Who Are the Parties

This is a case of good versus evil.

Every day, these two opposing forces slug it out inside the hearts and minds of people. Choices are made. Consequences can be personal or affect many people. Good choices spread love, happiness, and positive things. Evil choices lead to suffering and death of individuals — or tens of people. Occasionally, dark ideas spread like a virus and kill hundreds, thousands, and even millions of people.

Of course, good ideas can go viral too. Thank God for that.

If you don't believe this battle of good vs. evil is happening, watch the movie Schindler's List. The tears you shed at the end of the movie show your soul knows it's happening. Your tears celebrate when light breaks through the utter darkness of the Nazi holocaust.

Like Oscar Schindler, people are capable of heroic acts, self-sacrifice, and love. Unfortunately, people also choose hate, violence, murder, and war. The dark choices of humanity are well documented in history books.

When, Where and How the Dispute Takes Place

The evil inside too many human hearts and minds can be witnessed not only in history books, but also on the nightly news. Why does evil appear to be winning over good on earth? The Bible has an answer in its last book. The Book of Revelation, Chapter 12 tells the story of a spiritual war in the unseen world. This war, like the wars covered in history books, has leaders. The leader of the evil "dark side" is referred to as the devil or Satan, who commands legions of demons. Satan and his minions are opposed by God and his Son Jesus Christ — and an army of angels fighting for good.

According to Revelation 12, there was a war in heaven. An angelic being named Michael with his messengers defeated the dragon, known as the devil or Satan. The weapon used to defeat the dragon was "the blood of the lamb and his witnesses." In other words, the story of the suffering, sacrificial death, and resurrection of Jesus as told in the four Gospels defeated the dragon in heaven.

This war was won in heaven but not on earth. The dragon was thrown down to earth and is now enraged at his loss. Therefore, Satan now wages spiritual war by influencing the choices of humans in the seen, physical world.

Humans occupying positions of power on earth have been the low-hanging fruit for this darkness. Sexual deviance, corruption, exploitation, political violence, and wars throughout history are the evidence. The facts of this case will expose this darkness while showing you the light at the end of the tunnel.

Why We Should Win

Good wins in the end because God exists and He is love. If God's story in the Bible has not convinced you that good and love win, know that this fight leaves no human heart and mind behind without a struggle.

The presentation of facts starts with, and is centered around, the story of Jesus Christ.

Remember that Jesus, like Satan, also came to earth. Unlike Satan, who has never physically shown himself, Jesus did enter this world in the flesh. He was seen. His suffering, sacrificial death, and resurrection were witnessed.

In terms of impact on human history, the story of Jesus is the greatest ever told. You can read about it in the four Gospel accounts — but this project intends to make this love story more current. Just ask yourself: What if?

What if there is a unique, modern-day prophetic message that can help people choose love over darkness and evil?

What if there is scientific proof that this modern-day prophetic message is supernatural?

What if this modern-day prophetic message aligns with key scriptures about the return of Jesus such as Revelation 19?

Revelation 19 proclaims that a great invitation will be sent to a wedding in eternity between Jesus and all his people. The war between good and evil is over in heaven — so there is a victory celebration happening. Think of it as an epic, out-of-this-world wedding party.

You are invited. This book is your wedding invitation.

Why You Should Care

You should care about this case because the spiritual war between good and evil affects you and your family every day.

Have you wondered why there need to be mass shooter drills at schools? It's because we can't totally control bad — sometimes even evil — human thoughts. The human mind is a battlefield.

This book will also make a compelling case for life after death.

Do mass shooters who kill tens of people before killing themselves believe in life after death? No. They are betting everything that the lights go out and there is nothing after death.

The Great Invitation aims to convince people there is life after death and that what you do on earth matters in the afterlife. That's how we win battles in human minds and save lives.

How You Can Help Us Win

The Great Invitation is a witness of Jesus. In the Bible, a witness requires at least two people. So your help is needed to spread the word.

In addition to the wedding in Revelation 19, another important event happens. Heaven opens and the wedding party suddenly changes to a war. It's an event like the end of The Lord of the Rings when the ring of power is destroyed.

Jesus appears in the clouds on a white horse with an army of angels. He comes with a sword in his mouth, wearing a robe dipped in blood. Does that mean you will physically look in the sky someday and see Jesus on a white horse? No. His title is The Word of God — which tells you to think symbolically. The sword in Jesus' mouth is the STORY of his suffering, death, and resurrection. The Passion story. The Easter story.

The symbolism here confirms what Revelation 12 shows: God used the Passion story in heaven to defeat evil. The Great Invitation intends to bring the Passion story back in a big, new, and completely unexpected way to earth.

In this modern-day prophetic experience, The Passion of the Christ (2004) IS the sword coming out of Jesus' mouth.

Are you a fan of Titanic? Country music? A Swiftie? A baseball, basketball, hockey, or football fan? A "woke" liberal? A MAGA conservative?

There will be something for everyone. And that's all that can be promised.

To borrow from the late great Meat Loaf: I will do anything for love, but I can't do that.

Could this project someday become that Lord of the Rings moment on earth when evil is finally knocked flat? That's the goal. And you can help.

If you like what you read and experience here, tell your friends and family. If enough people spread the word about The Great Invitation, the IMAX 3D experience will be coming to a theater near you. Could it be the "big event?" If it fits, you must submit.

