Is the ‘Petrus Romanus’ prophecy of God? – continued

Posted on Tuesday, 26 March, 2013 by Richard Barker

John 17 records that, after praying for His first disciples, Jesus asked His Father,

“I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me…”

It’s fitting for us to bear that prayer request in mind as we continue our conversation on the new Pope Francis and the alleged Malachy prophecies of the Popes.:

As we get a fresh Cuppa I introduce a friend who’d joined us at the start of our chat. Bill’s an itinerant preacher, teacher and author (of Feasting on The Father). We met years ago at a weekend’s worship and fellowship in Portsmouth for those blessed by the Toronto Refreshing, or associated with the Toronto Airport fellowship. ln turn, I introduce Kenny, who convened our chat, as well as a regular contributor to my blog, Tony from Tucson.

Bill and I have kept in touch and he admits to not being a great ‘end times’ follower. He tells us his priority is to,

“…follow the desire of my heart to go into all the world and disciple the nations. To see the church of which Jesus is the Head, grow in the reality of righteousness and holy, joyful separation from the spirit of this age and world. To see us become more blatantly passionate pursuers of King Jesus, passionate lovers and servants of one another and healers of a broken, fear-filled world. From this, I believe, will come the unfolding of the end times, however that unpacks.”

“Yes agreed,” I reply, “Along with many others I believe the worldwide Church is moving fully into doing the greater works Jesus indicated; and in our becoming ‘Sons of God’ at the same time persecutions intensify. We can’t be too literal and precise in dating end-times but simply watch for the signs, as Jesus said. [Luke 21:36]

“We both know many within the Roman church who are truly born-again, faithful lovers and followers of Jesus. Unlike a number of non-Catholics I’m not against Rome, the Papacy or its new …”

“My spirit,” interjects Bill, “Registers that despite all the man-made stuff, this beautiful, compassionate man is of God for this time, and I pray he grows in demonstrating the reality of the Gospel before the eyes of the world”.

“Amen!” we all say…

Kenny adds, “In your first mention of Pope Francis, Richard, you blogged about having read of this Roman Catholic prophecy in your ‘old life’. Tell us more!”

“Well I must admit,” I reply, “That and some other things have put me in a bit of a spot – an unusual one. And it could prove God wastes nothing in our lives, even our days as unbelievers. Everything gets redeemed. So here goes…

“In 1970s I read a book on the possibility of getting outside time. One chapter covered the Prophecies of the Popes, or visions that came to the Archbishop of Armagh, later canonised as St Malachy. If it were an accurate prophecy, I guessed it would place the reign of the pope sitting at the end of his list as being about 60 years in the future. So, I probably wouldn’t be alive at that time. BUT the future has arrived – much sooner than anticipated. Hence, my personal interest. Also, my experience brings some insights for you.

“For those who’ve just brought their first Cuppa, let’s briefly…

“Recap…

“The whole thread of posts about the new Pope was triggered by a friend’s email which gave the 12th alert about God doing a new thing. I had a mental image of God putting a piece of an invisible jigsaw into place. ‘Invisible Jigsaw’ was my blog’s original name! But that didn’t happen ’cause I couldn’t find, or create, a suitable graphic design.

“Having been ‘redirected’ from what I’d intended writing, I had a distinct sense this ‘new thing’ may be related to the change in popes. Furthermore, I wondered how it might apply to St Malachy’s mottos. Then whilst writing, an insight suggested the Roman catholic church is to be returned to Jesus’ original purpose – back to the blueprint! I had a sense, therefore, of a huge cycle but not returning to exactly what it was 1,980 years ago – more like a progressive spiral turn…

“So, what I was getting is radically different to anything sensationalist conspiracy or the doomsday merchants presume the Malachy prophecies mean. After writing that blog, I was amazed to immediately come across an analysis that lent some credence to my notion…and more stuff came to open up a broader perspective…”

Bill leans forward, “Nevertheless, the first thing that struck me about Shane Schaetzel’s piece was the ‘error of isolation’. His emphasis on it being a catholic word for catholics alone flies in the face of us being one body, one people, one building, one bride…”

“Yes, that’s so, but maybe the fire in a Catholic in the Ozarks is that of a relatively new, fervent convert, as well as being brassed off with the sensationalist hype displayed in the video that opens his piece. I didn’t bother watching it ’cause I wanted Shane’s own ideas and not be distracted.”

“I don’t want to cover Shane Schaetzel’s detailed examination of the prophecies in great depth, but here’s my ‘take’ on several points..:

Review

1. Shane is reasonably well-informed and tries to be objective. Some of his argument, however, is confused and biased by Roman Catholic exclusivity. He fails to understand non-Catholics’ interest in an ‘obscure’, ‘alleged’ and unverified prophecy. But in fairness, his claim of their inconsistency in rejecting the more legitimate aspects of Catholicism is quite reasonable.

2. I agree in his stressing context – ‘You simply can’t pluck out one particular prophecy, isolate it in a vacuum, and then come up with your own interpretation that has no connection to the overall narrative of all Catholic prophecies’.

There must be not only a witness in our own spirit of what is from Holy Spirit but also a confirmation, or thread, of similar from other prophets and fits the tenor of scripture. [For example, see review prophetic words on new move of God.]

3. To put the Malachy prophecies into proper context, therefore, Shane provides an example from 14th Century’s remarkable ‘Worthy Shepherd Prophecy’.

This speaks of an unexpected, major restoration for the papacy “by about twelve years after the millennium have passed”, and closes with reference to a renewal in faith and restoration of the Church. Shane also notes, “As coincidence would have it….They both coincide perfectly with the time period we have just entered”.

This priest displays unfamiliarity with God-incidence in a prophetical perspective! He does not grasp its importance and brushes it aside as simple ‘coincidence’. ‘By the mouth of two or three witnesses the matter shall be established’ [Deut 19:15 NKJV] may also be applied to prophecy. This must have been in Paul’s mind when directing believers in prophesying, per 1 Cor 14:29-33.

4. After this consideration, Shane proceeds to discuss the attributes, character and work of ‘Peter The Roman’. I’m especially interested in his perceiving a return of that church to its first purity, as surmised in my 4th point on Pope Francis – and which took me by surprise. And this harmonises with prophecies about new, historical moves of God in Europe. [See prophecy #11 herein.]

5. I’ve commented on Shane’s blog about the Petrus Romanus prophecy’s reference to judgement, and he kindly replied. [Comments at the foot of his analysis refer.]

I disagree on two counts with his conclusion that an archbishop such as Malachy would have plainly stated the ‘dreadful judge’ is ‘Jesus Christ’, if that’s who he meant. First, the description ties in with and thus may allude to the scripture about all believers standing before the ‘bema’ judgement seat of Christ in 2 Cor 5:9-11, namely:

⁹Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him. ¹⁰For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. ¹¹Knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are well known to God, and I also trust are well known in your consciences. (NKJV emphases added)

Secondly, the reference reminds me of the Orthodox concept of Christ Pantocrator, or almighty judge. The typically Roman concept of a Christian secular leader rescuing the church is inappropriate, as may be surmised from Europe’s current state. Furthermore, the Malachy motto is about persecution, which accords with OT prophet Daniel’s ‘little horn’ waging war against, not judging, the saints. [Daniel 7]

6. Shane draws to a close by taking issue with ‘Fundamentalists’ and mainline media’s translation of ‘persecutione extrema’ as ‘final persecution’. He claims they’re wrong to do so:

It’s supposed to be translated as “extreme persecution,” but for some reason people are mistranslating it as “final persecution,” which changes the entire meaning of the text, giving the reader the impression that Saint Malachy was talking about the end times, when the Church is supposed to go under the “final persecution” of the Antichrist. But that isn’t what this text says!

He implies they’re using Malachy’s prophetic motto to support their own particular brand of Biblical prophecy. Let’s look at the text again, courtesy of Wikipedia:

In perſecutione extrema S.R.E. ſedebit – Petrus Romanus, qui paſcet oues in multis tribulationibus: quibus tranſactis ciuitas ſepticollis diruetur, & Iudex tremẽdus iudicabit populum ſuum. Finis. This translates as follows:

In the final persecution of the Holy Roman Church, there will sit – Peter the Roman, who will pasture his sheep in many tribulations, and when these things are finished, the city of seven hills [i.e. Rome] will be destroyed, and the dreadful judge will judge his people. The End.

Shane also provides a photocopy of this part of the original for scrutiny purposes, and to make his point. [I note this copy’s omission of ‘er’ from ‘pfecutione’, and correct printing of letter ‘s’ in its regular, medieval typeface.]

Now here’s where I part company with Shane. As a child I hated Latin – got it at church and in class at grammar school. But I can now appreciate it and show Shane’s ‘coup de grace’ translation is, at best, not iron-clad and, at worst, incorrect. He attempts to use Latin to demolish end-times proponents’ claims that the Malachy revelations fit in with their eschatological opinion.

