The Rod of The Almond Tree
The Jeremiah Generation · Ed Watts · Zion Gate Ministries
Scriptures: Jeremiah 1:11–12 · Numbers 17:5–8 · Psalm 24:3–6 · Romans 12:1–2 · 1 Timothy 1:18 · Hebrews 4:3
The Beginning of a 90-Day Watch
I want to return to the initial word that began this 90-day watch, because I believe these ninety days are strategic for a new apostolic prayer movement to come forth. Late afternoon on October 12th (Cheshvan 1), I was walking, praying, and pondering a prophetic word the LORD had me give to multiple people the evening before. The prophetic word was inspired by seeing the number 111, 3 times, which I knew the LORD was highlighting in Jeremiah 1:11.
While walking, praying, and meditating on the prophetic word on Jeremiah 1:11, I finally caught on: “Lord, You’re not saying it to one or two or three people. You’re saying it to me.” And you’re saying it right now to the earth. Then I looked at the calendar and started counting 90 days from then. Of course, after watching 90 days is January 11th. I started on October 12th at sunset and will end on January 10th at sunset
Jeremiah, What Do You See?
Jeremiah 1:11–12 The word of the LORD came to me saying, “What do you see, Jeremiah?” And I said, “I see a rod of an almond tree.” Then the LORD said to me, “You have seen well, for I am watching over My word to perform it.” (NASB)
Jeremiah, what do you see? “I see the ROD of an almond tree.”
The Watcher Tree
The Hebrew word for almond, shaqed, is closely related to the word for watching, shoqed, in verse 12. The almond tree is often called the WATCHER because it is among the first trees to awaken and bloom in Israel, announcing the approaching spring while everything around it still looks like winter. It is a harbinger of a NEW SEASON!
The lampstand in the Tabernacle, the menorah, was fashioned with almond blossoms, as described in Exodus 25. Its branches, cups, and blossoms carry the imagery of an almond tree, a powerful picture of life and divine illumination.
The Rod from The Garden
As I mentioned on Facebook Live, an ancient Jewish tradition holds that Adam was given a branch from the Tree of Life when he was banished from the garden of Eden.
Jewish texts known as the Midrash and Mishnah both mention that the rod was passed down through the generations until it came into the hands of Moses and Aaron.
Although the Bible doesn’t mention this tradition, the prophetic imagery is compelling, and Numbers 17 seems to shed light on this ancient tradition.
Aaron’s Rod That Budded
During the establishment of the first order of the priesthood, a dispute arose over priestly authority, which the Bible calls Korah’s rebellion. God finally settles the dispute by distinguishing among the twelve tribal staffs, or rods. Each of the 12 tribes of Israel had a tribal leader and a tribal staff/rod called “a matteh.”
Numbers 17:5 And it shall be that the rod of the man whom I choose will blossom; thus I will rid Myself of the complaints of the children of Israel, which they make against you. Numbers 17:8 Now it came to pass on the next day that Moses went into the tabernacle of witness, and behold, the rod of Aaron, of the house of Levi, had sprouted and put forth buds, had produced blossoms and yielded ripe almonds.
A dead rod, separated from its natural source of life, lying all night before the ark of the covenant, suddenly BUDDED, BLOSSOMED, AND PRODUCED FRUIT! God Himself made the distinction between those He had chosen and those He had not.
The Rod of the Eternal Priesthood
I believe the LORD will once again make a distinction in the priesthood. The rod of the ETERNAL PRIESTHOOD will bud, blossom, and produce fruit! I am speaking prophetically of the royal priesthood established through Jesus Christ, our eternal High Priest after the order of Melchizedek.
Priests of eternity are coming forth with the timeless words of eternity in their mouths! These words will wreak havoc upon antichrist structures and shake everything that has not been built upon the ROCK, the eternal foundation of Yahweh’s Son.
We are standing at the threshold of a prophetic prayer movement, the harbinger of a new season. But hear me: you must get beyond your prophetic hurt and disillusionment and contend for the pure prophetic to come forth in your life and stewardship.