Revelation Roadmap

Before moving on to the presentation of facts, for transparency sake, here is my approach to navigating Revelation.

First, I will be humble. The truth is that my interpretation of Revelation, like any, is based on human thoughts and opinions. The author could be wrong. This is a creative and theological attempt — and he is fully aware that some will see it exactly that way.

Despite an imperfect human messenger, the goal is to support every claim with knowable facts. And most important, the interpretation of Revelation will reflect Jesus' love for his followers and for those who don't know him yet.

I admit to "cherry picking" messages and themes in Revelation that fit this case for a witness of Jesus. But if you think about it, this is exactly what early Christians did with the Old Testament prophetic books. They cherry-picked scriptures that matched the description of a suffering messiah who died for sins. They happened to find a lot of cherries. There are over 300 Christ prophecies in the Old Testament. The best example is Isaiah 53:

There are four commonly accepted but very different approaches to the interpretation of the prophecies in Revelation:

• Futurist: Every event in Revelation is going to happen in the future.
• Historicist: Some events in Revelation have happened while others are going to happen.
• Preterist: Every event in Revelation already happened in the past.
• Idealist: No events from Revelation ever happen. Everything is symbolic.

The Great Invitation aligns mostly with the Preterist view. It also uses some Idealist views. Revelation is NOT a blueprint for the literal course of future events. Instead, its message should be interpreted in the context of its original first-century audience.

Regardless of its ancient context, Revelation is very relevant to current events and personal choices. The scary judgements in Revelation are meant to warn of eternal consequences for taking the wrong side in the great spiritual battle between good and evil on earth.

The core message of Revelation is that your beliefs and choices matter. There will be a day of rewards and judgement when you die. So choose love now.

The end of any story is the most important part.

Outline of John's visions

Revelation will not be stepped through sequentially here. The approach is from the perspective of this modern-day prophetic experience — The Great Invitation.

The Great Invitation started on April 10, 2009. It was the author's 10th wedding anniversary and Good Friday. The author documented, at that time through words and actions, a belief that a personal experience was supernatural. Like all prophetic experiences, it was documented first, then fulfilled on a later date: Friday, December 14, 2012. This was 1,344 days after the author's initial Good Friday prophetic experience. See Daniel 12 about a specific prophetic waiting period.

On that date, the tragic shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School shocked the nation. The Great Invitation intends to turn this tragedy into a love story.

A tragedy turned into a love story. That's God's sweet spot. Isn't that exactly what the Passion story is?

After December 2012, thanks to the internet, it was discovered that historic events — starting in 70 AD and going forward to the year 2020 — share the prophetic dates that created the Great Invitation. These are the events that will serve as starting points for exploring John's prophetic visions in Revelation.

While you witness the historic events and date connections, know that you are witnessing evidence in a trial of good vs. evil. The goal is that, as these events are tied to themes and messages from Revelation, you will see God's fingerprints and footprints clearly.

John's prophetic visions became the last book in the Bible because they address the problem of evil and the nature of hope. That is the essence of Revelation this project intends to explore.

WWJD: What Would Jesus Do… If He Returned

What would Jesus do if he returned to earth? Would he give a great speech at a huge rally? How big would the crowd be?

Where would Jesus give his second coming speech? The biggest stadiums? The U.S. Capitol? The British House of Commons? YouTube? Instagram? TikTok?

What would Jesus say? Would his speech include any of his red letter quotes from the New Testament? Would it be political? Liberal or conservative?

What would Jesus wear? A robe? A business suit? Maybe a 1970s hippie look to honor his appearance in the hit Broadway play Jesus Christ Superstar.

How would you know this Jesus guy isn't a good actor playing Jesus? How many people would believe a man giving a speech who looks and dresses like Jesus IS the real Jesus who has finally returned?

Most important — what could Jesus possibly do or say on earth that would be a better story than the last 12 hours of his life, death, and resurrection? It's kind of like trying to write a sequel to Mel Gibson's 2004 blockbuster. Tough act to follow.

What If

What if the return of Jesus is something totally unexpected?

The Jews living in Roman-occupied Jerusalem while Jesus was alive expected a ruling messiah who would free them and judge their occupiers. They thought they had seen evidence of this ruling messiah in their holy scriptures. The messiah turned out to be a suffering messiah — something completely different.

Given the wrong predictions about the first coming, shouldn't you question commonly held predictions about the second coming? Shouldn't you expect the unexpected?

What if Jesus returned at a theater near you? You could also see this Jesus on your home theater screen or personal phone. This would be unexpected, wouldn't it?

Two Jesus Dreamers

You wouldn't expect the 1985 People Magazine "Sexiest Man Alive" to have problems. But Mel Gibson wasn't comfortable with his sudden fame and fortune. He said at the time, "It's all happening too fast."

From an outsider's perspective, Gibson had it all. But he realized that "it all" left him feeling empty. In the early 90s, he had a spiritual awakening. Being Catholic, he ran across The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ According to the Meditations of Anne Catherine Emmerich. Anne Catherine was an early 19th century Catholic Saint who experienced visions of Christ's passion — the Easter story.

Anne Catherine's Jesus dream became the box office hit The Passion of the Christ in 2004. Gibson co-wrote the screenplay and directed the film. The Passion covers the final 12 hours before Jesus Christ's death — beginning with the Garden of Gethsemane, continuing through the betrayal of Judas, the brutal scourging by Roman soldiers, and the crucifixion, all seen through the eyes of his Mother Mary. The movie ends with a brief depiction of the resurrection.

