PROPHETIC WORDS

A PROPHETIC PERSPECTIVE FOR 2023 & 2024

by Len Buttner

This prophetic word was given at the NZ Council of Prophets gathering in Christchurch, March 2023.

1. God is calling His people to a Deeper Place in the Spirit.

With every physical happening, there is a spiritual happening. This is also when God is doing a new thing with His people.

(Eph 4:13-15) “Till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ—"

a) Unity within the body of Christ. (v13)

A call to unity that we may be one as Jesus presented His relationship with the Father. Jesus prays that Christians would be united in the same way that He and the Father are united, that we might know this intimacy — and the interconnectedness — that Jesus, Himself, enjoys in the Trinity.

In the book of Acts the early Church were a strong and powerful community of humble, ordinary like-minded people who loved God with all their hearts. They gave us an example to follow, to walk in the ways of Jesus. We read in (Acts 1:14) “These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.”

b) A process in maturity. (v13)

The early Church was anointed and full of the Holy Spirit and they preached the Word of God with boldness and miracles, signs followed the preaching of the Word where thousands were saved and added to the Church. The Church was so united they turned their known world upside down for Jesus Christ.

c) Greater stability and harmony. (v14)

“Being of One Accord” is a dominant quality of New Testament leadership. Whenever the early Church leaders gathered in Jerusalem, it is said they were in unity and harmony, with each other and with God (Acts 2:46; 4:24; 5:12; 15: 25). Their agreement was spiritual and practical, not only theological, for they shared their lives and possessions. They met often to pray, revealing not only relationship with each other, but also their total reliance on God (Acts 2:42; 4:31; 12:5; 13:3).

d) Integrity. (v15)

This expresses the idea that love is the element in which truth is to be spoken and that truth is confessed. It is to further promote unity, and is expressed in productive involvement with the well-being and concern for society as a whole. We are acquiring a conditioning by love, a truth-seeking with kind tolerance— cementing brotherly love by walking in truth.

e) A new heart, and a new spirit in you.

God is affirming His love relationship with His people and with humanity. The emphasis is strongly in the gospel of good news. This prophecy in Ezekiel speaks of a new heart as we read in (Ezek 36:26-29 NLT) 26 “And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart, 27 And I will put my Spirit in you so that you will follow my decrees and be careful to obey my regulations 29 I will cleanse you of your filthy behaviour.”

The Holy Spirit is addressing the root cause of the problem: ‘Man’s stony, and stubborn heart’ being replaced by a ‘tender, responsive heart’. This prophecy is a work of the Holy Spirit being fulfilled now and into the future.

2. We see a Season of Judgment, Shaking as well as Blessing.

a) God is shaking us.

God is “shaking us until we awaken”. God always shakes the Church first, as He deals with the nations. These shakings are exposing wickedness, especially to do with children and the corruption within governmental and their responsibilities for the protection of children.

In (Hag 2:6-7) “For thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘Once more (it is a little while) I will shake heaven and earth, the sea and dry land; 7 and I will shake all nations, and they shall come to the Desire of All Nations, and I will fill this temple with glory,’ says the Lord of hosts.”

The call and invitation for us is to hear and to come to Jesus the “Desire of All Nations”. His “glory is being revealed” for the body of Christ. That glory that is in heaven will be as it is on the earth. As this nation’s shakes, many will come to know Christ amidst their captivity; the Lord is using this shaking to realign the nations with Him. The God of heaven is doing the shaking! The prophets appealed, as did the apostles, as did Jesus Christ, in conveying the Gospel message.

b) The cry of the Spirit is “Repent, therefore, and be converted.”

Peter proclaimed in (Acts 3:19-21 & 25) “Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, 20 and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before, 21 whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began. 25 You are sons of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘And in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

• A shaking of the Nations.

• Repent that a time of refreshing may come.

• So that the house of the Lord will be filled with His Glory.

3. The Healing of our Land

a) God is restoring hope for our nation.

There is a special grace from the Lord Jesus that is available to restore hope for our nation in that the people of the land become healed and honoured. A time for the apostles and prophets to affirm that our nation is to be restored from all the atrocities and from the shedding of innocent blood. Our prayers are that the Lord will have mercy upon the nation at this time and pour forth His healing power over the people of Aotearoa. We denounce the spirit of lawlessness around social injustice and the violence that has caused so much suffering of the vulnerable and disadvantaged. We cry out against the rampant violence and the spirit of death over families. We petition You almighty God to show us grace and mercy. “.. for I know that You are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, One who relents from doing harm.” (Jonah 4:2).

b) Pray and seek His face.