The Living Sacrifices
We are approaching a critical threshold in the unfolding conflict of redemptive history, and at every threshold a sacrifice must be made. At this threshold, IT IS TIME FOR THE LIVING SACRIFICES TO COME FORTH!
Romans 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.
Who May Ascend?
Before we can yield and before we can wield, we must ascend. Jeremiah could only answer the question “What do you see?” because he had been brought into a place where the LORD was speaking to him, and every true prophetic word begins in that place, in His presence, before it is ever released from our mouths.
Psalm 24:3 Who may ascend into the hill of the LORD? Or who may stand in His holy place? 4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, nor sworn deceitfully. 5 He shall receive blessing from the LORD, and righteousness from the God of his salvation. 6 This is Jacob, the generation of those who seek Him, who seek Your face.
This is the generation the LORD is raising up in this hour, the generation that seeks His FACE and not merely His hand, a people who ascend in worship and prayer until they stand in His counsel, see what He sees, and hear what He is saying, and only then come down to release it in the earth.
What I Am Saying — And What I Am Not Saying
I firmly believe that if we watch with the LORD, what He desires to bring forth can manifest without unnecessary delay. I am NOT saying it will happen after 90 days the morning of January 11th! Nor am I saying it’s only going to happen with us who are watching with the LORD these 3 months.
The LORD has His watchmen throughout the earth, and He will use ALL those who stand in His counsel, hear His Word, and faithfully release what He is saying. As Psalm 103:20 declares, His angels excel in strength, doing His Word and heeding the voice of His Word, and one Word from His mouth in our mouth can unsheathe angelic swords!
But please hear me. I’m not courting you through prophetic manipulation to enter another prophetic prayer program. I’m not attempting to stir up God’s people into prophetic hype, and I’m definitely not asking you to manufacture prophetic declarations!
The Urgency Of This Hour
I’ve been feeling the FEAR OF THE LORD concerning the urgency of this hour and the vital importance of an authoritative prayer movement coming forth. The future of our nation, our regions, our families, and our God-ordained destinies hangs in the balance.
The Body of Christ has always been called to wield the sword of Kingdom governance while submitting to Christ’s authority and wholeheartedly serving His purpose. When God’s covenant people abandon that responsibility, the consequences extend far beyond personal spiritual decline: societies deteriorate, covenant fidelity is compromised, and spiritual adultery opens the door to captivity.
James 4:4 You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. (ESV)
The Sword That Produces Fruit
Wow! The Apostle James cuts directly to the cause of apostasy within the Church. Jesus continually wielded the sword of truth, cutting away the false comforts that hinder the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, from fully possessing His people, and He told us plainly what the sword produces when we yield to it:
John 12:24 Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. 25 Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. (ESV)
That is the living sacrifice. The grain of wheat that falls into the ground is the rod that lies all night before the ark, looking dead to everyone around it, until God makes it bud, blossom, and bear much fruit.
Some will say, “Oh, Ed has a religious spirit. I thought he was a prophet?” But these passages are not given merely to condemn. They are the very SWORD OF THE LORD to which we must YIELD if we truly desire to WIELD the authoritative sword of the Kingdom, the sword that comes to cut away everything that hinders the fullness of His governmental Word from manifesting through His people.
Shaped by Culture or Shaping Culture
Remember: if you are shaped by time and space, you cannot shift time and space, and if you are shaped by culture, you cannot shift culture! That is exactly what Paul meant when he wrote, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Romans 12:2). The LORD is preparing a people who will steward Kingdom Words, words that release divine assignments and call His angelic hosts into action according to His will.
Can the Father Entrust You with His Sword?
Prophetic governmental prayer and proclamation are not about earning salvation; they concern the faithful release of Kingdom authority. Our salvation rests in the finished work of Jesus Christ and His shed blood, but releasing Heaven’s purposes into the earth requires faithfully stewarding what the Father has already entrusted to us.