Gibson felt so strongly about his Jesus film that when Hollywood studios wouldn't finance it, he gambled 30 million dollars of his own money to get it made.

Prior to the release, Gibson sat down with Diane Sawyer on ABC's Primetime. Sawyer was dismissive of Gibson's bold claim that God ordained his film and helped him make it.

But what if there is evidence that Gibson's claim is true? What if you found out, for a fact, that God wanted The Passion of the Christ to be made for some big reason? What if God put his numeric signature on this film through a prophetic experience? What if this prophetic experience shows evidence of divine intervention in human events since the Bible was written?

Want to hear the evidence? Welcome to the virtual jury box.

Second Coming? No! Well, at Least for Now…

To be clear: the goal of The Great Invitation is NOT to create the second coming of Jesus with this book.

However, there will be speculation about possibilities that could happen after this book.

How many books have made you cry? How many movies have made you cry? If the God who created the universe has an urgent, prophetic message for humans today, would He want it limited to words on a page? Or would God like to see it on the big screen in IMAX 3D with digital surround sound?

My dream is that The Great Invitation becomes a movie.

Will that movie, if it happens, be the second coming? The best answer is: you will know it only when you see it.

Whether or not people believe the Great Invitation is the second coming of Jesus will depend on the experience and the evidence. The evidence is in this book. The experience will require two movies: The Passion of the Christ (2004) and The Great Invitation (Release Date TBD).

The truth is, the direction for this project has not been to pursue the second coming as the goal — though the hope is for a very, very big crowd to attend an epic wedding party in eternity.

Sometimes a small miracle is the seed for a big miracle. Think of this book as the planting of a mustard seed — another Jesus movie that gets more people to accept this Great Invitation.

The Great Invitation is doing what every Christian should do according to the Great Commission: sharing a witness of Jesus.

What Jesus Said About "IT"

This "what if" scenario isn't that crazy if you look at the most credible source for predictions about the second coming — Jesus himself. Those who believed false messiahs like David Koresh didn't pay attention to what Jesus said about his return in Matthew 24:

Jesus is saying: don't believe anyone who says here is the Messiah, there is the Messiah, or he's in a physical place. Don't bother looking for me anywhere physical. You won't find me.

Look for an appearance that can be seen simultaneously in multiple places — like lightning in the sky. Such an appearance happened when The Passion of the Christ was released in theaters on February 25, 2004. And hopefully when The Great Invitation makes its big screen debut.

If you find it unbelievable that the glorious appearance of Jesus could happen through movies, consider this: the first coming of Jesus would not have had a global impact if it wasn't a great story. There is disagreement among biblical scholars about what parts of the passion story are fact versus fiction. But there is no debate about this story's impact on human history.

And unlike an apparition in the sky — there is a STORY behind The Great Invitation.

The Final Exam

If the Jesus movie happens, there's one more idea in mind. A new law: to own a gun in America, you have to see the movie and pass a written exam afterward.

Gun enthusiasts — don't worry. The movie will be entertaining and the government will pick up the tab for your ticket. Uncle Sam will even buy you a large tub of popcorn and two beers. Also, this law will eliminate the need to restrict military-style weapons — because the movie will scare the bejesus out of anyone thinking of shooting another innocent human being.

The exam will be multiple choice and easy. There will be 12 questions. If you don't pass the first time, you see the movie again and the test will be 14 questions. The third test will be 20 questions. If you fail all three, no gun for you. Well, at least for a year.

Why 12, 14, and 20 questions? Because these three numbers are big parts of this prophetic experience.

How God Uses Numbers

Numbers are one big thing Christianity and science have in common.

In science, math is used to describe the universe. Ever heard of E=MC²? If you want to major in astrophysics, you better be good at solving mathematical equations.

Numbers in the Bible are not used with scientific precision. However, they are used symbolically.

You don't believe it? What's up with the number seven in the Bible? In Revelation 1, Jesus unravels the mystery of the seven stars in his hand and the seven golden lamp stands:

When numbers are repeatedly used throughout the Bible in certain ways, they take on significance above and beyond their numerical value. God's story starts with the seven days of creation. The number seven is used 52 times in Revelation. God's story begins and ends with the number seven — so seven represents completion or spiritual perfection.

If you think biblical numerology is "new age" religion, think about this. In Acts 1, the first thing the disciples did after Jesus ascended to heaven was meet to make a big decision: who would replace Judas as the twelfth disciple? Why not just go with eleven? Because there were 12 tribes of Israel in the Old Testament — their sacred scriptures. Therefore, the number 12 represented the People of God. Apparently, there had to be 12 disciples because some numbers matter to God.

Our Symbolic/Prophetic Numbers

This prophetic experience happened with five numbers. Here they are individually with some questions and answers.