However, Shane mistakenly confuses the meaning of Latin ‘extrema’ by translating it from English, instead of from Latin. That is, he states ‘extrema’ means ‘extreme’ and, thus, is not the same as ‘final’, as supposed by Protestant eschatologists.

Now, Online Etymological Dictionary defines ‘Extreme’ as early 15c, from Old French extreme (13c), from Latin extremus “outermost, utmost, farthest, last”. Oxford English Dictionary also has the origin of ‘extreme’ in Middle English, via Old French from Latin extremus outermost, utmost. [My pocket-size Collins Gem Latin Dictionary has the very same definitions.] Can’t these translations of ‘extrema’ (feminine ‘extremus’) of ‘utmost’ and ‘last’ also be taken as meaning ‘final’? Shane Schaetzel thinks not!

Therefore, ‘final persecution’ is a correct translation of ‘persecutione extrema’.

This does not change the entire meaning of the text, as he thinks, but gives legitimacy to an ‘end-times’ description. That is, the St Malachy prophetic mottos may well refer to the closing days of this era in history. [See comments on Shane’s blog about this point.]

Conclusion

“In my opinion, Shane Schaetzel’s analysis is worth perusal by students of eschatology. There is a seventh aspect over which he makes much ado that I want to address – ie. Catholic prophecies. In view of my earlier connections, I’d like to offer an insight or two over a Cuppa sometime soon.

“It seems we’re reaching a conclusion that the ‘Petrus Romanus’ prophecy could be of God…How say you?

“Perhaps we could discuss the other indicators on a later date?”

Is the ‘Petrus Romanus’ prophecy of God?

Posted on Thursday, 21 March, 2013 by Richard Barker

“I really, really didn’t mean to do that!” confess I to Kenny, just after meeting him for morning coffee at the cyber-cafe.

“What do you mean? The PS?” he asked, referring to the reason for his invitation.

“No! I mean the whole thing…I’d already started something else the day before. So Iast Thursday I was going to finish and publish it. There was a sense of unease…I couldn’t put my finger on it…but it was to do with my last blog, What’s God up to?”

“I’m all ears! Give me your take on the situation, especially that bit you recommended – I’ve read it”, prompts Kenny.

We carry the coffee and yummies I’d ordered to our table by the window. It just so happens, Tony turns up, as do you too, my reader. So bring your Cuppas over and join us for a chat – we may be some time…

(Excellent timing, my wife has just called out, “Coffee’s ready!”.)

“Now Richard, tell us about last Thursday.”

I begin by saying I observe ‘cyber-silence’ over our 3-day weekend, and evenings too.

“So, on Thursdays I try to finish what’s on-hand from the week. I start as soon as I can after 9.30 am, but last Thursday it was sunny and warm for once and a bit of shopping needed to be done first.

“I’d got a newspaper but didn’t dig into it as I was quite late getting online, and a couple of unusually long calls interrupted this. So I was a couple of hours behind and had run out of steam. Now this is quite unusual, I’ve not yet had writer’s block! I’d planned to follow up my last post with more on God’s ‘tsunami’. But I was completely blank. It had dropped into my brain’s ‘pending’ tray!

“How do you guys start your day online? I glance at headlines on World Watch Daily and Debka headlines, as well as three other blogs that don’t drop posts into my in-tray, as well as scan and ditch 20 or more emails.

“There was one email sharing a download a friend had received from the Lord. Now that really plugged me in! We’d met Bob and Lyn a year ago, found not only were we on the same wavelength but also that they knew of my friend John’s mission in Ghana as well as Paul, who directs HOTS in Bath.

“At that time, Lyn shared bits she’d sensed about naval preparations for war and I gave her details of serious activities in the Med and Gulf. I know her sensitivity to Holy Spirit and have high regard for the new items on grave international matters. An inexplicable 2 hour difference in her alarm clocks confirms, to my mind, the great urgency stirring in her spirit. Part of what Lyn received is, “Behold I do a new thing”.

“In an instant, lack of drive disappeared. I was galvanised into action!

“Next, upon scanning just a few headlines I knew what to blog. Like in this image, it was as though the Lord had put His finger on a headline to draw my attention to the alleged Malachy prophecies. I honestly didn’t want to go there! As well as what I’d already started (Is God baring His arm?), a number of ideas have been lodged too long in my ‘pipeline’.

“Also, I didn’t want to do anything that was connected with my pre-Christian life or stray away from Biblical matters.

“I asked the Lord, if it’s not out of order to cover this, please bless what I write. I typed out new thoughts as they sprang to mind, which is not my usual way at all. Later in the day, when all’s done and dusted, I hit ‘publish’.

“Next – again for no particular reason – I dug into Google for anything else on this news. It seems the Lord directed me to yet another about Malachy’s visions, but by a Catholic priest. Upon reading his sound report, I was pleasantly surprised to find he, too, viewed the motto for Pope Francis positively – unlike evangelical commentators! Hence my adding a postscript to the post.” (See Is Pope Francis ‘Petrus Romanus’?)

“What do you think?”

We kick this around between us. I add there was a clear sense of satisfaction, which is quite rare, and which also left me with a distinct sense of peace. Despite initial setbacks everything just flowed. Thus, that impetus did come from God.

“So this all arose out of a word from the Lord about ‘a new thing’?”

“Yes. And on Saturday I saw Gillan had picked on this from a very different aspect and I commented about this on his blog. But then I questioned myself, checked through my blog for prophetic words on this matter and wrote about them.”

“Everything since last Thursday’s item on Pope Francis has been unscheduled, never on my ‘to do’ list!”

Kenny kindly reminds me, “What’s your take on ‘Catholic in the Ozarks’ or Shane Schaetzel’s, The Pope, the Antichrist and Peter The Roman?”

“Let’s top up our Cuppas and I’ll tell you. Then we may figure out if Malachy’s visions came from God”.

Click to continue > >

Prophecies on ‘a new era for the Church’ – part 2

Posted on Tuesday, 19 March, 2013 by Richard Barker

Continued from Part 1, wherein I wrote Gillan Scott’s remark of ‘God’s outsiders pointing to a new era in the church’ may possibly be connected to relatively recent prophetic words that God is about do something very new. I humbly submit for consideration a review of prophetic words published on this blog and which would support that claim.: [Updated Aug 2013]

1. “What God has in mind for His people this year is beyond anything we can even imagine. We serve an Epic God…What God has in mind for the nations of the world is epic in every sense of the world.” (Nathan Morris, 6 Jan 2011)

2. “For I would know that My people would hear My voice, that I am setting the stage for that which I have foretold in My Word and it will quickly and swiftly come to pass…For the day is coming, it is even at the door, when I shall begin to judge My church. I will begin to touch My people in a way they have never known before for I will show them My glory”, says the Lord.” (Nathan Morris, 19 Jan 2012)

3. This word has two thrusts: ‘A Ripening Season’ and ‘Divine Intervention to Receive a Kingdom Which Cannot Be Shaken’ and speaks of an increased global shaking during which ”God’s hand will be upon his people in a new way”. (Dr Stone, 25 Jan 2012)

4. “I’ve been here many, many times and you can sense something beginning to change. You’re entering a new day, a new era – and a new Kingdom era. So it’s really awesome to be with you.”(Chuck Pierce, 26 Jan 2012)

5. “We can get stuck in old familiar ways and find we don’t know how to handle the new. We set our size according to our ‘container’ but God wants us to move into the FAR bigger – but we don’t have a long time to adapt! Ask God to help us do it. Revelation 10:5-6 applies: “No more delay” (Dr Sharon Stone, 18 Jun 2012)

6. “He’s making His plans…His eyes are on Europe – He’s going to set the captives free…And it’s going to start in Britain…” (Julie Meyer, 17-20 October 2012)

7. “I saw aspects of this in vision form. I saw how God was going to move across your nation and it was wave after wave after wave.It will be sustained and the fire will never go out. Revivals have come and gone but this is not revival, this is reformation and it is a different thing.” (Neville Johnson, 31 October 2012)

8. An awesome word Dr Sharon Stone received about the meaning of Hurricane Sandy, as delivered on 3 November 2012. Note especially the reference to rewriting history(!) :

“And the Lord kept saying that this hurricane and these winds are ‘a punctuation’ – not just in the US but a punctuation in the world. Now a type of punctuation means that it draws the line, and it brings a separation and there is an alteration after that, and this is what the Lord said; He says,what the Lord said; He says,

“These are re-arranging winds and they’re changing the course of nations.”