The Daggers of Injustice
Can Father GOD trust you with an authoritative sword of LIGHT coming out of your mouth? Remember, how you steward the daggers of injustice in your back determines whether He can trust you with an unsheathed sword of light coming out of your mouth. Injustice is an opportunity to become a SON OF JUSTICE by loving your enemies and praying for those who have stabbed you in the back.
If we are not truly plumb in the unconditional love of God, our governmental authority becomes limited. God, in His mercy, may still use us, but we limit what He desires to accomplish through us because the sword we are called to wield must first accomplish its work within us.
Moving from Houses of Consumer Christianity To Houses of Divine Governance
The Church in America has become excellent at holding services and creating an atmosphere where seekers can come to know the LORD, and that has value.
But in becoming so service-focused, we have often lost sight of the LORD’s words: “My house shall be called a house of prayer” (Matthew 21:13). We have forgotten how to pray corporately AND NOT STOP UNTIL HEAVEN INVADES AND THE ATMOSPHERE SHIFTS!
Intercessors, Not Accusers
Because of the misuse and abuse of the prophetic over the past decade, many have given up on the prophetic expression of Christianity altogether, and I understand why, but I refuse to give up on anyone because the Father never has given up on you or me! Instead of being Accusers of the brethren, let’s be like our Great High Priest and become INTERCESSORS of the brethren (Hebrews 7:25).
Let’s take these 90 days to prophesy to the dry bones of Christianity and drop the plumb line of the Word of the Lord into the prophetic camps and prophetically summon them, along with ourselves to true sonship and maturity. Mature sons of God can emerge only when we recover the eternal worldview of the first-century apostolic Church.
The Eternal Worldview
The eternal worldview is the bedrock of authentic apostolic and prophetic Christianity. This is how the first apostolic generation endured tremendous hardship and remained unmoved; they could confront and transform their culture because they refused to be conformed to it.
Unfortunately, many within the Body of Christ do not understand the importance of authoritative prophetic prayer. This is not prophesying what we want or desire.
It is ASCENDING IN WORSHIP AND PRAYER, STANDING IN THE COUNSEL OF GOD, AND DECLARING WHAT THE LORD OF HEAVEN AND EARTH IS SPEAKING!
I’m not merely talking about quoting verses from the Bible, although all true prophetic revelation must agree with the written Word. I’m speaking of the living, present-tense Word of the LORD, proceeding from His counsel and coming forth from our mouths like a double-edged sword.
Beware of Soul Prophecy!
Some in prophetic circles have visions and see many things, but I worry we may be interpreting what we see through more than 1,700 years of cultural mixture rather than through Scripture’s ancient plumb line and its Hebraic foundations.
Jeremiah 23:16 Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you. They make you worthless; they speak a vision of their own heart, not from the mouth of the LORD. 18 For who has stood in the counsel of the LORD, and has perceived and heard His word? Who has marked His word and heard it?
We are not called to prophesy what we think should happen. We must guard against allowing our own desires, frustrations, ambitions, or disappointments to masquerade as the voice of the LORD. We are called to simply say what HE IS SAYING, and the question is whether we will.
The Sweet and Bitter Scroll
Ezekiel 3 and Revelation 10 contain striking prophetic parallels. Both Ezekiel and the Apostle John are given a scroll to eat, and it is sweet as honey in the mouth, but the prophetic commission carries a weight that must be borne, and in John’s experience the scroll becomes bitter in his stomach. Receiving the Word is one thing; being responsible for speaking that Word, even when the earth does not want to hear it, is another! This is the burden of Jeremiah’s ministry.
Will we become a JEREMIAH GENERATION, establishing places where Heaven’s counsel connects to the earth? Or will we remain content with getting to Heaven someday while pursuing a comfortable life during our brief stay on earth?
The Unsheathed Sword of The LORD
I believe the sword of the LORD is coming to confront more than 1,700 years of cultural mixture that has hindered the royal priesthood from walking in the fullness of its calling, coronation, and crowned authority. We must YIELD to the LORD’s sword and let Him cut away our traditions, faulty interpretations, and unbiblical worldviews.