8: The number representing Jesus and his mission on earth
What is the number of Jesus according to biblical numerology?
On what day after he was born was Jesus given his name? See Luke 2.
Biblical meaning of 8

9: The number representing judgment and finality
At what hour did Jesus die on the cross? See Mark 15.
What is the Jewish day of fasting to commemorate the destruction of the First and Second Temple in Jerusalem
How many concentric circles are in Dante's Inferno
Biblical meaning of 9

12: The number representing all God's people
What number represents God's People? See Genesis 49.
Biblical meaning of 12

14: The number representing the gift of salvation — and Jesus' connection to the Jewish Passover
What day of the month was the lamb sacrificed on the first Passover? See Exodus 12.
How does the New Testament start? See Matthew 1.
Biblical meaning of 14

20: The number representing expectation and a sacred waiting period
How many years did Rebekah and Isaac wait before their child Jacob was born? See Genesis 25.
Biblical meaning of 20

Here are some Easter bunnies to go with those eggs:

The Book of Revelation multiplies symbolic numbers for meaning. In Revelation 7, the 12 tribes of Israel each have 12,000 people — so 12 × 12,000 = 144,000 is a symbol for all of God's People.

In The Great Invitation, 9 × 8 = 72 symbolizes Finality/Judgement (9) and Jesus (8). Jesus judges because he loves. He judges because he wants you to choose love.

Since 8 is the number of Jesus, you can also think of this wedding invitation as the GR8 INVITATION.

The number 72 is significant in many religions.

12-14-20 together represent the choice of love and light — through a wedding invitation — or the choice of darkness and evil resulting in unnecessary human tragedy, pain, and loss.

Connect the Dots!

So far in this prophetic experience there are five numbers. They will be revealed piece by piece — like working a good jigsaw puzzle.

One piece: these numbers were picked by dates — September 8th, December 14th, and December 20th. Months translate to numbers: 9/8, 12/14, and 12/20.

Primarily it is 9/8 and 12/14 that will connect most of the dots. The 20 will come into play by itself as you will see.

Another useful hint: these numbers were first picked using birth and marriage dates. They were then validated as prophetic on 12/14/2012 — the date of the Sandy Hook Elementary School mass shooting. So they represent the three sacred experiences in a human life: birth, marriage, and death.

I believe these numbers have been at work in the world for longer than I can fully explain. The goal has been to allow Jesus' story to be retold around these prophetic numbers — in ways that required human decisions I couldn't control, but that nonetheless produced something remarkable.

For you, the reader, The Great Invitation will be an exercise in pattern matching — connecting the dots.

Many times the "dots" will involve birth dates and death dates. Mostly matching by day and month. But sometimes one of the five sacred numbers will show up in a year as well. On occasion they may appear in other ways — event dates being most common, or anywhere numbers are used and human decisions are required.

To make it easier to connect the dots, big hits will be highlighted in bold and underlined. Small hits will just be bolded.

The goal is to prove non-randomness with these date and number synchronicities.

If the reappearing dates and numbers don't get your attention, ask yourself this: why do you and your loved ones celebrate birthdays? It's just a date, right?

Please keep reading even if you still don't care about the prophetic numbers. There is a guarantee you will learn interesting things about history, movies, music, and sports — and get a solid introduction to the Book of Revelation.

A Challenge for Rocket Boy

These number synchronicities and their meanings represent a unique prophetic experience. The test of whether or not this is true comes down to repeatability. If, in the future, no person or artificial intelligence can replicate what has been done with the Bible — or any other book for that matter — then this experience must be supernatural.

Hey Musk, this one's for you. You still haven't come close to what 12 men did starting in 1969. The smartphone in your pocket is millions of times more powerful than Apollo 11's guidance computers. And you are stuck in near-earth orbit for how many years? Brilliant rocket and computer scientists working for you — and this is the result?

If you ever get bored with toy rockets, there's a new project with your name on it.

Does God exist, and if so, does He intervene in human events to help humanity evolve morally and spiritually? That's an important question for an atheist. A smart man like you should be able to replicate these number synchronicities, right?

Here's a start: pick five two-digit numbers that match up with two or three dates. Build a simple search engine to look for events on these dates. Find a book that uses those numbers symbolically — you can't use the Bible, though. The good numbers are taken. Then weave all your events together to tell the story of your chosen book.

Want to give it a whirl? Don't you have an AI company? Hand the challenge off to the machine and let's find out who the boss is.

It's kind of remarkable that this prophecy happened at a time when artificial intelligence can help prove that God exists. That way, humanity might have a chance to morally evolve — and save itself from the dystopian future that AI, freed from ethical constraints, will otherwise unleash.

If Rocket Boy Musk, or nobody else including AI, can replicate what has been done here — then The Great Invitation is a scientifically verified miracle.

As sportscaster Al Michaels said at the end of the movie Miracle about the 1980 USA Olympic Hockey Team's "Miracle on Ice":

The Main Event

The dreamer was the Catholic mystic, Marian visionary, and stigmatic Anne Catherine Emmerich. She grew up in a small farming village in Germany, was born in 1774, and lived for 49 years. She was beatified by the Catholic Church as a saint on October 3, 2004. She is most famous for her detailed visions of the events leading to and after the crucifixion of Jesus — what Christians call "The Passion Week."

Her fame increased when Mel Gibson used her vision, documented in The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ, as the primary source material for The Passion of the Christ. The Gospels leave out many details of the passion event, so Gibson filled them in directly from Anne Catherine's Jesus dream.

After The Passion opened in theaters in February 2004, stories were told about strange, miraculous happenings. Criminals turned themselves in to the police after seeing the film. Jim Caviezel, the actor who played Jesus, was struck by lightning on the movie set in Rome.

This incident caught my attention. In Matthew 24, Jesus — after warning his followers not to believe people claiming to be the messiah — said: "As lightning flashes in the East and shines to the West, so it will be when the Son of Man comes."

