Prophetic Word: The Year of the Watchmen

In September of 2018, God began to speak to me concerning the year 2019 out of Isaiah 56 where God begins to rebuke the watchmen of Israel for their failure in fulfilling their assignment to the nation. I believe that in 2019, God has revealed to me that He is going to begin to deal with the watchmen (prophets, leaders and intercessors) who are failing their assignments in their various nations of the earth. Starting in verse nine through 11 in Isaiah 56, God levies 10 indictments on the watchmen in Israel. He says:

All you beasts of the field, all you beasts in the forest, come to devour. His watchmen are blind; they all are ignorant; they all are dumb dogs, unable to bark; sleepers lying down, who love to slumber. They are greedy dogs which can never have enough, and they are shepherds who cannot understand; they all turn to their own way, every one for his gain, from his territory.

The 10 Indictments

1. The watchmen are blind.
2. The watchmen know nothing.
3. The watchmen are dumb dogs unable to bark.
4. The watchmen are dreamers lying down.
5. The watchmen love to slumber.
6. The watchmen are greedy dogs.
7. The watchmen are never satisfied.
8. The watchmen are shepherds without understanding.
9. The watchmen have turned to their own way.
10. The watchmen enjoy unjust gain.

Isaiah invites the beasts of the field to come and devour the land because the watchmen have not fulfilled their assignments. In this time in history, large watchtowers were placed overlooking the fields in Israel. In the seasons when the crops ripened toward harvest, men would stand watch, guarding the fields from animals or from thieves who would steal the crops. With the town’s primary food source at stake, the watchmen’s role was critical. It was even necessary for survival!

Isaiah ends chapter 56 with this: “Come,” they [the watchmen] say, “let us get wine, and let us fill ourselves with strong drink; and tomorrow shall be as today, only more so.” The watchmen in Israel had completely abandoned their calling to the point where they had now become instruments of evil. In an hour where they were needed for the protection and survival of a nation, they were drowning in compromise and wickedness. However according to Isaiah 21, the watchmen were apparently alert, awake, and fulfilling their calling in years past. Verse 8 says, “O Lord, I stand continually on the watchtower in the daytime, and I am stationed at my guard post every night.”

The Watchmen in 2019

I believe God is coming to confront His watchmen, leaders and intercessors in 2019 in the nations of the earth with a serious rebuke and stern warning. God says to the watchmen,

“Your nations are being ravaged by evil, many of your churches have become compromised beyond measure, some of your marriages and even your children are suffering because you refuse to cry aloud and spare not. Have I not called you to warn the people?” says the Lord. “Have I not called you to warn of impending disaster if My people do not repent and turn to Me? Why have you chosen to remain silent when I have placed fire within your bones to trumpet My Words with My heart? Where has the conviction gone in the hearts of My watchmen?

“They have failed to station themselves on My wall, but I say to you that I am granting another opportunity to climb upon the wall. Climb upon the wall of your families! Climb upon the walls of your churches! Climb upon the walls of your nations! Yes! There is a call to the wall in 2019!

“My watchmen must rise and speak forth My words to the people without compromise. They must wake up from their slumber and put away their drunkenness. The harvest is at stake,” says your God. “If the watchmen do not begin to sound the alarm in the nations of the earth, the harvest of souls that I desire to bring to the earth will greatly suffer.”

Three Watchmen Calls in 2019

There are three specific watchmen calls that I believe God is going to highlight in 2019. They are as follows:

1. Families

One of the primary issues God wants to address in 2019 is the systematic breakdown of marriages and families. God told me that He is specifically addressing fathers and challenging them to get on the wall of their families and become men of prayer. Fathers have a priestly function in their homes and must provide a safe covering for their families.

God also specifically spoke to me that He was going to confront video game addiction in families in 2019. In a recent series of prophetic dreams, I saw the spirit of perversion fellowshipping with the spirit of entertainment.

I saw millions of people specifically playing video games and as they did, demonic forces would enter into their home. God showed me that the spirits of lust, pornography and suicide can all be directly connected to addiction to video games.

I believe God is sounding the alarm to parents who are allowing their kids to spend hours and hours a day playing video games. They could be possibly opening themselves and the home up to perversion and suicidal thoughts. I saw depression trying to overtake this generation and its connected to a love for entertainment.

The average age of a video game user is 35 years old. We not only have an epidemic of children and teenagers addicted to video games, but we have a generation of young fathers and husbands addicted to video games. Satan is stealing the eyes and imaginations of a generation through the video game industry and baptizing many of them into lust, pornography and depression.

