"If My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land" (2 Chron: 7:14).
There is a mystery hidden within this picture that remarkably takes Jesus' story of the prodigal son from an ancient parable to a modern miracle. Once unveiled, it's like witnessing the leap in technology from analog to digital—it's transformative! You're about to see how this classic redemption story takes a new turn. You'll also discover that the Author of all creation is the only one who could have digitally encoded a message into this miraculous sequel. While the events have been updated, the heart of this age-old parable still remains the same. It hasn't changed one bit!
The story starts at the very beginning, in the book of Genesis, when God created the heavens and the earth. On the sixth day of creation, He said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness" (Genesis 1:26). Male and female, He created them—Adam and his wife, Eve. Tragically, His perfect image bearers soon took a turn for the worse. They were deceived by following the advice of that crafty serpent, called the devil and Satan. The first couple sinned against God by doubting His Word and disobeying His command not to eat the fruit of the tree that stood in the middle of the garden.
Now, instead of perfectly reflecting like mirrors—the brightness and glory of God—they were ashamed and turned away from the Lord by hiding themselves among the trees when they heard the sound of His footsteps. They were afraid because their eyes had been opened, and they realized they were naked. Innocence had been lost; the knowledge of good and evil had been gained, and death was the penalty for their sin. They were supposed to have lived forever.
From dust, they were made, and to dust, they would return. Their fate is our fate. Their sin is now our sin nature. Their death became our demise—a generational inheritance where the very ground we live and toil on is cursed. Paradise was lost. We live in a world that was once called very good, but now it is a distorted reflection of what it should be. Everything seems to have been turned around backward, where many call evil good and good evil, who turn darkness to light and light to darkness. We live in a fallen world of separation, where we too have turned away from God, just as the prodigal son turned away from his father. How, then, can we ever turn back and live?
I made a bold statement about this picture in my last post titled, Oh, it's You! I claimed that what you're looking at is the gospel in symbolic form, as shown to me by the Holy Spirit during my near-death experience (NDE). It is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes. How the Holy Spirit incredibly takes these obscure symbols and translates them into the gospel will not only prove His identity but also demonstrate that His message means good news!
When the Holy Spirit told me to "Look and remember" during my NDE, it was then that I first noticed in the corner of my bedroom the illuminated face of a digital clock turning towards me. The time on the clock was 11:21 a.m. It looked just as it does in the picture, with the clock sitting on top of what looked like a computer hard drive. There was nothing else in the corner except five to six feet of empty dark space underneath. You must be wondering by now how a turning clock could ever translate into the beginning of the gospel. It remarkably, amazingly, and miraculously does! There are several clues to discover, but to unlock the mystery and meaning of this first symbol, we need to look at the word "turning"—since that's precisely what the clock was doing.
When Jesus began to preach the gospel, he said, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matthew 4:17). He also said, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel" (Mark 1:15). The first word of the gospel is "repent." Biblically, it means an about-face turn away from sin, away from evil, and making a (180-degree) turn back to God. It's to think differently—like a change of mind—with regret or remorse. This is precisely what the prodigal son did when he came to his senses. It's an admission of guilt for having sinned, followed by regret and accompanied by a determination to completely change direction. Here is the part of the original prodigal son story that shows his repentance and how he eventually returns to his father.
The father divided his wealth at the request of his youngest son and gave him his share of the estate. "And not many days later, the younger son gathered everything together and went on a journey into a distant country, and there he squandered his estate with loose living. Now when he had spent everything, a severe famine occurred in that country, and he began to be in need. And he went and attached himself to one of the citizens of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he was longing to fill his stomach with the pods that the swine were eating, and no one was giving anything to him. But when he came to his senses, he said, 'How many of my father's hired men have more than enough bread, but I am dying here with hunger! I will get up and go to my father, and will say to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in your sight; I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me as one of your hired men'" (Luke 15:13-19).
"And he got up and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him, and felt compassion for him, and ran and embraced him, and kissed him. And the son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.' But the father said to his slaves, 'Quickly bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet; and bring the fattened calf, kill it, and let us eat and be merry; for this son of mine was dead, and has come to life again; he was lost, and has been found.' And they began to be merry" (Luke 15:20-24).
In attempting to make the case for the turning clock's symbolic connection to the first word of the Gospel, all we really have at this point is nothing more than a clock that's turning. There is no case! At least, not yet. Let's keep adding facts and see if there is enough to build a case that will stand. The next fact is almost literally staring you in the face. The clock has a face—even if it's only a digital clock face. It's also illuminated, or better yet, radiant! It shines. It's similar to "when Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the covenant law in his hand, he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the Lord" (Exodus 34:29).
The full story and meaning of the illuminated face will have to wait for a later post, but it's absolutely incredible. At least for now, we can imagine that the clock face, similar to the radiant face of Moses, renders it more relatable and human. It's now easier to imagine how symbolically similar the clock face is to the prodigal son's about-face turnaround when he finally came to his senses, repents, and returns to his father. The turning clock face, just like the prodigal son, both undergo an about-face.
This same about-face turning is depicted in these two profile pictures. The top photo shows the prodigal son facing left before he repents. The bottom picture is a reverse mirror image where he is now facing right—it's a complete 180-degree turnaround, symbolizing repentance and turning. But, still, a turning clock face is nothing more than a turning clock face. How can it ever truly represent the first word of the gospel?