So I bought several books about The Passion of the Christ — its artistry and its biblical and theological backdrop. In one, an academic book from Purdue University Press, an essay by Penny Wheeler details the inspiration for the film and how Anne Catherine Emmerich's visions were documented in writing.

A German romantic poet, Clemens Brentano, had heard reports from the Catholic Church about a woman who bore the wounds of Christ — the stigmata. He also heard she had visions of life in first-century Jerusalem through the eyes of the Virgin Mary. Over time, Brentano believed Emmerich to be a "chosen Bride of Christ."

When Brentano met Anne Catherine, they connected on a deep spiritual level. It turns out they shared the same birthday — September 8th (9/8).

Have you ever met someone and found out you shared the same birthday? Clemens Brentano went on to document and publish Anne Catherine Emmerich's visions as The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ in 1833. Did her Jesus dream get published only because of this September 8th birthday coincidence? Or maybe Brentano was inspired by the fact that September 8th is Marymas — traditionally celebrated as a Catholic feast day to recognize the Virgin Mary's birthday.

September 8th means something personal to this project. The author's firstborn brother David and his wife's firstborn sister Mary share the same birthday — September 8th (9/8). Mary and David are the two best biblical names one could pick to tie this 9/8 coincidence to The Passion of the Christ.

These personal experiences are shared because they are THE REASON the date coincidences in the Great Invitation were found. Even if you take the personal experiences out, the date-matching synchronicities are still remarkable. But they would never have been found unless this started as a personal, prophetic experience.

Matthew 7 supports this:

The Open Door to Jerusalem

Jerusalem is the most holy city on earth. It's the place where God communicates with man — the only city that exists both on earth and in heaven (the New Jerusalem). And it is the place where a Day of Judgement is to happen at the end of time.

All three monotheistic religions have their roots in Jerusalem. For Christians, it is the city where Christ died and was resurrected. Before Jesus died, he gave his most famous speech there on the Mount of Olives — what theologians call the Olivet Discourse. In it, Jesus predicts that the second temple in Jerusalem, as well as the city, will be destroyed within a generation.

This apocalyptic prophecy was fulfilled 40 years later — one generation — in 70 AD when the Roman army led by General Titus destroyed the holy temple.

According to Josephus, the Jewish historian who documented this event in detail, the holy city of Jerusalem fell on September 8th (9/8), 70 AD.

The Olivet Discourse is in Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21. The earliest Gospel, Mark, is dated prior to 70 AD — so this apocalyptic prophecy was written down before Jerusalem was destroyed.

One view of end times prophecy — the Preterist view — holds that Jesus returned spiritually with the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. According to this view, the spiritual Jesus and the New Jerusalem arrived in 70 AD and is here now, as the Gospel message continues to spread throughout the world.

The New Jerusalem is described in Revelation 21 and Revelation 22. The number 12 is used to describe it: 12 gates guarded by 12 angels, 12 foundation stones with the names of the 12 apostles. The walls around the New Jerusalem are 144 cubits thick — which translates to 72 yards.

If you visit Rome today, you can see the Arch of Titus dedicated to the sacking of Jerusalem in 70 AD. The gold taken from the second temple in Jerusalem financed the building of the Roman Colosseum, which started construction in 72 AD. Today in the Colosseum, there is a giant cross to honor the Christian martyrs who died there to entertain Roman citizens.

Martyrdom of a Shaker

In Revelation 6, after the four horsemen of the apocalypse are unleashed, the fifth seal is opened with a haunting question to God from Christian martyrs: How long before you judge those responsible for our deaths?

The answer is not what they wanted to hear. They are given a white robe and told to wait longer.

Brides wear white because it's a symbol of purity. Nobody was more pure than the United Society of Believers in Christ's Second Appearing — known as the Shakers. The founder was Mother Ann Lee.

Mother Ann was born in 1736 in Manchester, England. She worked in a cotton mill during the early industrial revolution. Her father forced her to marry a local blacksmith named Abraham in 1761. Ann's attempt at starting a family ended in tragedy four times — she lost all four children during infancy. These traumatic experiences led her to develop radical religious convictions about sexual purity.

The Shakers were different from the Quakers, the sect they grew out of, in their pursuit of celibacy — a belief that eventually resulted in their extinction.

In England, Mother Ann became well known for preaching the imminent second coming of Christ. Like Anne Catherine Emmerich, she had many visionary experiences of Christ and received messages from God. What landed her in trouble was the way she and her followers would purify themselves from sin — with a unique confession involving dancing, shouting, and shaking uncontrollably. This is how they became "the Shakers."

Other religious people witnessing this found it blasphemous. Mother Ann and her early followers were repeatedly persecuted and imprisoned in Manchester. It was while in prison that Mother Ann formulated her belief that Christ would return in female form. When she shared this with her followers, they formed the belief that she was Christ returned in female form — a belief reinforced when followers witnessed her miraculously healing people.

She had other spiritual gifts. Once she escaped persecution by speaking for four hours in 72 tongues while being interrogated by four clergymen.

The persecution she and her followers experienced in England, along with a new vision from God, led them to seek a new life in America. She headed west with 8 followers — including her husband Abraham. After miraculously surviving a near shipwreck, they arrived in New York in 1774. Abraham didn't last long in America. He soon disappeared. The guess is that it had something to do with the celibacy.

So the Shaker community in America, like Noah's family after the flood, started with 8 people.