“…This is a “re-arranging winds and a changing of the course of nations” and the Lord spoke this, and forgive me as I’m going to read some of this because I want to get the words right. The Lord said:

“The Old World’s time has cycled around again to become a New World to rewrite history; no longer a Constantine conversion that advances religion without Christ. Hidden winds of change have been developing on the inside of My people and they are now blowing change into the world. The western New World, particularly the USA, will enter accelerated crisis-shaking to hasten their journey to learn that I am their true resource and I am their defender. The USA has been a champion of freedom for much of the oppressed world, but you cannot represent freedom without representing Me, Jesus, Who is the provider and Who can bring sustainable protection to the nation.

“The Lord says,

“Parts of these winds that are blowing, part of these winds that are bringing a re-arranging, are blowing away what has confused nations of their identity.

“We’re not the only nation that has been in an identity crisis. I believe that many of our nations have had skewed identity and the Lord is saying this; He says,

“I will bring you out of what you have designed by your own thinking and by your own hands that I may redesign it by My thoughts and My plans.”

Amen!

9. “The coming days will bring greater dimensions of darkness in the world; yet our hope is for the appearing of God’s weighty Presence…” opens A New Day Dawning, the title of Paul Keith Davis’ E-Newsletter for December 2012.

10. “God is planning something so BIG even the devil can’t stop it!” (Revd John Kilpatrick, 6 January 2013)

11. 2013 is going to be a glorious year for the true Church – see the Kingdom of God in greater measure and glory – release into reformation and restoration – moving into a historic season to be known as ‘Days of Wonder’ (UK Prophetic Council, 7 Jan 2013)

12. “We’re at a new level of time…this season is when the world and Church will see what it means to be a Christian as our faith goes on trial – God is watching to see how we respond and stand – This is the season for the Church to be demonstrated in the world like it’s never been seen before!” (Dr Sharon Stone, 2 Feb 2013)

13. The Lord told me in a vision, “I am about to visit your generation, but what is going to precede the ark of the covenant are those three anointings: Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun.” (Paul Keith Davis, February 2013)

14. “Behold I do a new thing” in email of 14th March that started this topical thread.

UPDATES

15. “The ACPE felt this coming year would be one of great contrasts and polarity. In a sense, we are entering a new era. Things cannot be done in the same way they have in the past season. The new era – a ‘But now’ season…” (Word of the Lord for 2013, via Cindy Jacobs of Generals International January 2013)

16. “Glory can come when we spend time in the manifest presence of Jesus. But we are in a season unlike anything I’ve ever lived in before, one where His glory is more readily available to us than at any time I’ve ever seen. And we’re seeing more of His glory being poured out, we’re hearing of more encounters with the Presence of the Lord …” (Dr Sharon Stone 6 April 2013)

17. “…Holy Spirit brought it to my memory right there in the stillness of my bedroom…and the Lord said, “Tell My people I have brought about a season change.” (Rev John Kilpatrick 7 April 2013)

18. “The Lord has been speaking to me for some time about a ‘new season’ and a ‘new message’. I’ve been growing in excitement but I’ve not dared to say anything to anyone in case it’s just been my imagination…” (Dr Clifford Hill; posted 25 April 2013)

NB: many more words subsequently logged at A New Era for the Church.

Prophecies on ‘a new era for the Church’ – part 1

Posted on Tuesday, 19 March, 2013 by Richard Barker

IS SOMETHING IN THE AIR? Is a subtle sense of expectation and of hope stirring in many people? Is it perhaps a new spirit of the age, or maybe a move of God in our midst? How many perceive the downfall and collapse of western society from self-inflicted moral degradation?

Those with insight know the urgent need to change our ways before it’s too late. They’re giving voice to the yearning in millions to stop the rot before it’s too late, to return to God-given values of life instead of the living-death of atheism, humanism and narcissistic hedonism: that is, the deification of man.

For example, yesterday I heard about a friend’s long-time friend who’s now expressed an interest in turning to Christ if the Church gets rid of its unnecessary riches and uses the proceeds to help the poor and needy. This person had never shown the remotest concern about the Good News of Jesus, until now!

My previous post was of Gillan Scott’s article about the new Archbishop and Pope. In its covering note I remarked that his header’s opinion, ‘God’s outsiders pointing to a new era in the church’, could be connected to recent prophetic words on God bringing about very specific changes. (The words are not associated with the Malachy ‘Prophecies of the Popes’, about which I’d blogged here and want to cover next.)

So, out of interest I dug around to check those words and was surprised how many there are – and these are only those of which I’m aware personally. However, for the benefit of those readers unfamiliar with prophecy, let’s consider first:

A Question on Prophecy

Of course, when people talk along the same lines it begs the cynic’s question, ‘Who copied from whom?”. Someone, no matter who they are in the Lord, could have heard on the grapevine of ideas expressed by anyone of prophetical gifting and then simply repeated them. Why not? It would serve to elevate or to maintain their status. Such an attitude is not unnatural, no matter whether one is a believer or not.

I believe the answer to this legitimate objection lies in the fundamental requirement of integrity of character for those operating in the Holy Spirit’s gift of prophecy, especially in His anointing of the office prophet (eg. Rev Bobby Conner, Rev Dr Sharon Stone).

But the ordinary unbeliever – and believer – is disadvantaged by not being ‘born again’ and walking in the Spirit. This enables such a one to sense, weigh and test within their own spirit whether or not something is of the Holy Spirit (Acts 15:28). Eg. when Sharon speaks and teaches she knows over a hundred listeners are checking what she says. Furthermore, an anointed prophet is only too well aware of the scriptural admonitions and dangers of delivering false words (eg. per ‘false prophet’ search in BibleGateway).

As stated in Introduction to Prophecy there are operational parameters and protocol to follow, yet these allow for interesting – and enjoyable – times when practised as a team. David Stark of the Glasgow Prophetic Centre recently emailed me as follows.:

“Thanks Richard, that’s really encouraging to us! I’ve just come upstairs from another of our 3 1/2 hour Lion Bites team meetings and so it’s lovely to read this [my email about the accuracy of several daily words, as in Lion Bites tag.]

“We had a great time this morning! We always write these as a team (the team usually consists 5-10 of our full-time or part-time prophetic staff), taking an hour or so to worship first, then pray and then we all sit down to listen to the Holy Spirit. When we’ve got our ‘downloads’ we write them down and share them with each other, to sharpen each other. In the days following a meeting there is more prayer and revelation for when to release them and an editorial team look over them again before release. Of course there is always space for a more ‘spontaneous’ word to be released but on the whole, we like to do it as a team because we’re a team ministry – a prophetic company. And it’s fun!!

“…the nice thing about working in teams you usually get a good balance of the different revelatory giftings and anointings. The church is in the Day of the Saints where it is less and less about the ‘big name’ man or woman of God (though they are great too!) and more about the outpouring on all flesh. So that’s why ‘team’ is so important to us and we continue to learn and grow all the time….

“Thanks for sharing and for the time you invest in your important blog.”

Later, David explained they no longer regard prophecy as being ‘an event’ akin to the Old Testament injunction of “prepare for the word of the Lord”, but as an outworking of a lifestyle of Holy Spirit habitation. They teach this is a difference between ‘perceiving’ in the Spirit and ‘receiving’ from Him. (It reminds me of Dr Stone’s teaching about seeing things from God’s perspective, as in 2013 – What God is Saying.)

Click here to read the many prophetic words promising an approaching ‘new era’ for not only the Church but also for the world.

Pope Francis and the Archbishop of Canterbury – God’s outsiders pointing to a new era for the church

Posted on Saturday, 16 March, 2013 by Richard Barker

A superb reflection upon the unusual juxtapositioning of both enthronements from Gillan Scott. He adroitly observes and comments upon the work of the Holy Spirit, “If there was evidence needed for this, the election of two men who were off many people’s radar is surely it.” I also entirely agree with his emphasis; “…When this sort of thing happens it usually heralds change.” Readers of this blog will note how this may be related to several prophetic words along those lines and as reported in recent months. March may be more momentous in God’s plans than my friend surmises – at about the same time a newly elected government in Israel is hosting the visit of a recently re-inaugurated President of the USA. Truly, these are most interesting times!

Is Pope Francis the prophesied ‘Petrus Romanus’?

Posted on Thursday, 14 March, 2013 by Richard Barker

The retirement of Pope Benedict XVI and yesterday’s election of Argentinian Cardinal Bergoglio as 267th Pope is generating a lot of speculation outside mainstream media about the Prophecies of the Popes by 12th Century Archbishop of Armagh, Malachy O’Morgair.

Having known of this prognostication in some depth in my old life I won’t discuss it in detail, but I’d refer you to the above-linked Wikipedia article for study. Of course, it doesn’t bear the authority of Holy Scripture, for all prophecy is subject to examination by and compliance with the plumb-line of the Word of God, and true prophecy should prove to be accurate, eventually. So I’d like to present my initial thoughts on this subject.:

Carol Grisanti, producer of NBC News, writes in World News,

Legend has it that St. Malachy, as he is now known, had a strange dream while on a visit to Rome. He “saw” all the names of the future popes – complete with identifying characteristics – who would rule the church until the end of time.

