to find Ahab. He knew Ahab wanted to kill Elijah. Of course Elijah and Ahab met and had a verbal exchange that led to the showdown at Mt. Carmel of the 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of Asherah.
Elijah challenged all the people and said, “How long will you falter between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.” But the people answered him not a word. (Verse 21) I believe this is where we are today. There’s a decision to be made. No longer can we falter between two opinions. Are we going to follow the Lord or the sugarcoated, watered-down, ear-tickling prophetic voices floating around? As you know Elijah challenged the 850 prophets to offer up a bull and call on the name of their god and he would call on the name of the Lord. The One Who answers by fire, let Him be God. And all the people agreed.
The prophets of Baal and Asherah spent all day calling upon their false gods but to no avail. Then Elijah called all the people near to him and he did something very interesting. He repaired the old altar of the Lord that had been broken down by Jezebel. I believe this is what the Lord is doing today. He’s repairing His altar. The Jezebel spirit entered into the prophetic and brought with it fleshly motives in the place of truth. It bred casual Christianity and fear of man rather than the awe of God. But the Lord is saying that through repentance and forgiveness these altars of offense can be redeemed. Then once again they can be used for His purpose. There are men and women who have been turning the heads of sheep in the wrong direction for a long time. But today the Lord is saying that He wants to restore the altar of their heart so their voice will be of a sound report.
The Lord, He is God!
Then Elijah called all the people near and praised God for turning the hearts of the people back to Him. Elijah was decreeing their salvation. I believe it was his faith that stirred the heart of God. Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt offering. When all the people saw this incredible act of God they decreed, “The Lord, He is God!” “The Lord, He is God!”
Hear me, O Lord, hear me, that this people may know that You are the Lord God, and that You have turned their hearts back to You again.” Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood and the stones and the dust, and it licked up the water that was in the trench. Now when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces; and they said, “The Lord, He is God! The Lord, He is God!”(Verse 37-39)
Now Elijah announces to Ahab that there is the sound of abundance of rain. The drought is about to end quickly. I believe the Lord is saying that Elijah is here now and God is about to release the abundance of Holy Spirit’s power. But the altars must be repaired. And the only way to repair them is by confronting them with truth. The church has tolerated Jezebel for too long. It’s a spirit that operates in both men and women.
There’s a warning to the church of Thyatira in Revelation 2. Although she was known for good works and patience she tolerated Jezebel who called herself a prophetess. She was awe inspiring and led many astray. Her immorality was symbolic of idolatry that runs rampant in the church today. There seems to be neither boundaries nor limitations. God even gave her time to repent but she refused.
I know your record and what you are doing, your love and faith and service and patient endurance, and that your recent works are more numerous and greater than your first ones. But I have this against you: that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess [claiming to be inspired], and who is teaching and leading astray my servants and beguiling them into practicing sexual vice and eating food sacrificed to idols. I gave her time to repent, but she has no desire to repent of her immorality [symbolic of idolatry] and refuses to do so. (Revelation 2:19-21 Amplified)
Behold, Elijah is Here
Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. (Malachi 4:5)
That’s why this message of repentance and forgiveness is so important today. The Father is giving all of us opportunity to repent and ask forgiveness. Is Elijah the prophet going to manifest again? No! This is a spiritual manifestation of his anointing and it’s here on the earth today. When Jezebel heard about the showdown at Mt. Carmel she was determined to kill God’s prophet. (1Kings 19:1-4) Fear gripped Elijah’s spirit so much that he ran away and hid from her. There are two strong spiritual forces at work in this story. Elijah’s act of cowardice cost him his ministry but not his anointing. It was after this he was told to anoint Elisha in his stead. (I Kings 19:15-17) Elisha would be trained by him and go on to walk in a double portion of the spirit of Elijah after he recovered his mantle. (2 Kings 2:9)
After Ahab was killed in battle, Jezebel reigned for ten years through her two sons. Jehu killed these two sons as well as Jezebel in fulfillment of Elijah’s prophecy. (2 Kings 9:30-37) In fact Jehu beheaded Ahab’s seventy sons (and grandsons) (2 Kings 10:1-10) to completely destroy the bloodline. It’s time for the church to put Jezebel to rest once and for all instead of entertaining this spirit.