Mother Ann and her seven Shaker followers would eventually grow a unique religious movement that spread as far west as Kentucky. At its peak in the mid-1800s there were up to 4,000 Shaker believers living in 18 different communities. Despite their celibacy, they grew due to the Second Great Awakening. They are known today for their simple living, architecture, technical innovation, music, and furniture design.

Mother Ann was not able to escape persecution in America either. The Shakers became targets of mob violence — not only because of their strange religious beliefs, but because in Revolutionary America their pacifism was interpreted as treason. Mother Ann suffered violence more than once at the hands of angry mobs. As a result, she became very frail and died prematurely due to serious injuries suffered in these attacks.

This is a woman who was spiritually gifted like Jesus, radically followed Jesus' teachings, spread the Gospel message to thousands, and suffered and died prematurely because of it. A case of extreme Christian martyrdom.

Mother Ann Lee, founder of the Shakers — United Society of Believers in Christ's Second Appearing, who was "the appearing" to her followers — died at the age of 48 on September 8th (9/8), 1784.

Jesus as the Root of David

This prophecy started with the author's brother whose name is David and the birthday coincidence with his sister-in-law Mary (9/8). David is a big piece of the puzzle because, according to the Bible, Jesus is the root of David — not the author's brother, but the biblical King David.

Genealogy is important to God. The New Testament starts in Matthew 1 with the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah:

• 14 generations from Abraham to David
• 14 generations from David to the Babylonian exile
• 14 generations from the Babylonian exile to the Messiah

King David is in the middle of this series of 14 generations because of the messianic expectation of first-century Jews. They expected a conquering king like King David. So it's no accident that the Jewish author of Matthew starts his witness of Jesus by telling his readers that Jesus is directly related to King David.

The Book of Revelation's author is also Jewish. He twice refers to Jesus' family connection with King David, at critical points in the book.

In Revelation 5, an angel asks who is worthy to open a mysterious scroll held by the one sitting on a throne. No one is worthy, so John weeps bitterly. But one of the twenty-four elders tells him to stop weeping — the heir to David's throne has won the victory already. He alone is worthy. John looks again and sees a Lamb who has been slaughtered, now standing on the throne. The crucified and risen Jesus. The Jesus you can witness in The Passion of the Christ.

In Revelation 22, twice in the chapter the voice of Jesus tells us: "Look! I am coming soon!" Then Jesus says he is both the source of David and the heir to his throne. And:

David the Biblical Superstar

The flag of the nation of Israel is white with a large blue six-sided star — the Star of David.

King David is a biblical superstar for the Jewish people. Before the holy city became Jerusalem, it was the City of David — because King David and his men captured Jerusalem from the Jebusites and made it the capital of a united Israel. David then brought the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem.

Do you remember the Ark from Raiders of the Lost Ark starring Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones? The Ark that, at the end of the film, electrocuted the evil Nazis who tried to possess it? Yeah, that Ark.

David is best known for the most famous underdog story in human history: David vs. Goliath in 1 Samuel 17. The youngest of 8 sons, before David was a king he was a meager shepherd boy. Goliath was a nine-foot-tall giant warrior from the Philistines.

After Goliath challenged the Israelites to one-on-one combat, David stepped forward and said "choose me!" His brothers laughed. King Saul laughed. But David persisted — and you already know how it ends. It's legend.

Prior to David's miraculous defeat of Goliath, the prophet Samuel had told Jesse that David would be the next king of Israel. After David killed Goliath, King Saul grew jealous of his epic victory and tried to have David killed — but David escaped with help from Saul's son Jonathan. When Saul and Jonathan both died in battle, David became King, as prophesied.

Men in power are popular with women. David had 8 wives. His last was Bathsheba, whom he spotted bathing on her roof. David had her husband killed by sending him to war. But as God often does, He turns a lemon into lemonade. Bathsheba gave David a son named Solomon — who became the next King of Israel and built the first temple in Jerusalem that David envisioned.

Despite some serious moral problems in his story, David was a man of destiny in ancient Israel.

Old Testament prophets predicted that the Messiah had to come from the lineage of David. Isaiah 4, Isaiah 11, and Isaiah 53 all refer to a branch that will grow from the stem of Jesse — righteous, accomplishing what David and all his successors failed. Even when the nation of Israel was cut down, this holy branch would still find a way to grow from seemingly dead roots.

Witness of David

Michelangelo's Statue of David is THE masterpiece of the Renaissance era. The marble sculpture is seventeen feet tall. You can see David today at the Galleria dell'Accademia in Florence, Italy.

Originally, the Statue of David was commissioned to be one of several prophets displayed on the roof of the Florence Cathedral. However, David represented the underdog from the David and Goliath story to the people of Florence. In the early 16th century, Florence was a Republic threatened on all sides by rival states including the Medici family in Rome.

It was "decided" that Michelangelo's David should be at the seat of civic government in Florence, in the Piazza della Signoria, where it was unveiled on September 8th (9/8), 1504.

The eyes of David are staring east at Rome — a warning glare at the "Goliath-like" powers that threatened the smaller Florence Republic.

David stares down the Roman Empire — the destroyers of the holy city Jerusalem in 70 AD, as Jesus said would happen. And more importantly, David glares at the executioners and torturers of Jesus in The Passion of the Christ.

Are you seeing any order yet in these prophetic events? The Great Invitation is just getting started.