The Word of the Lord to me is about a spiritual drought, the locusts and the pestilence that is devouring the land. The remedy is outlined in this Scripture: (2 Chron 7:13-15) “When I shut up heaven and there is no rain, or command the locusts to devour the land, or send pestilence among My people, 14 if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. 15 Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to prayer made in this place.”

Our divided and hurting land is in deep need of God’s divine healing. The counsel I hear from the Holy Spirit is let us have a genuine time of repentance from evil and a real commitment to do good. Let us have real godly affection for one another, as between brothers and sisters, and a willingness to honour one another. When trials come endure them patiently and steadfastly maintain the habit of prayer. … Don’t curse, but bless. … Live in harmony with one another. Do not pay back a bad turn with a bad turn”. As far as our responsibility goes, live at peace with everyone, never take vengeance into your own hands, stand back, and let God punish if He will… The Lord’s Watchmen are urged to continue to lift their voices, and to cry aloud; their voices will be heard by the Lord.

“The Lord has made bare His holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God” (Isa 52:7-10).

4. A Time to enter Revival in the Nation.

a) A holy habitation in the nation.

I see the reign and the outpouring of Holy Spirit on “New Zealand” – a pouring out of the Holy Spirit and a losing of the shackles of the spirit of witchcraft that has caused a spiritual drought. The sound of the Holy Spirit is in the wind over the land, a calling to those who are hungry and thirsty (Matt 5:6). A people hungry for seeking His Face and His manifest Presence. We declare that the God of “New Zealand” will stir the passion and boldness in His people, a deeper cry for God’s Holy habitation to reign over the land. The promised outpouring is in (Acts 2:16-17) “But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:17 ‘And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, that I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your young men shall see visions, your old men shall dream dreams.”

b) An outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

Like abundant rain on tender plants, like your prophet (Hos 6:1) cried: “Come let us return to the Lord restore us that we may live in your presence.” So we acknowledge the Lord, we press on to know Him and to be known by Him. Lord Your promise is that You will come unto us as the latter and former reign that waters the earth, as your servant declared that we sow for ourselves righteousness, grace, and mercy. Break the fellow ground, it is time to seek the Lord while He may be found. Lord, we ask for the reign of Your Spirit. Lord, You make the storm clouds and the showers of Your Spirit over the people of Aotearoa. Let the storm clouds gather, let Your reign descend upon us, Lord Jesus.

5. Prophets are warning because the Covenant between God and the Nation is violated.

a) That the fear of God returns, and we tremble at God’s Word once again.

God is speaking to us: “For our God is a consuming fire.” (Heb 12:29). The fire will be used as a form of judgment and purification with a refining of the body of Christ during this time. A time of holy reverential fear, as we approach God with great awe and reverence.

This Scripture challenges all idolatry: (Deut 4:23-24) “Take heed to yourselves, lest you forget the covenant of the Lord your God which He made with you and make for yourselves a carved image in the form of anything which the Lord your God has forbidden you. 24 For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.”

There is a warning to all leaders in public office – both civic and church – a prophetic warning to not disregard the Word of God. Today, God continues to warn the nation and the world at large of coming calamities. Because of our destructive lifestyle choices, we continue to despise the Word of God. As God speaks through His Word, He continues to speak today: (Jer 7:28) “So you shall say to them, ‘This is a nation that does not obey the voice of the LORD their God nor receive correction. Truth has perished and has been cut off from their mouth.”

The responsibility of a prophets is to deliver the word of truth and warn the nation and to cry aloud warning society of their transgressions. As in (Isa 58:1) “Cry aloud, spare not; Lift up your voice like a trumpet; Tell My people their transgression, And the house of Jacob their sins.” A greater commitment to obedience is being called for by Holy Spirit as we read in (John 14:21) “He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest [reveal] Myself to him.”

Yes, a time to "SHINE and to BREAK FORTH”, to become an instrument and channel that radiates Christ's presence. A lifestyle that will bring GLORIFY TO GOD (Isa 60:1).