After the transfiguration the disciples asked Jesus why the scribes say that Elijah must come first? And He replied, Elijah does come and will get everything restored and ready. (Matthew 17:11) I believe the Elijah spirit is here now and restoring everything according to the will of the Father. However God will not violate man’s free will. But the Father is extending mercy to all people and offering them the cup of salvation. If we are willing to repent and ask forgiveness He is willing to forgive us all our sin. No exclusions and no exceptions. He’s repairing the altar of men’s hearts before the great and dreadful day of the Lord.
Here’s an interesting parallel between Elijah and Jonah. Bob and I were ministering in Austin, Texas years ago when the Lord spoke something very strange to my spirit. He said, “There’s never been repentance made for the sin of Jonah.” Of course this got me to check the scriptures. Jonah was angry with God because He relented and did not destroy Nineveh. In fact he prayed that he would die.
But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he became angry. So he prayed to the Lord, and said, “Ah, Lord, was not this what I said when I was still in my country? Therefore I fled previously to Tarshish; for I know that You are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, One who relents from doing harm. Therefore now, O Lord, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live!” Then the Lord said, “Is it right for you to be angry?” (Jonah 4:1-4)
Both men ran away; Elijah from Jezebel and Jonah from God. Both men were rescued, one by a fish and the other by an angel. God provided supernatural provision for them. And they both hid under a tree for protection. Both men prayed that they might die. But the key here is that Jonah was angry with God and never repented. He didn’t understand God’s heart of love for the Ninevites. While Elijah was fearful of Jezebel his love for God was greater. He relented and repented by saying, “It is enough! Now, Lord, take my life, for I am no better than my fathers!” (1 Kings 19:4b) Elijah realized the error of his way, his fear and pride and he was sorrowful in spirit. Therefore the Lord continued to use him until he was taken up to heaven in a chariot of fire.
There are lessons to be learned here. We might mess up like Elijah and Jonah. We might fall into pride, fear, anger (even toward God) resentment, jealousy and a great list of other things. But if we are willing to repent and ask forgiveness for our sin, even if we operate in a Jezebel spirit, God is willing to forgive us. God gave Jezebel opportunity to repent but she didn’t. So she became dog food. And Jonah chose to sulk over his misfortune instead of repent and rejoice over Nineveh’s victory. But the powerful spirit of Elijah is still alive and operating through God’s prophetic people in the earth today. This is a day of reckoning, restoration and repentance.
A Lesson From The Master
Let us all get our spiritual house in order through repentance and forgiveness. Jesus said that unless you repent (change, turn about) and become like little children [trusting, lowly, loving, forgiving], you can never enter the kingdom of heaven [at all]. (Matthew 18:3 Amplified) And let us remember what the Lord told Peter in Matthew 18:21-22. Peter asked how many times we must forgive, seven? And the Lord answered seventy times seven. For the Christian there is no option because it’s part of their nature. Their nature is that of Jesus Christ who died for their sin. And just as He forgave those who crucified Him so also we must forgive those who sin against us. True forgiveness, which means forgetting the wrong done to you, can only be accomplished through the person of Jesus Christ. As He forgave you so you must also forgive your brother.
After the resurrection Jesus met with the disciples and showed them his hands and feet and they were filled with joy. Then He breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit! Then He went on to say, [Now having received the Holy Spirit, and being led and directed by Him] if you forgive the sins of anyone, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of anyone, they are retained. (John 20:22-23 Amplified) I believe this is a serious matter to the Lord. As Christians we have the authority and responsibility to forgive thus releasing our offender their trespass. Otherwise we continue to hold them in bondage. But in reality we remain in bondage as well. When we retain the sin of another it festers in our heart. Until we release them we are not truly free. And the Lord says, “So also My heavenly Father will deal with every one of you if you do not freely forgive your brother from your heart his offenses. (Matthew 18:35) Let us all forgive, no matter the trespass. It is a must!
Prodigals Are Coming Home
Very clearly I heard the Lord say, “Linger not in the pigsty. The prodigals are coming home! There’s a great reunion in store says God! Get the fatted calf ready and prepare the finest meal. Sons and daughters are returning. It’s not a time to be judgmental. Its time to forgive, forget and restore the breach!”
Who Sits On The Throne Of Your Soul
“When you capitalize your thoughts outside of Me, it distracts your focus upon Me. Then your faith wavers and you become a double-minded man.” The Lord audibly spoke these words to me in November 2001.
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