Remember watching that group dance scene in Saturday Night Fever? That's the feeling we are going for inside your brain as your synapses fire every time you witness another Great Invitation synchronicity.

It's time to get your dancing shoes. Let's rock.

David and Jesus: Biblical Rock Stars

Beside their family lineage in the Bible, Jesus and King David have another thing in common. They are both rock stars.

According to 1 Samuel 16, David never would have slain Goliath if he hadn't been a biblical rock star. Of course, there were no electric guitars in ancient Israel — but David had a reputation as a talented harp player in Bethlehem.

Prior to the epic battle, King Saul was told by his servants that music would help heal his troubled soul. One of his servants must have attended a David harp concert because he told Saul that one of Jesse's sons rocked on the harp. Saul asked Jesse if David would come play for him. David played his harp for Saul and healed his soul. If not for his harp skills, David would have tended to his sheep instead of becoming a war hero.

There is also biblical evidence that David was a songwriter. His tunes can be found in the Book of Psalms — many of the 146 chapters could be interpreted as "for David," "dedicated to David," or written "by David."

There is no biblical evidence of Jesus rocking out while he was alive — but he certainly rocked after he died. Jesus Christ Superstar was a hit rock opera in the 1970s. By 1980 it had grossed more than $237 million worldwide. The play ran for 8 years in London starting in 1972 — the longest running play on London's West End until Cats in 1989. The popularity resulted in a Hollywood film released in 1973.

The most well-known song is thought-provoking given this project. Here is a sample of the lyrics from "Superstar," performed by the Judas character:

🎸 Touch or click here to sing it with us!

Jesus Christ Superstar still runs in playhouses across the world. It could come back even stronger very soon.

Revelation Rocks!

Jesus may not have performed any songs in the Gospel accounts, but he is the main character in a biblical musical — the Book of Revelation. John's apocalypse is teeming with songs. It is by far the most musical book in the New Testament.

A musical play like Jesus Christ Superstar moves the plot forward with songs. That's exactly what the Book of Revelation does. Two songs are explicitly labeled as such in the text: the "new song" in 5:9–10, and the "song of Moses and of the Lamb" in 15:3–4. Others are clearly songs even if they aren't labeled:

• The "Holy, Holy, Holy" hymn of the living creatures and song of the elders — Revelation 4
• The praises of the angelic hosts and every living creature — Revelation 5
• Another song of the elders — Revelation 7
• Proclamation that the Accuser has been thrown down — Revelation 12
• "Just are you, O Holy one" refrain — Revelation 15
• The final Hallelujahs of heaven — Revelation 19

These songs hold the main narrative portion of Revelation (chapters 4-21) together and show up at key turning points throughout the story as John's visions unfold.

Musical Magic

Do you have a favorite rock concert? Was there a moment when the crowd all knew the words to a song and the lead singer urged everyone to sing it together?

🎸 Touch or click here to sing it with us!

This is exactly what makes God happy. It's one big reason why God loves music so much — music brings people together.

Don't forget: the number that represents God's People is 12.

In the 2019 movie A Star is Born, in one of the final scenes, a character talks about a memory:

In music theory, the 12 notes are organized in sequence illustrated in the form of a circle — the circle of fifths.

The famous Carter family, pioneers in country music, weren't referring to the circle of fifths when they wrote their hit Will the Circle Be Unbroken. But with the number 12 "People of God" coincidence, the chorus seems to carry a greater meaning:

🎸 Touch or click here to sing it with us!

Will the Circle Be Unbroken is featured throughout Ken Burns' classic 8-part documentary on Country Music. The last episode ends with this song playing in the background. The last words from bluegrass legend Marty Stuart perfectly summarize the feeling of country music:

Music City Miracles

Country music is uniquely American. One of the original four inductees into the Country Music Hall of Fame was Jimmie Rodgers — the father of country music. He is known for his rhythmic yodeling. His nickname was the "Singing Brakeman" because of his work as a railroad train brakeman. In addition to his huge country music impact, Rodgers was a contributor to the growth of blues music in its early 1900s infancy — the blues eventually evolved into rock and roll.

Jimmie Rodgers, father of country music, died in 1933. His birthday was September 8th (9/8).

The first female inductee into the Country Music Hall of Fame was Patsy Cline — who even has her own museum in Nashville. Cline was famous for popularizing country music. In her 8-year recording career she had several hits. Among them was I Fall to Pieces. Eerily, she suffered a serious car accident right after its release — but returned with her hit song Crazy.

Patsy Cline, mother of popular country music, died tragically in 1962 in a plane crash. Her birthday was also September 8th (9/8).

On October 1, 2017, the country music world was grieving a mass shooting at the Harvest music festival in Las Vegas. A man armed with automatic rifles opened fire on country music fans from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay hotel. Jason Aldean was onstage at the time. Fifty-eight people died that day. Two more died of their injuries later. It remains the deadliest mass shooting in American history.

In November of 2017, the Country Music Awards featured a tribute to the victims. Carrie Underwood performed Alan Jackson's Softly and Tenderly:

🎸 Touch or click here to sing it with us!

It was an emotional show that night. Eddie Montgomery from Montgomery Gentry was joined by Rascal Flatts and Dierks Bentley to perform the Montgomery Gentry hit My Town. Eddie needed help because he had lost his bandmate Troy Gentry in a tragic helicopter crash. Troy Gentry died on September 8th (9/8), 2017.

