Shiloh, Israel
Shiloh is a tiny village in Israel, just a thirty minute drive north of Jerusalem. This town was the epicenter of worship on the earth during the period of the Judges, for about 369 years according to scholars. Why is this village important today?
Re-Digging Ancient Wells
The miracle of Shiloh is that the presence of God is still so strong there … it is hard to describe. I have made it a point to encourage people to visit Shiloh, along with asking people about their experiences while there. It has been neat to hear of others who describe something similar. Almost every person I know who has visited Shiloh felt a very, very strong presence of the Lord while at the tabernacle dig site. God is still there in a tangible and glorious presence. Shiloh is a hidden gem that the prophetic community globally will soon discover as an open heaven to go visit.
It seems the land has not been corrupted by various pagan landmarks, rituals, etc. If His presence had left Shiloh – due to crazy touristic shrines, pagan rituals, or curses (Jer 7:1-14) – then it would be apparent. Plenty of cities in Israel lack the tangible presence of the Lord. But why does He still seem to dwell in Shiloh? It seems Shiloh still has an unfulfilled purpose.
Of course, there is no place like Jerusalem! Yet Jerusalem, on this side of Yeshua’s return, feels like the best of the best – and the worst of the worst – simultaneously. In the midst of this love for both Shiloh and Jerusalem, there seems to be an end-time connection between these two ancient cities that are known for worship and the glory of the Lord.
There do seem to be “portals” between heaven on earth, like Jacob’s dream of the ladder from heaven to earth, that angels were using to ascend and descend (Gen 28:12). Some who have visited the island of Patmos (Rev 1:9), where John had his revelation, have described a similar presence of God that remains at Patmos today. Shiloh seems to be one of these portals.
After my first visit in 2009, I fell in love with Shiloh. We did not return again until 2013 … when this love was taken to a whole new level. A series of seven “signs” from 2013-2016 convinced me that the Lord was highlighting Shiloh to be a focus of our prayer and end time plans. Since that time, I have carried a burden for this tiny little village. What is God’s plan for Shiloh now and in the last days? After ten years of riding waves of excitement versus hesitancy, it seemed to be the right time to summarize my thoughts and experiences. Perhaps others will desire to help carry this burden.
When examining the spiritual history of a land, which is sometimes called “spiritual mapping,” the idea of revisiting ancient paths or wells is somewhat common. For example, when describing the history of Toward Jerusalem Council II, Peter Hocken summarized: “It became clear that just as the gospel went out to the nations from Jerusalem through Antioch, so the route back from the nations to Jerusalem had to go through Antioch.”[1] To Hocken, the ancient well of Antioch still matters, as does the ancient path.
Another example of an ancient path would be the Israelites trip into the Promised Land. The Israelites followed a path from Egypt to Sinai, around the Dead Sea, across the Jordan River, through Jericho and Gilgal, and eventually to Shiloh.
In the Israelites’ trip from Egypt to the Promised Land, Jerusalem was not immediately conquered. There was a lot of warfare that had to take place in other cities first. Yet as the Promised Land was slowly becoming a place of His habitation, city by city, then Jerusalem eventually became His dwelling place.
Around 2015, I saw a vision of a map of Egypt-Israel. In the vision, I was standing on Mt. Sinai (Arabian location), yet I could see Shiloh due to this map I was looking at. However, I did not see Shiloh in a straight line from Sinai to Shiloh as you would expect. Rather, I saw it through an “arc path” similar to how they Israelites left Arabia heading north to the Jordan River and then west into the Promised Land. So instead of seeing a straight line northwest, as you would expect, I saw Shiloh from the Arabian Mt. Sinai through an arc. I sensed the Lord saying, “There is something to this ancient path.”
If these cities (ancient wells) are visited afresh with the presence of the Lord, would that contribute toward opening up the heavenlies over Jerusalem to pave a way for His return? I believe that Shiloh is one of these ancient wells on this ancient path that will contribute toward breaking open the heavenlies over Jerusalem.
It is possible that the cities on this ancient path provide a blueprint of where we should be investing resources in order to pave a way for Jerusalem to again be established as the place He physically dwells. Perhaps this ancient Exodus path will be followed again in the last generation, re-digging these ancient wells.
Feel free to reach out if you are feeling a burden for this strategic city.
[1] Peter Hocken, “Toward Jerusalem Council II,” Journal of Pentecostal Theology, 16.1 (2007): 12.