2. The Education System

In 2019, we are going to see an incredible watchman anointing coming upon teachers in the education system. God said to me, “Christian teachers in the education system are going to become more strategic than pastors in churches.” I saw Christian teachers beginning to take dominion and authority over their classrooms and schools like never before.

There is deep darkness raging in the earth right now concerning our children. God showed me that we are going to see several attempts at mass shootings in the education system thwarted and exposed by watchmen praying before they can materialize in 2019. There will even be Christian parents whom God will stir to go into their children’s classrooms as hidden agents of change to decree light and revival into the atmosphere in 2019.

3. Churches

God said to me that we are going to witness an unusual prophetic anointing come upon pastors in 2019. Amos 7:15 says, “But the Lord took me away from the flock, and the Lord said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to My people Israel.'” Unusual prophetic utterance will overtake many pastors who are faithfully shepherding the flock of God. A watchmen anointing is coming upon the shepherds in 2019.

God even began to show me a new wineskin that is forming in the church and the great conflict it will bring to many. I’m convinced from what has been made known to me by the Spirit of God that many church leaders who refuse to drop the microphone and get off a stage to learn how to actively mother and father the generations will become obsolete in the days ahead, “obsolete” meaning “out of date.” Churches shutting down. No longer effective and bearing-fruit type obsolete.

The “old wineskin” in the church is currently trembling because the saints are over the one-man, ministry-does-all model. They are looking for fathers and mothers who are willing to roll up their sleeves and do life with them. They don’t care much about the sermons anymore. They are actually looking for church leaders to model a healthy marriage and what it looks like for your kids to serve the Lord with everything in them.

The old wineskin in the church is confused because the saints can see through and recognize fake more than ever before. The days of plastic smiles and worshipping platform ministry are over. The living room in people’s homes is now becoming the main attraction and focus. The saints are going to be taught and learn how to steward the presence of God in their homes before they ever try to welcome Him in a church service.

My heart aches and groans for so many church leaders in America (especially those in their 50s and 60s) who are set on continuing to do a model of church that has become obsolete. It worked back in the day, but those days are over. I continue to meet church leaders across the world who are completely disconnected from the hunger rising in the generations in the earth. As one church leader in his early 60s recently told me, “The problem with the current hunger in this generation is that they want intimate relationship, which requires too much out of church leaders. In my day, the people were satisfied with coming and watching us minister. Now the people actually want to get involved; it’s too bad.” (I actually wept right in front of him.)

As someone who interacts with hundreds of church leaders, I can assure you that this is not an isolated incident. I’m prophesying to you that thousands of church leaders in America are on the ropes, not sure if they can even keep going, because they have failed to recognize the new wineskin that is forming in the church. The church leaders in the days ahead who will form the new wineskin that God will pour out the new wine into (whether they be 25 or 65 years old) will model and teach the following:

1. Drop the microphone.
   2. Get off the stage.
   3. Fire the armor bearers and entourage.
   4. Stop hiding in the Green Room.
   5. Be accessible and available to the people.
   6. Don’t ask people to do anything you won’t do.
   7. Father and mother through discipling.
   8. Be real and transparent. Share the mistakes.
   9. Value the prayer room over the platform.
   10. Don’t compromise the Word of God.
   11. Invite saints into your home and lifestyle.
   12. Empower and make room for others to lead.
   13. Train, equip and release.
   14. Multiplication and legacy are the standard.
   15. Humility brings honor, and pride repels saints.

Keep Your Eyes Open

Keep your eyes open as a strong watchmen anointing comes upon the body of Christ in 2019. We are going to see reformation, confrontation and warning take place specifically within families, the education system and the church. We must continue to pray and ask the Spirit of God how each one of us can be used to watch and be alert in the days we are living in! {eoa}

Jeremiah Johnson is a gifted teacher, prophet and author of multiple books. He travels extensively throughout the United States and abroad as a conference and guest speaker. Jeremiah has been a guest on Christian television and radio shows including The Jim Bakker Show, Sid Roth’s It’s Supernatural and “Ask Dr. Brown,” as well as on networks such as Daystar, TBN, and GodTV. For more information please visit jeremiahjohnson.tv. or check out the fivefold full-time school of ministry Jeremiah leads in Lakeland, Florida, called “Maranatha School of Ministry” at maranatha.school.