🎸 Touch or click here to sing it with us!

Taylor the Dragon Slayer

Speaking of weddings and love — the 2023 Person of the Year showed the power of music to bring love to the masses. Taylor Alison Swift took up the guitar at age 12 and by 14 started writing songs. Her family witnessed her magical musical gift first. Her father moved the original Swifties to Music City in 2004 — the year of The Passion of the Christ — where Taylor started making connections, building song bridges, and crashing through walls.

What is it about Taylor Swift (2006) that so many people loved so much in 2023?

Is it that she is Fearless (2008) to Speak Now (2010) and tell the story of us — even the highs and lows? Is it the way Taylor shares her big Red (2012) heart through her songs and performances? Is it her romance with Travis Kelce who was also born in 1989? Is it Taylor's Reputation (2017) for fiercely defending women's rights? Or her Lover (2019) Miss Americana (2020) vibe? The Folklore (2020) of fairy tales — the magic that never ends after many many Midnights (2022)?

If you are a Swiftie, it's all of the above.

The Eras Tour concluded in Vancouver, British Columbia, on December 8, 2024. It spanned 5 continents and 149 shows — now the highest-grossing music concert tour in history.

The plan is to use the Queen of country and pop music to slay great beasts and dragons that lurk within people who walk among us. It's never the people in the fight. The battle is against the negative, toxic thoughts that spread like viruses in your world — sometimes materializing into violence and death.

That's why she's called:

Now she has a message from Jesus:

Karma is a guy on the screen (Jesus returned) coming straight home to me!

🎸 Touch or click here to sing it with us!

Taylor Swift was born on 12/13/1989. One day short of the target date. Her parents were married on February 20, 1988. Their baby girl was named after singer-songwriter James Taylor (born March 12, 1948).

The numbers 12, 14, 20, 8, and 9 are all in Taylor's story. All five sacred numbers covered.

Music Marries Sports

In the 2023-24 NFL season, Taylor Swift and the NFL's Travis Kelce arranged a marriage between music and sports at the perfect time in America.

The Kansas City Chiefs started the season badly. In September, Taylor Swift started attending Chiefs games and received lots of attention from TV cameras. Hardcore Chiefs fans noticed that Kelce was dropping too many passes. When the Chiefs lost to the Raiders at home on Christmas Day, many fans blamed the "Taylor curse."

Great sports stories usually involve a comeback. The Chiefs played just well enough to win the AFC West division. And in the playoffs, Travis and his Chiefs — with Taylor watching — were focused and fired up. They defeated the Dolphins at home, then upset the Bills and Ravens on the road to make it to Super Bowl LVIII.

Swifties noticed strange coincidences that went viral on social media:

• Super Bowl 58: 5+8=13
• 49ers: 4+9=13
• Game played on 2/11: 2+11=13
• Brock Purdy, 49ers QB, was #13
• Super Bowl 58 was Taylor Swift's 13th appearance at an NFL game since dating Travis Kelce

Einstein used E=MC² to describe his theory of relativity. Well, God used Super Bowl LVIII to describe his "relativity." It's all about love.

LoVe = Travis + Taylor + Swifties = III

After the fifth Super Bowl, the NFL decided not to use the year to name the event and instead use Roman numerals. Football is the closest thing to the Gladiator games in ancient Rome — a spectacle if ever there was one.

Remember what built the Colosseum in Rome (in 72 AD)? The spoils of victory when Rome conquered Jerusalem and looted all the gold from the Second Temple.

Who did the Chiefs lose to on Christmas Day? The Las Vegas Raiders — who moved to "Sin City" and now play in a new stadium nicknamed the Death Star, for its resemblance to the Star Wars home of villain Darth Vader. The Raiders' Death Star hosted Super Bowl LVIII. Is this not the perfect modern-day colosseum to stage The Great Invitation? In Revelation 19, a wedding invitation goes out — then a great spiritual war happens. Darth Vader doesn't end up victorious.

Are you not entertained?

Did you notice the victory t-shirt worn by Travis Kelce after the Chiefs made it to the Super Bowl? It said: AFC Champion Chiefs — All In. The 49ers had the same shirt with their logo. Because the goal is to get everyone ALL IN with Jesus.

Millions of Americans thought there was something strange — maybe even conspiratorial — about the Chiefs making it to the Super Bowl in the year of the Travis ❤️ Taylor romance. It is a conspiracy. A divine one.

What is it that wakes Taylor up in the middle of the night with a thought about a song? She gets out of bed, sits down at the piano, and hammers out those magical songs that become part of her story. And because Taylor's songs are about real things her fans experience — all the highs and lows, and how to be an overcomer — her fans become part of her story.

Travis Kelce reached out to Taylor via his podcast in the summer of 2023 after her show at Arrowhead Stadium in KC on 8 July. He wanted to give Taylor a friendship bracelet. The first sign they were dating was on 9/8 in New York City when Taylor was spotted wearing an opal pendant necklace — Travis's birthstone.

Taylor's 2012 album Red matches the Chiefs team color. Think that's an accident?

Through her timely NFL romance, Taylor Alison Swift has invited you into her own football fairy tale. Go back and read the Musical Magic section. The goal is to get Swifties to put a new number on their friendship bracelets. Hint: have you heard the Christmas carol 12 Days of Christmas? Start with Taylor's birthday and count forward one day at a time. Merry Christmas, Swifties.