It’s claimed that in 1590 an unusual list of popes attributed to Malachy was discovered in the Vatican Library. He gave each of these 112 popes a descriptive, coded motto. For example, Benedict XVI is the penultimate one and described as ‘glory of the olive’. So Pope Francis may therefore be identified as ‘Petrus Romanus’ – Peter the Roman.

Malachy’s motto for that person reads:

In perſecutione extrema S.R.E. ſedebit – Petrus Romanus, qui paſcet oues in multis tribulationibus: quibus tranſactis ciuitas ſepticollis diruetur, & Iudex tremẽdus iudicabit populum ſuum. Finis. This translates as follows:

In the final persecution of the Holy Roman Church, there will sit – Peter the Roman, who will pasture his sheep in many tribulations, and when these things are finished, the city of seven hills [i.e. Rome] will be destroyed, and the dreadful judge will judge his people. The End. [Courtesy Wikipedia.]

Some interpreters are of the opinion the motto should be read in two parts, as indicated by the above dashes. This separate, incomplete sentence could refer to possible other popes between ‘glory of the olive’ and ‘Peter the Roman’. But I think not, despite the above journalist’s conclusion.

Why do I think so?

1. The obvious connection between ‘persecution’ with ‘tribulations’ indicates that both parts could be read as a logical whole.

2. Today’s tremendous, unprecedented events within and outside the whole Church, or Body of Jesus Christ, clearly show we are in the End-Times, as delineated in the Bible (Best Instruction Before Leaving Earth!). Almost all its unfulfilled prophecies are now staring to manifest, which suggests they will soon come to a head in the return of the King for His Bride.

3. Therefore, when Jesus will be here then it will no longer be necessary for the Roman church to continue in its present form. That is, it will be replaced by what Jesus told his disciples to pray for – the fulfilled Kingdom of God. This will be under not only His, but also our, rulership.

I’m quite aware of the ancient doctrinal claims of the Church being the Kingdom of God but ‘the proof of the pudding is in the eating’. Many recent prophecies about ‘Shaking’ do not exclude churches because all the ungodly, even strategic satanic, aspects need exposing and eradicating as a means of cleansing and preparing the Bride.

4. In my humble opinion, the designation of the last in the list as ‘Peter’ could mean the Roman Church will have gone full circle back to someone fully representative of Jesus’ leading Apostle. Would history be repeated, as in the First Century, or could a reversal of time then be rolled back a tad further to the days Jesus was on earth? That is, we see the Church in its full power, doing the greater works Jesus desired (John 14:12).

Also, no pope assumed the name of Peter in the history of the Church of Rome. The first church in the capital of the ancient Roman Empire was founded by the Apostle Peter, known as the first Bishop of Rome and only centuries later was he regarded as the first pope. The inauguration of the papacy and its claim to precedence followed in due course – see Wikipedia. (For an interesting read see also this post on the Biblical origins of papal power.) There was, however, a Pope Peter of the Coptic Orthodox Church, who was revered as a saint by the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches too.

Hence, the new Pope Francis could be the one reigning from Rome during the great, prophesied worldwide upheavals at the advent of the Lord of Lords and King of Kings, Jesus Christ, to reign and rule the earth.

We live in such unparalleled, exciting times…Watch out and keep looking up!

PS: Have just come across a promising discussion document found on a ‘Catholicism for Protestants’ website on The Pope, The Antichrist and Peter the Roman. Have run off a hardcopy and look forward to digging into it over the weekend.

Pope & Anglican Archbishop: God’s outsiders pointing to a new era in the Church
Prophecies on ‘a new era for the Church’ – part 1 and part 2
Is the ‘Petrus Romanus’ prophecy of God? – part 1 and part 2

What’s God up to? Dr Sharon Stone answers my concerns.

Posted on Monday, 11 March, 2013 by Richard Barker

TWO YEARS AGO this morning I did something rather rare…

It was unlike today when, upon opening our bedroom curtains, I was greeted by the sight of a light dusting of snow. A little later, as I brought two cuppas upstairs, the window displayed hundreds of tiny flakes zipping horizontally across the window. It was like watching a video of traffic on a city’s roads – hundreds of tiny lights heading mainly in one direction but a few dozen others taking turns, and not only going vertically one way or the other but also some would U-turn against the main flow! It’s all caused by a very chilly easterly from north Scandinavia charging across the garden and gusting over our roof and walls.

But what happened in 2011?

Two years ago I looked through an electronic window. After getting up and heading to the kitchen I put the TV on to hear the hourly news – but got no further! There was no newsreader. Whatever was onscreen? It looked like treacle spreading over fields!

As part of the headlines, the BBC was showing footage from a helicopter of agricultural land and roads being swamped by black water two hours before I awoke. It was early footage of the tsunami that had been caused by Japan’s 4th most powerful earthquake . It became known as ‘tsunami soup’ in its feafully dread and vile nature.

Why should that terribly tragic event have once again been thrust into my mind, not just today but a week ago? At the end of February I’d been ruminating over the increasingly dreadful degradation within society globally. Many have deliberately turned against the divinely inspired injunctions for living a Godly life, refusing to acknowledge sinfulness in their lives, they intimate that God is either non-existent or else a liar. Millions use a god as a brain-dead excuse to hate and kill anyone who believes differently.

So my thoughts had turned to consider how the Lord is taking all these developments. Isn’t it time for Him to show up or display His sovereignty and majesty? Will He? When will He…for His Holy Name’s sake?

On Saturday morning, 2nd March, in Windsor such notions were not uppermost in my mind – especially during prolonged and elevating worship preceding a Mentoring Day. As this time came to a gently subdued close a few impressions came into mind…

A seascape similar to this of the Bay of Biscay popped unbidden into my mind’s eye and brought a train of thoughts, which I noted as follows.:

‘As the worship quietened came an impression of a calm sea but with a slowly swelling surface on the horizon, completely left to right across the whole horizon, getting taller and darker. His (God’s) tsunami is coming!

(I recalled the video of the first signs of the Japanese tsunami where whole beaches got drained completely of water as the tide got sucked out to sea, way past low-tide mark.)

‘Just as ordinary sea withdraws from a beach and leaves a huge expanse exposed and ‘drying out’, so we will dry out nationally and wonder why things changed so radically, as is happening now.

‘BUT a massive all encompassing huge, powerful tidal wave of God is coming and will sweep every thing before it and much of what existed will get wrecked. Only that which is of the ‘wave’ survives and it reaches places the ‘water’ has never before covered!’

Whilst I quickly scribbled this the first session of the day started and I missed Sharon introducing the speaker. But in opening, Tomi took us back into worshiping God. In fact, his most excited message referred to the death of Lazarus and the details of when and how Jesus brought his dear friend back to life. My note continues.:

‘(Tobi) related it to above (notes) in Jesus’ demonstration of a ‘new opinion’ about God. He is doing a new thing, or new ways (WAVE? did he say?) that God wants to reveal.‘

Dr Sharon Stone – a fresh message

After coffee break, Sharon spoke about what the Lord had revealed within the last few days after her return to the UK. She is struck with the great importance for ‘watchers to become ‘sentinels’ who challenge the enemy and spiritual goings on!

Upon finding the enemy is making things calamitous here, she sought the Lord on this and reported,

The Lord has allowed the enemy to rally and says, “I’m waiting to see who runs and who stands, challenges, pursues and overtakes”.

It’s so interesting and encouraging that both speakers confirmed and reinforced what I’d written. Of course there was heaps more from dear Sharon.:

She reminded us the closing verses in chapter 2 of Ephesians describe the purpose of God’s work within each of us:

Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, ²⁰having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, ²¹in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, ²²in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit. [Why ‘therefore? See Ephesians 2.]

Sharon went on to say,

We’re coming (as the Bride) into corporate maturity so that God’s able to release another measure of the fullness of Christ.

She then taught upon rites of passage for the Bride:

separation from old to new – into new intimacy with Jesus Christ
transition – learning, training ourselves to distinguish good from evil (Heb 5:14)
incorporation – admission into the new role (1Cor 13:11-12)

God wants us to be seen as mature in/by the world.

Consequently, Sharon had much to teach about our John 15:15 ‘crossing over’ into revelation:

Servants to Sons, where Jesus begins to share wisdom of the Father
Graduation into a new level of glory preserved for this time (Isa 60:2)
revelation of resurrections of the dead in our towns and cities
overcomers through our mature testimony of any ungodly agreement
faith preferring others, not a forced unity but a laying down one’s life
determination to seek the Kingdom first and being about Father’s business
revelation of our gain in new favour with God and man

A merging and ‘marriage’ of areas in Christianity that have been separated is thus to be expected. Love for one another brings pure, more wholesome revelation.