6. Famine and Food Shortages

a) Sign of the end of the age.

As Jesus spoke to His disciples and to His Church: “What will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?” He listed several specific events that would become obvious on the world scene: “wars and rumours of wars” … “famines, pestilences” [disease epidemics], and “earthquakes in various places” (Matt 24:3-7).

In Revelation John the Apostle prophesied about the Four Horsemen coming just before Christ’s return. These times would be marked by wars (a red horse) widespread food shortages, hunger (a black horse). And in addition, excessive violence, and disease that will claim the lives of one quarter of the world’s population (Rev 6:1-8).

Jesus referred to these increasingly severe global catastrophes as “the beginning of sorrows” (Matt 24:8). These times that will precede even greater calamities that will strike rebellious nations of the earth. We are in a sobering prophetic era of extraordinary events, that include weather-related events, that will announce that the return of Jesus Christ is at hand.

b) If the LORD is God, follow Him.

Before revival there will be an awaking, but also an awareness of the coming captivities that are unavoidable and the prophetic indicators are that we have entered 7 years of a global reset.

We, as God’s people, have wavered between to two option’s; there is a duplicity of options on the earth and in the Church. As we read in (1 Kings 18:21) Elijah challenged the people and (the prophets are challenging us today) “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.”

Because we have opened the door to the spirit of witchcraft to come into our nation, it is dividing us. God is warning us that we need to get our house in order, that we are not to be double minded or stiffed necked, that we are to follow the Lord with our whole hearts.

7. An Onward Fight to Reveal the Truth.

God’s Word of righteousness will always direct and distinguish between good and evil, and even more so now, with a clear sound the truth has been made known. The empowering work of the Holy Spirit will emphasise ‘The Truth’, which is highly valued by God as an integral part of a life of integrity and faithfulness to Him as a people.

The nation is called to…

• Beseech the Lord our God as never before (2 Chron 7:14)

• Seek the Face of God

• Believe for God’s promised blessing over the nation

• Believe for a greater discernment to understanding the strategy of the enemy

• Pull down the strongholds of our current age

• Speak the truth in love.

8. The Lord is preparing for Himself a Glorious Church.

The Glorious Church will be marked by the manifest Presence of God. (Eph 5:26-27) “That He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, 27 that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.”

This is a time that we, the Church, focus on relationships within the Church. Christ, as the Bridegroom, is preparing His Bride and will "present the church to Himself in magnificent splendour". The sanctification work of the Holy Spirit is building us into a holy people in preparation for Christ's return. God desires that we come before Him with “clean hands and a pure heart” (Psa 24:4). The Church is to stand before Him in triumph and, as Believers, to appear before Him without any marks or imperfections. As on the wedding day a bride seeks to look radiant for her husband (Christ), the Church will be a holy Church, a blameless and radiant bride. We are called to qualify and grow “to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” (Eph. 4:13).

9. New Zealand extreme Weather events 2023/24/25.

New Zealand will continue to experience extreme weather conditions—massive flooding, hurricanes, cyclones, and typhoons. This will have a major effect upon the farming, roading, and housing in many regions, with flooding that will challenge us, both in the North and South Island and surrounding nations. And this in turn will have a major financial burden on the nation’s financial resources.

10. New Zealand Government

Prophetically God is saying to us to keep our eyes on Him and His government and "His kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven,” God’s Word clearly reveals that He is all-powerful and sovereign, and the government is on His shoulders and His Word confirms this: (Isa 46:10) "Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done, Saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure," and in (Isa 9:6).

Our political system does not acknowledge the opinions of a large majority of people, and it does not allow for the voices of the righteousness to be heard, or to bring meaningful change within our society. The belief that the church may even have something of true value to offer — heaven forbid! New Zealand is becoming a nation that is deeply divided, from wounds of old, where there is very little honour for the many different cultural voices to be heard in the land, and a true lack of kindness and compassion.

11. Ukraine and Russia

The West will do all possible to prevent Russia from winning this war. With their display of unqualified pride, many of the nations involved in this war will force an increased war footing for a Third World war, a real threat to world peace. The price in the West is that we will pay a huge financial burden, as more nations rise against each other, while the price for the Ukrainians will be paid in blood and the destruction of their nation.

BIO