Take another look at the two pictures and notice that I've also included the turning clock. Look closely at what happens to the 11:21 digital clock number in the top picture when it's reversed. It then becomes 15:11 in the bottom picture. This 15:11 represents the exact chapter and verse corresponding to the beginning of the prodigal son story in the book of Luke. These two digital numbers, 11:21 and 15:11, are mirror images of each other—they are the digital combination that unlocks the mystery that explains how the turning clock represents repentance.
The numbers are miraculously encoded and embedded within the ancient Hebrew language, which was used to write the majority of the Bible. This was made possible because each letter of the Hebrew alphabet also has a numeric value. This technically means that each word also has a numerical value. The two words that correspond to the numbers 1511 and 1121 are listed in Strong's Hebrew Lexicon.
The word matching the number 1511 is "Gizriy." The outline of Biblical usage lists the Gezrites, who were inhabitants of Gezer, as equal to "a piece: a portion (as cut off)." In 1 Samuel 27:8, it says, "David and his men went up and raided the Geshurites and the Gezrites and the Amalekites; for they were the inhabitants of the land from ancient times, as you come to Shur even as far as the land of Egypt. And David attacked the land and did not leave a man or woman alive." The Gezrites symbolize a piece or a portion that is cut off, signifying separation or being severed. The number 1511 conveys the idea of being "cut off."
The first Biblical use of the term "cut off" occurs after all mankind had been destroyed by the great flood, except for Noah and his family. When the waters subsided and the Ark rested on dry ground, God spoke to Noah and his sons. He said, "And I establish My covenant with you; and all flesh shall never again be cut off by the water of the flood, neither shall there again be a flood to destroy the earth" (Genesis 9:11). The meaning of "to be cut off" couldn't be clearer for either the Gezrites or the people living in the days of Noah. It was a death sentence for unrepentant sin. It was God's judgement for not turning away from their wickedness, evil, and corruption, and turning in repentance back to God.
With the digital clock facing the dark corner, it represents the prodigal son in spiritual darkness before repenting. He is cut off, which is shown as the number 1511. He is dead in his sins. This is why his father could say that his son was dead and lost. He hadn't yet turned his life around. He hadn't repented. I started this blog with the three In this Corner...I'm the Menace posts to show that no matter what bad things we've done or how very good we've all tried to be, we all deserve to be in the corner. "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). But the clock was turning. So too does the prodigal son repent and turn. There is hope! Something extraordinary is about to happen. This remarkable turn for the better is best explained by the apostle Paul in his letter to the Ephesians.
"And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places, in Christ Jesus, in order that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus" (Ephesians 2:1-10).
When Jesus began to preach the gospel, he said, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matthew 4:17). We now know that to repent is to turn by a change of mind. What happens when the prodigal son repents? He returns to his father, who then says, "...For this son of mine was dead, and has come to life again; he was lost, and has been found." This is cause for a joyful reunion, and they began to be merry. Imagine again the about-face turn from left to right of the profile pictures. What happens when the symbolic representation of the prodigal son makes a 180-degree mirror image turn? The clock face turns from 15:11 (cut off) to 11:21. If 15:11 means to be cut off, what then does 11:21 mean?
According to Strong's Hebrew Lexicon, the word matching the number 1121 is Ben. In Hebrew, the word Ben actually means "son." Think about how amazing this is! The illuminated clock face is symbolically turning in repentance away from sin. It's turning away from the dark corner, turning away from spiritual darkness, turning away from being cut off (1511). When it does turn the corner with a 180-degree about-face turnaround, it is then recognized as a son (1121). The turning clock face is not only the symbolic representation of the prodigal son, but of the first word of the gospel—repent. If we too repent and turn the corner back to God, He says, "And: I will be a Father to you, and you will be My sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty" (2 Corinthians 6:18). "In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of God's angels over one sinner who repents" (Luke 15:10).
In my next post, I'll introduce another crucial piece of evidence that should result in a definitive conclusion and convince you beyond a reasonable doubt that the turning clock, as shown to me by the Holy Spirit, represents the first word of the gospel—repent. The clock also means so much more that will soon be unveiled and revealed. It's more than miraculous. It's more than wonderful. It's powerful! It's life changing! The evidence will soon become overwhelming!
Author and Messianic Jewish Pastor Jonathan Cahn had this to say about this type of evidence in his book, The Paradigm. "One could seek to explain away a few facts, but what we are about to open up will not be a matter of a few facts, or even several facts. It will be overwhelming in its scope, in its breadth, in its consistency, and in the magnitude of its details. It is something no human being could have orchestrated or woven together." God is putting together something amazing, you'll see!
I want to leave you with a special message about the corner. Turning the corner away from sin, away from spiritual darkness to light, from death to life, and turning to Christ in repentance and faith; you will discover that Jesus is in your corner, interceding for you. You have an advocate in your corner. He is the cornerstone. "For it stands in Scripture: 'See, I lay in Zion a stone, a chosen and precious cornerstone; and the one who believes in Him will never be put to shame'" (1 Peter 2:6). "But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8). Remember, Jesus is in your corner!
The next post titled The Return begins at:
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