Acts 4 describes what happens when others will see the Bride in our new state, where we personally demonstrate Jesus so that people will notice and start responding:

¹³Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus. ¹⁴And seeing the man who had been healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it….¹⁸So they called them and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. ¹⁹But Peter and John answered and said to them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge. ²⁰For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.” ²¹So when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding no way of punishing them, because of the people, since they all glorified God for what had been done.

Amen, let it be so Lord – and soon.

Thank you Tomi and Sharon for hearing from the Lord and answering my concerns.

On top of all that, I was blessed to received personal prophetic words from Simon, the worship leader. There was also an unusual activation exercise wherein a small group would follow one another in hearing from the Holy Spirit to bring a completely connected word for one person but from individuals. This validated the confirmation received from Tobie’s teaching of what I’d sensed of a particular warrior presence during worship!

The above can be but snippets from a highly inspirational day of teaching. Other than comments on this blog, any enquiries should be addressed to CIEurope.

Nathan Morris returns to Hull – June

Posted on Friday, 1 March, 2013 by Richard Barker

A great, not-to-be-missed event! Our appreciation goes to Jarrod and team for convening and organising it. To get an idea what it will be like, click here to see Jarrod’s video-clip of last year’s conference, and to link into accounts of our blessed time there.

I’d draw leaders’ attention to the afternoon Leadership Stream sessions.

A great, not-to-be-missed event! Our appreciation goes to Jarrod and team for convening and organising it. To get an idea what it will be like, click here to see Jarrod’s video-clip of last year’s conference, and to link into accounts of our blessed … Continue reading →

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Report of healing from H.O.T.S. in Bath

Posted on Thursday, 28 February, 2013 by Richard Barker

HIPS AND BACK ARE HEALED

Paul Skelton had the privilege this week to catch up with Shirley Fraser who is one of our team members here in Bath.
Shirley shared how she has both received healing herself and is now seeing others healed out of that encounter with Jesus.

Paul: – Tell me, Shirley, how your hip used to be and what the doctors said before you were prayed for?

Shirley:- Eight years ago I was advised to get checked out medically, and as a result the doctors said that my bone density was really low, ever since then I have been taking medication which has been changed many times, but my hip was never any different and I have suffered a bad reaction to the tablets.
It got really bad In September 2012, to the point where I woke up one morning and I could hardly walk. The pain in my hip was so bad that I had to get an emergency appointment with the hospital in Bath and an X ray showed thinning of the bones and that a hip replacement might be necessary.

Paul:- What happened next?

Shirley:- I went to a conference but my hip was in agony and so I received prayer from a HOTS Bath member. The next day however I was still in a lot of pain, so they prayed again and 5 minutes later, to the shock of my friends, I was dancing completely pain free…..it was instant, it was a miracle. Since then I have had no pain or any problem walking or even dancing which I love to do.

Paul: – Wow, that’s awesome, what did the doctors say on your next visit?

Shirley: – I had another bone density scan in January this year. When I went to get the results, they looked at me rather shocked and said that it was “unbelievable”. They shared the medical details about there having been a 9.5 % increase in the T score at the lumbar spine, and an increase of 6.1 in the femoral neck which relates to a total hip T score of 10.4% improvement over all since the previous scan. These results have since been confirmed to me in an official letter.
She said that it was absolutely amazing that there had been an increase like this for a woman of my age and that I did not need to take the medication any more. The best they normally hope for is a slowdown in decrease, not an increase. I don’t have to go back for 2 years now. I was overjoyed; I also explained that I had received prayer

Paul: – So how has this healing affected your faith?

Shirley: – I now know for sure that prayer works! A few weeks later, I had some friends around to watch a film, but before we started a young girl with a really bad back pain was there. One of the others said,”Get Shirley to pray as she has been healed”.
So we prayed the way that we do on the streets and all of a sudden she said, “I need to test my back”. What amazed me was the way she started bending over and said, “I have not been able to do this” as she bent over to try it out, we heard her spine clicking into place as she was being healed, then she stood back up again completely fine. It was amazing!
I received a message from her recently saying that she has been completely discharged from the physiotherapist, before that she wasn’t even able to lay on the floor but afterwards she was in tears of joy as the pain had been so hard to bear.

Paul: – So what would you say to anyone else who has back pain?

Shirley:- Get some prayer. Since I have done the HOTS training I am seeing more people healed than I used to and I am now stepping into moving in healing as a daily lifestyle. A while ago I prayed for someone else who used to wear hearing aids for 17 years and now she can hear without them .

Paul: – That’s a great story, Shirley, a real demonstration of Father’s love being made real though healing encounters with him.

Thank you and praise you Lord for this healing and testimony of your love.

PURSUE LIGHT!

Posted on Wednesday, 27 February, 2013 by Richard Barker

‘God-smacked’ again! Two friends told me about sensing light during prayer this week. To confirm and draw my attention to the importance of this, a 3rd report has now come! The opening scripture below from Glasgow Prophetic Centre has been stressed by many prophetical voices for the past year or so. In my opinion, therefore, it would be well to contemplate and weigh these words, to which I’ve added this appropriate shot.:

Isaiah 60:1

Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.

From a heavenly perspective I saw the nations below: within each nation were individual, bright, dazzling white lights, surging with power. These lights are individual people, glowing with hunger for God – those who are crying out for the more of His manifest presence. They burn brightly with a ‘white heat’ in the spirit realm, reflecting God’s light and life and transforming the atmosphere. And there are more than we would at first realise.

As we pour ourselves out and seek the more of God, He increases the intensity of that heat and light which radiates from us, emanating further and radiantly covering more area (in the natural realm).

I heard God say,

“I am drawn to those who are drawn to me. Just as one magnet is drawn to another, as you pursue Me with all of your heart I see you and respond to your heart cry of, ‘More Lord, increase in me’. I will increase the brightness of your shining. I will increase the reach of where and how you illuminate everything around you. I am increasing the reach of your shining.”

The Lord asks you today to pursue Him, so that the brightness of His illumination might be reflected in you. And to ask for the increase, the intensity – the luminosity of His magnificent brilliance – to be mirrored in you.

Proverbs 4:18 The path of the righteous is like the morning sun, shining ever brighter till the full light of day

Footnote: Regular readers may not have had the opportunity yet to follow-up my recommendation to visit David and Emma Stark’s website and consider receiving their team’s daily word. Should you wish to do so, here’s the link for Lion Bites.

When we come together…the Body of Christ

Posted on Wednesday, 27 February, 2013 by Richard Barker

Amen…A note of this post by Tony was delivered by ‘God-incidence’ just now to my in-tray. It’s amazingly appropriate because, after waking this morning, I was contemplating how the Lord connects and reveals things to me as a thread or ‘train’ of scripture, teaching, thoughts and insights – but then the idea of them also being pieces of a jigsaw dropped (appropriately?) into mind! So thank you Lord for this vision, and to Tony for publishing it…

My Dreams and Visions

1 Corinthians 14:26 NIV

What then shall we say, brothers and sisters? When you come together, each of you has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. Everything must be
done so that the church may be built up.

The Lord showed me a vision 02/26/2013 and in this vision I saw people gathered around an oval table. The table was low to the ground so that you had to sit on the floor. The people I saw sitting there around the table each had a piece of a puzzle. As they all worked together, the image on the puzzle began to take shape and when they were finished, the picture was of Jesus Christ. He was the center of the meeting. Each one had to do his part in finishing the puzzle and it was not left to one person to do…

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5 reasons why Christians should not accept Jesus as their saviour

Posted on Tuesday, 26 February, 2013 by Richard Barker

What an outrageously provocative title!

It’s not mine but belongs to one of your fellow readers, T.E. Hanna, a theology graduate whose blog Of Dust And Kings publishes interesting discussions about God, His Kingdom and what it means to be human.

I like the way his theology ticks.

So I’d like to introduce T.E. to you through the following ‘guest post’, which was one of the first I read. His first two points and the last one match my own perceptions 100%.:

5 Reasons Why Christians Should Not Accept Jesus As Their Saviour

In 1989, Depeche Mode released their 23^rd single in the UK, a hit song that quickly climbed the charts and would eventually be covered by such notable musicians as Johnny Cash, Jerry Williams, Nina Hagen, and Marilyn Manson. The song was entitled “Personal Jesus” and the steady rhythm of the chorus drummed out the following lines:

Your own personal Jesus, Someone to hear your prayers, Someone who cares. Your own personal Jesus, Someone to hear your prayers, Someone who’s there …reach out and touch Faith.

While Depeche Mode used the “personal Jesus” idea as a metaphor for codependent human relationships, the concept has nevertheless permeated western Christian culture. Testimonies typically hail back to the moment when one has “finally accepted Jesus as their personal Lord and savior” and the standard evangelism question points to the same idea: “Have you accepted Jesus as your personal savior?”

Yet Scripture knows nothing of a personalized faith.