The LORD is confronting not only false prophetic words but also wrong interpretations and applications of genuine prophetic promises. Some of us heard correctly but applied it incorrectly. We thought it would happen one way, in one particular season, with certain people involved, but the Father is bringing forth what HE WANTS, not merely what we imagined, and we must let Him!
That is why we must return to Jeremiah’s posture: “LORD, what do You see?” We must ASCEND into His counsel and YIELD to His sword, and then, and only then, can we faithfully WIELD the Word He places in our mouths.
Wielding from Rest
And we wield it from rest, not from striving. “For we who have believed do enter that rest… although the works were finished from the foundation of the world” (Hebrews 4:3). We are not straining to make the Word happen but simply releasing what the Father has already finished in His counsel, which is why one Word from His mouth in our mouth is enough.
The rod of the almond tree is announcing a new season. The LORD is watching over His Word to bring it to pass, and the only question left is whether we will become a people who watch with Him.
Prophetic Question — What Must You Yield?
What is the Father placing beneath the edge of His sword during these ninety days?
Let the sword cut away prophetic disappointment, wounded expectation, cultural mixture, unforgiveness, or a cherished interpretation of His promises that are causing hope deferred.
And what living Word has the Father entrusted to you that you must now contend for in faith, without compromise, manipulation, or fear of man? Paul charged Timothy to wage the good warfare “according to the prophecies previously made concerning you” (1 Timothy 1:18). Which prophecies over your life have you laid down that you need to pick back up?
Are you willing to YIELD to His sword so that you can be trusted to WIELD His Word?
Prophetic Prayer — Lord, Search Me and Send Me
Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, I present myself before You as a living sacrifice. Search me, O God! Let the sword of Your Word penetrate every hidden place of my heart. Cut away every mixture, every false expectation, every wound of injustice, and every interpretation that has not proceeded from Your counsel.
I refuse to be shaped by the culture of this age when You have called me to carry the authority of the age to come! Restore the fear of the LORD in my heart. Deliver me from the fear of man, the seduction of prophetic recognition, and the temptation to speak what You have not spoken.
Bring me up into Your counsel. Open my ears to hear, my eyes to see, and my heart to understand. Father, let the rod of Your choosing bud, blossom, and bear fruit in my generation! Raise up Your royal priesthood. Awaken Your watchmen. Restore the altar of corporate intercession and establish houses of divine governance throughout the earth.
And when You place Your Word in my mouth, mantle me with courage, purity, and authority to release it faithfully. Let Your Kingdom come and Your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven! In the mighty name of Jesus Christ (Yeshua Messiah). Amen!
Prophetic Declaration: I Will Ascend, Yield, and Wield!
I DECLARE:
I am not called to echo the culture of this age; I am called to be transformed by the eternal Word of the living God and thunder His Living Voice!
I will ASCEND the hill of the LORD in worship and prayer and seek His face and His counsel!
I will YIELD to the unsheathed sword of His Word, allowing Him to cut away every mixture, every offense, and every false expectation!
I will WIELD only what the Father has entrusted to me. I will not manufacture revelation, manipulate outcomes, or speak from the desires of my own soul.
I will not allow prophetic disappointment to silence my voice or injustice to poison my heart.
I will stand as a watchman, anchored in covenant fidelity, clothed in the righteousness of Christ, and governed by the fear of the LORD.
THE ROD WILL BUD! THE BLOSSOMS WILL COME FORTH! AND THE FRUIT OF HIS ETERNAL PURPOSE WILL BE MANIFESTED!
I declare that the LORD is watching over His Word to perform it!
I WILL ASCEND! I WILL YIELD! AND BY HIS GRACE, I WILL WIELD THE SWORD OF THE LORD!
In Jesus’ mighty name. Amen.
#Jeremiah111 #AscendYieldWield #TheAlmondRod