Bear with me here, and let me clarify what I am NOT saying. I am NOT saying that we should not be impacted on a personal level by the Christian faith – we absolutely should. I am NOT saying that we do not come to Christ on a personal basis – we absolutely must.

However, the idea of a personal savior has taken on a life of its own, replacing the locus of the Christian life with our personal agendas and pushing Jesus to the margins. We customize, privatize, and minimize the Christian story, relegating Jesus to little more than “someone to hear your prayers, someone who cares.” This corrodes the very heart of the Christian faith, eating away at its life transforming power, and ripping Jesus away from His divinity in order to wedge Him into an idol fashioned after a hyper-individualistic culture. This simply won’t do.

Christians need to reject the idea of the personal Jesus, and we need to do it for 5 reasons:

1. Christians Are Called To Follow, Not Accept

The central cry of Jesus was never “accept me.” In fact, it was quite the opposite. Jesus walked a path which called Him to be despised and rejected, betrayed and belittled, criticized and crucified. The call of Jesus to His disciples and to us is to follow. Following requires leaving things behind and forging forward, laying down your life that you might find it, dying to yourself that your might discover the life abundant in the purposes of God. Acceptance is passive. Following is inherently active.

2. Christians Conform To Christ, Not Christ To Christians

At the heart of spiritual formation is the move to become “Christ-like”. Often, this challenges our preconceptions and wars against our desires. Good. It is supposed to. The Jesus Way is a way of transformation, of exposing our darker side to the Light of the World that the shadows may be cast away and we may become luminaries of incandescent glory, reflecting the blinding rays of the Son. We must never customize Jesus, reducing Him to an eternal moral teacher that can give us a hand when things get rough. We must allow ourselves to be confronted by Him, restored through Him, and conformed to Him.

3. Christians Are Called To Community, Not Isolation

John Wesley once wrote that “Scripture knows nothing of solitary religion.” From Genesis to Revelation, we see the story of a God who is creating a people, not just persons. In the instances where we see individuals emphasized, they are emphasized for the purpose of the people. Abraham was called individually to carry the covenant for what would become the people of God. Moses was called individually to free the Israelite people. David was called individually to lead a nation of God’s people. The prophets were called individually to be the mouthpiece of God to His people. The disciples were called individually only to then be sent forth to gather a global people. The popular notion that Christianity is a personal affair, making the community of faith unnecessary, finds no basis in the pages of Scripture. It is only in community that we find accountability, corporate prayer, unified worship, and the edification of the saints. It is only in community that we become the Body of Christ.

4. Christians Are Called To Serve, Not Be Served

So much of Christian rhetoric emphasizes the blessing of God and de-emphasizes the way of the cross. Much of popular Christianity is about seeking these blessings, about conforming God to our will, about how God somehow is charged with serving us. I am not diminishing the reality of the blessedness of God, but blessing is hardly the entire picture. Jesus completely inverts the concept of privilege, calling His followers away from notions of entitlement and into a life of servanthood. The reality of this is that, as we serve one another, we will be served in the process; but the notion that service is somehow owed to us is completely overturned. We, who claim ourselves as children of the greatest King who ever existed, express this most dutifully as servants.

5. Christians Are Saved For More Than Just Themselves

The Christian concept of salvation does more than just look over its shoulder at a sinful past now washed clean. It does more than look at the present as we are engaged in a process of spiritual renewal. It looks to the future, at the outworking of our salvation expressed as a transformed people transforming the world. In other words, Christians are not just saved from sin, they are saved to God. We become active participants in the breaking forth of God’s Kingdom as the redemptive order confronts and exposes the manifestation of sin in society. To limit the concept of salvation to a personal experience (or worse, a personal event) truncates the fullness of what it means to be Christian. We are not just saved from a life of sin; we are saved for a world where sin still manifests.

The popular evangelistic rhetoric calling for people to “accept Jesus as your personal savior” needs to be overturned. It is only in the call to “come and follow” and to “take up your cross” that we begin to regain the deeper things which have historically defined God’s people. It is here, in the deep water, where Christianity comes alive.

So… reach out and touch faith.

What do you think?

How does the personalization of Jesus impact the Christian faith?

Read, and contribute to, several commendable comments from readers and T.E. by scrolling to the foot of this link to ‘Personal Jesus’. I trust you’ll be as blessed as me.

I read it after attending our church home group where we’d worked through Romans 6 in some depth. Thank you T.E for your five points which, together with that scripture, confirmed my objections posted in a discussion elsewhere, as mentioned in my post covering Steve Chalke’s apostasy (here).

Paws-4-thought: more encouragement

Posted on Monday, 25 February, 2013 by Richard Barker

After publishing three morsels of Lion Bites last Thursday I thought it may have been rather a rushed job, for my mind was on my next tasks. Upon reflection, I thought I’d been too hasty, especially as that was what it had been like all week. Even so, I was reminded to focus upon those encouraging words. And the Lord was to surprise me with yet more morsels…!

After bashing through a tedious task for an hour I went to buy a rare ‘treat’ – fish and chips! (It makes a pleasant change from a cooked evening meal.) Although it’s less than 3 minutes walk to the ‘chippy’ it usually entails a 10 minute wait at such a busy time.

So I took what I’m reading – Healing Unplugged. Billed as ‘Up close and personal: behind the scenes with Bill Johnson and Randy Clark’, this is a transcript of a teaching video where they interviewed one another on how their healing ministries started and developed. It is minimal on historical details yet the book provides lots of insights and advice. A fascinating read!

Nina and I have often heard both leaders’ exceptional teaching, and Randy is one of the most humble servants of Christ. So, waiting in the chippy I was thoroughly engrossed in reading about the confession of his shortcomings in faith for healing. He proceeds to tell Bill of a breakthrough in his understanding of the vital importance of corporate faith.

Randy spoke about his first visit to Bill’s church in Bethel, Redding California, when God impressed upon him to ask for healings the way that Abraham had asked for the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah to be spared, but Randy should count the other way round! That is, he was to ask for an increasing number of people to be healed as a number that he had faith for God to heal. (Genesis 18 refers.)

At first 25 were healed. Randy said to the congregation, “I just felt as though God spoke to me”. He asked them, “Do you think God is tired?”. “No!” they replied. “Do you think He’s run out of power?” he continued. “No!” they said. Again, he received the same impression from God and as the number was incrementally raised they ended up with 135 healings.

So someone asked why he hadn’t said one hundred at first. The answer was simple – he didn’t have the faith for that number. But his faith grew gradually by increasing the size of his request of God.

As his faith increased Randy would often use that strategy. On one occasion in a large church in Brazil a translator who’d seen him do that many times told him, “You need to ask for more”. “Oh yeah, how many do you think?” he replied. Randy told Bill she announced a huge number in the region of 150-200, “And she said it right out loud in front of everybody!”

How did Randy react and what happened? Continue below and discover an important principle about the miraculous that Randy was about to learn.:

WOW, what words of wonder to ponder with our fish and chips – a spiritual feast as well as bodily feast. Makes me wonder what else the multitude received from Jesus whilst His disciples handed round a few loaves and fish from a boy’s ‘butty-box’! (See John 6.)

Forgiveness

Posted on Thursday, 21 February, 2013 by Richard Barker

Life’s far TOO short for NOT loving one another. I recall a morning’s teaching at a seminar on healing years ago near Streatley, Berks, where a delegate asked if forgiveness has any relevance. He was thanked for mentioning it because that had been overlooked and the trainer said, “Forgiveness is key to healing. Remember, Jesus forgave the soldiers as they crucifed Him!” Then I knew why I’d kept being impressed with a memory of an image of one of the Stations of The Cross that I’d seen as a boy. In her Catholic Church, my mother used to sit near the sculpted picture of Jesus being nailed to the cross! (Many years later Nina would be blessed with a demonstration of this truth, as here.) So, thank you Lord for your marvellous sacrifice for each of us.

Morning Story and Dilbert

The hospital was unusually quiet that bleak January evening, quiet and still like the air before a storm.

I stood in the nurses’ station on the seventh floor and glanced at the clock. It was 9 P.M. I threw a stethoscope around my neck and headed for room 712, last room on the hall. Room 712 had a new patient. Mr. Williams. A man all alone. A man strangely silent about his family.

As I entered the room, Mr. Williams looked up eagerly, but drooped his eyes when he saw it was only me, his nurse. I pressed the stethoscope over his chest and listened. Strong, slow, even beating. Just what I wanted to hear. There seemed little indication he had suffered a slight heart attack a few hours earlier.

He looked up from his starched white bed. “Nurse, would you –” He hesitated, tears filling his eyes. Once before…

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Abiding in God’s Word

Posted on Monday, 18 February, 2013 by Richard Barker

Jesus told the Jews who believed Him, , “IF you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8:31-32 emphasis added)

COME, take a train ride with me and consider the relevance of Jesus’ claim for today.

Why on a train? Another intriguing ‘train’ of thoughts and insights is about to pass by, like one of those old-time steam locomotives. They amble along, which allows time for passengers to chat as well as to explore carriages. I can rummage around looking for any interesting ‘cargo’ and such ‘trunks’ often hold hidden gems. Also, conversation with passengers may bring a confirmation, an affirmation or even a revelatory word from the Lord. So won’t you go back three weeks and share my latest ‘trip’ with me?

It’s a free ride, so no need to buy a ticket as we dash through to the platform where its entrance acts as a ‘portal’ and we jump back three weeks in time. On board this short, now moving train we’re welcomed by a kaleidoscopic collection of inter-linked thoughts and insights. Let’s check what’s in this first carriage before we move further along the train…

1st ‘carriage’

Here I sit to dig out of my briefcase some prophetic words I’d been given in 1996 (see Why I’m writing). This sheet of paper opens by stating how the day started with a call from someone who’d heard the Lord instruct them to call me with verses 3, 5 and 9 in the Book of Joshua. Re-reading that first chapter now, however, my gaze fixes upon verses 6 to 8 leading into verse 9 and some words seem to have an added emphasis, as below.:

[¹After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ aide: ²“Moses my servant is dead. Now then…]⁷…Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. ⁸Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. ⁹Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

My study Bible says this account of the Israelite tribes’ journey into the land that the God of Abraham had promised him and his descendants was written about 3,400 years ago! I note the fact that Moses’ closest assistant was told to keep entirely focused upon what Moses wrote and upon nothing else. Only by so doing would Joshua and all his people prosper, and God would be with them where they were about to go!

[What Moses wrote is known as the Pentateuch, a Greek term meaning ‘five-volumed book’ and derived from its Jewish designation, ‘five-fifths of the law’. The Israelites knew it as ‘Torah’, meaning ‘instruction’. It is the first five books of the Old Testament: namely Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy.[

Then came an insight: the Torah was the only Standing Instruction this national leader had for his guidance. Furthermore, it was and is the word of God – Holy Scripture. That five-fold book was all they had to believe and follow as holy writ – unlike today with 61 more books comprising later history, poetry and prophetical writings inspired by God’s Holy Spirit. The first 5 books were all Joshua had to go on! Even so, God promised to be with him.

So, about 3,400 years ago Joshua had his instructions but must have gained so much more under the oversight of the Living God. Over the next 1,400 years the descendants of those ancient Hebrews received many more writings inspired by God. And then about 2,000 years ago, God once again drew alongside them as ‘Immanuel’. [A Hebrew word meaning ‘With us is God’ and a title for Jesus Christ, as used by the OT prophet Isaiah when he prophesied Jesus’ virgin birth 700 years earlier – Isaiah 7:14 refers.]

By the time this later Joshua (which means ‘saviour’) lived amongst the Jews as Jesus of Nazareth, their scripture had grown from 5 to 39 authoritative books, and which are known to Christians as the Old Testament. [Some traditional Christian denominations recognise a few more books: see How many books are in the Bible?]

Jesus taught the people with an authority greater than that of their priests because His words came direct from God. [See John 8: 25-39 for His declaration on this issue and which leads into the opening verse of this blog. The last part of v 32 is often quoted but ignores the specific condition for achieving freedom – ie. abiding in God’s word.]

Within a few decades of Jesus’ life another 27 books written by apostles and disciples were recognised as being inspired by God and collated into the New Testament as a complete Bible. So we Christians have a huge Standing Instruction.

Another insight comes: As in Joshua’s time, Jesus’ first followers had God’s promise to go with them, only this time they wouldn’t be going into just the small area of land at the eastern end of the Mediterranean. This time Jesus, the Son of God, commissioned His followers to ‘go to the ends of the world’ after the Holy Spirit would visit and stay upon them.

And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen. [Matthew 28:18-20]

Like Joshua, those Apostles’ and disciples’ Standing Instructions were based upon an existing body of authoritative scripture that was augmented not only by Jesus’ teachings but also by continuing personal direction from Jesus and the Father. That is, this time God’s promise to always be with them was not just for one person only but for many, and His Holy Spirit would be present within them as an endowment of power! Thus, they then lived and moved with God’s Spirit upon them.

2nd ‘carriage’

The week I’m re-visiting personal prophecies I also come across Bobby Conner’s word for 2013, Calling All Warriors. It stirs me deeply and seems so appropriate for today. (It also connects into the ‘warrior’ word from the UK Prophetic Council, as published here.)

Awaken Your Might - credit; James Nesbit www.jamesnart.com

Awaken Your Might by James Nesbit – purchase from http://www.jamesnart.net

On the Saturday, a mentoring day, I see an inspirational picture matching Bobby’s word. Also that morning, Dr Stone states that the 1st chapter of Joshua is important for these days. So I open my old NIV at that very place and grin. What do you know! As I do so Sharon emphasises her message by quoting the verses I’d just seen and which I’d highlighted many years ago (as in above image).:

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.” [Joshua 1:9]

I’m astounded, as you may have realised from my published account of that day (here). Sharon prophesies that the Church will be moving into what it was always meant to be like, but it will not be easy – as when Joshua led the Israelites into their Promised Land.

3rd ‘carriage’

The next day at church our minister teaches about ‘Abiding in His Word’ – and for me this directly connects into Joshua again! As we considered in the 1st carriage, ‘Abiding’ was God’s Standing Instruction to Joshua, and repeated by Jesus to His followers! The minister then opens this topic by stating:

“The Bible is not a fence that contains God, that is used to restrict Him and His works – it reveals Him! It is guide-lines to indicate who He is and what He can/will do. The Bible is a platform from which He operates!”

Next, she quotes Bill Johnson of Bethel Church, California. (It so happens I’m reading Healing Unplugged, which is a deep discussion between him and Randy Clark about their personal healing ministries. We’ve listened enthralled to Bill several times for he greatly loves teaching from the Word, thereby giving listeners fresh insights.) Now, our minister quotes him as follows:

“It’s hard to have the same fruit as the early Church when you value a book they didn’t have more than the Holy Spirit, whom they did have.”

That reflects in part my earlier thoughts. Next, she goes on to refer to what Jesus told the Jews about God’s own testimony about Jesus being shown though the work He was doing for them:

“But I have a greater witness than John’s; for the works which the Father has given Me to finish—the very works that I do—bear witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me. ³⁷And the Father Himself, who sent Me, has testified of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form. ³⁸But you do not have His word abiding in you, because whom He sent, Him you do not believe. ³⁹You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. ⁴⁰But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life…” [John 5 NKJV]

Our South African minister Lindi summarises the meaning of verse 38:

“The abiding word that is written has to become real so that it becomes the manifest Word – and then you believe and see miracles!

Sometimes we pray for revival or change and when it comes we don’t recognise it. Or, we even reject it because it doesn’t fit into our (Biblical) box…

“The abiding word is what positions us for the next thing that God is going to do!”

Wow, all this is amplifying and enhancing my meditations during the week.

4th ‘carriage’

The very next day I’m prompted – and I don’t know why I should do so – to check that a link on an old posting is working. This is the source’s homepage for The Bridegroom Cometh, but I find it’s dead! So I check again a few hours later, but this time I’m so utterly astounded to see there the picture I’d bought only two days ago and hangs in the study! (As above under ‘2nd carriage’.) Moments later Nina enters the study, sees the picture on-screen and her jaw drops!

IS IT ANY WONDER I was absolutely stunned? (As first reported here)

What is our Lord and God saying and indicating?

Can you hear Him?

May I summarise?…

God gives plenty of instructions for us to meditate upon, to follow and live by so that we will always remain, or abide, in them. In addition to that He gives us Himself – so what more could we possibly ask or want?

Here’s one of my favorites on abiding from that very special, private teaching time in the upper room on the eve of Jesus’ trial and crucifixion.:

“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 Myself to him.”

²²Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, “Lord, how is it that You will manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world?”

²³Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. ²⁴He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me…”

Then, when talking about His being the True Vine, Jesus again stresses the great importance of abiding in God’s holy word.:

“If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. ⁷If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. ⁸By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.⁹“As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. ¹⁰If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love…”

These are from John 14 and John 15 respectively in NKJV, but it’s much better to read the whole event and thereby gain its full context. So why not invite the Lord to be with you as you read and meditate upon chapters 13-17 of the Gospel according to John?

May He be with you in Spirit…

Our train halts in a station for a quite a while and we take a break to walk around the station. Here we find a number of civilians and military personnel dressed as though they’re in the 1940s! We recognise one distinguished figure boarding as we’re called back on board and enter the 3rd carriage to continue on our journey (click to proceed).

Are ‘Christians’ leading homosexuals to Hell?

Posted on Tuesday, 12 February, 2013 by Richard Barker

Thank you to Tembisa for this link, which reinforces Steve Hill’s warning of a spiritual avalanche. It is an excellent analysis of a better approach to unhelpful, even dangerous, attitudes which could promote a false Gospel. Also, Hilary White’s linked article provides some keen insights into the Steve Chalke issue. More about this subject may be found in Gillan Scott’s solid review, Unconditional: Rescuing the Gospel from gays vs. Christians Debate. There are extensive comments on this and to his related posts, in which I’ve participated lately. I have, however, one ‘off-side’ reservation. It is recommended by Prof.Tony Campolo, whom I saw many years ago. In reading his Conversation about politics at the time of the last US elections, I was concerned over his using Ephesians 1:18-22 to stress God’s action through earthly politics whereas the verses are about powers in heavenly realms. I trust our professor will acknowledge the King’s soon return to rule on earth?

Steve Hill WARNS – Stop Spiritual Avalanche!

Posted on Monday, 11 February, 2013 by Richard Barker

On 11th Dec 2012 Steve Hill wrote.:

This is coming to you from a man who has just passed through the valley of the shadow of death. Since my close call with eternity just a short while ago … everything has become clearer. I can hear His whisper. Unabated obedience has become my mandate. That is why I’m writing this word from the Lord..:

THE SPIRITUAL AVALANCHE THAT COULD KILL MILLIONS

A few days ago, after enjoying quality time with Jesus, I was surprised by an alarming vision. I saw a massive, majestic mountain covered in glistening snow. It reminded me of the Matterhorn in the Swiss Alps. Its peaks were sparkling white and I was amazed by God’s attention to detail. It was so realistic I wanted to go skiing! But I sensed that there was more that the Holy Spirit was about to reveal. As I closed my eyes, I was in a winter wonderland bustling with thousands of vacationers. The ski lodge, condos, hotels and cabins were at full capacity at this popular resort.

Day quickly turned to night as the skiers, snowboarders and sports enthusiasts were settling in. Anticipation grew as the snow began to fall. Everyone headed to bed believing tomorrow would be a day of sheer enjoyment on freshly covered slopes. For an avid skier, the exhilaration of being the first one to race down a new blanket of snow is a dream come true.

Throughout the night, winter storms dropped several feet of new snow on the slopes. The night ski patrol was put on full alert. Their mission was clear. With the potential of killer avalanches they took to their posts.

I began to weep as the vision continued to unfold along with its spiritual application.

The ski patrol operated like a well-trained platoon. Some boarded helicopters manned with small bombs, others jumped on snowmobiles loaded with hand-held explosive devices. What seemed to be a strategic group of sharpshooters were stationed at the base maneuvering anti-tank weapons aimed at the snow-covered peaks. They fired their weapons at strategic points in the “avalanche zone” to force avalanches before the snow accumulated to a life-threatening depth. Left unchecked, the accumulation of heavy, dense snow packed on top of lighter snow could easily slide down with incredible speed and force, resulting in enormous damage and loss of life.

The Lord began to speak. I trembled. The fresh, new snow represented the false teaching that is steadily falling on the ears of the body of Christ. It has been, and is, a heavy snowfall. The skiers represented believers and non-believers, trusting the resort for a safe and memorable experience. As Christians, we have been warned to be sober and vigilant (1 Peter 5:8). However, the present, awe-inspiring teachings have lulled many into a deeper sleep.

The layers upon layers of snow have been steadily covering the solid traditional truth of Christ. The truth is that foolish teaching in these days will become so fashionable even the most dedicated believer could become deceived (Matt. 24:24). It’s happening before our eyes. One (of our) spiritual leaders said the other day: “You guys are old-fashioned ‘holiness,’ we are modern-day ‘grace.’ You live in bondage while we can do anything we want.

Pastors and teachers worldwide have succumbed to heretical teachings including universal reconciliation, deification of man, challenging the validity of the Word of God including His judgements, and even lifting any boundaries, claiming His amazing grace is actually “amazing freedom.” You are free to live according to your own desires. Sound familiar? “They had no king and did what was right in their own eyes” (Judges 17:6). These popular self-proclaimed ministers of the gospel are covering the “slopes” and will be held accountable for the spiritual death of millions.

Just as the ski patrol did in this vision, those who are aware of what’s happening must take swift and accurate action. Their weapons of warfare must be aimed at the peaks and the ‘avalanche terrain’ to dispel the lies. Apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers must be willing to drop spiritual bombs, fire anti-heresy missiles, and even drive into the danger zones armed with explosive truth to confront this potential avalanche. The generals of this generation must leave the war room and put their years of experience on the front lines.

Friend, I humbly encourage you to heed this vision and take it before the Lord. I’ve written it just as it was given. My responsibility is to share with the body of Christ His words to me. The ears that hear and the hands that obey are out of my control. This is not just Steve Hill telling a story. Most of what the Lord shares with me is personal and remains in my heart. But I sincerely believe that this is a warning for this hour.

Satan is “snowing the saints” but it can be stopped. In the vision I heard explosions. I saw dedicated Christian soldiers scrambling to do anything it took to bring down this avalanche before devastation occurred. One of the most powerful weapons we possess to combat this onslaught is the tongue. Let God set yours ablaze by preaching ALL the words in RED. If we take action now the result will be a tearing down of false teaching and a remaining layer of solid, God-given, Biblical instruction that will save the lost, heal the sick and strengthen Christians to do the true work of the ministry.

Footnote by RB

Underlining and emboldened text are added. My post of 12th December, Does David Cameron’s decision line up with the Bible?, closes with reference to Steve’s article. His stirring message at The Revival Reunion was about the implications of living in or near Sodom in Lot’s day, as it applies today. In passing, Steve mentioned a vow he’d made to the Lord as he was about to die. He vowed that, should he be restored back to life, he’d continue evangelising for the sake of millions of Muslim souls!

In the circumstances, therefore, it behoves every reader to take the preceding message extremely seriously, as though issued with the holy ‘imprimatur’ of Jesus Christ Himself.

In case anyone’s puzzled or got questions…

Posted on Wednesday, 6 February, 2013 by Richard Barker

Readers and visitors to this blog who aren’t Christians probably have questions about the previous post’s references to a spiritual enemy. Some explanation, therefore, would be helpful for those unfamiliar with the Holy Bible, or Christian doctrine. And, in fact, the good Lord already had that in hand for you! Some timely basic doctrine behind the last post has ‘co-incidentally’ turned up.

So without further delay, I repost an email received today – Part 6 of Rick Joyner’s series on The Great Commission (Jesus’ parting instruction to His disciples, Matt 28).:

THE BRIDE OF CHRIST

As we have been covering, “all authority in heaven and earth” has been given to Jesus, but He has not taken that authority over the earth yet. His kingdom is going to come, and His will is going to be done on earth as it is in heaven. All of heaven lives under the domain of the King. Only Satan and the angels who followed him have rebelled from the heavenly realm and were cast down to the earth when mankind rebelled against God. Now the only rebellion against God in all of creation, the physical or spiritual realms, is found on planet earth.

John wrote that the whole earth lies in the power of the evil one. It does presently lie in his power, but as we are told in Psalms, the earth and all it contains belongs to the Lord. The authority over everything in heaven and earth is under the Lord’s domain, but He has not yet taken His authority over the earth. He could have taken dominion over the earth immediately after His resurrection, but He did not for our sakes. He left it under the domain of evil for a time for one reason—to find those who loved Him and His truth even more than they loved their own lives. They will prove this by living for Him and obeying Him against the opposition of virtually all who are on the earth and hell’s minions as well.

The Lord is all-powerful. He could dispatch of the devil and all of his demonic hordes with the flick of His finger. The Lord could have cast Satan and his hosts into the lake of fire immediately after His resurrection. He had redeemed mankind, and the earth, and it was His to take. He left it as it was for another purpose—He is seeking a bride to rule and reign with Him.

Jesus is called “the last Adam” in I Corinthians 15:45. There was a legal reason for this. The first Adam had been given dominion over the earth. When Adam succumbed to the temptation and chose to obey the evil one instead of God, Satan was able to exert his power over the earth, and we become the slaves of the one we obey. We are told in Romans 6:16:

Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness?

When man fell, all that was under his dominion fell with him, and the earth became the domain of the devil. It was a usurped domain, but this gave the evil one power over the whole earth. The reason why Jesus had to come as a man to redeem the earth was because authority over the earth was given to mankind. This is why Jesus always referred to Himself as “the Son of Man.” Only a man who walked in perfect obedience to the Lord could redeem the earth from the consequences of man’s disobedience. Jesus perfectly fulfilled this and took back the authority over the earth that had been lost by the first Adam.

We can have authority over something and not possess it yet. We could be given a car, the title could be put in our name, and it is at the dealer waiting for us to pick it up. However, until we pick it up, it is not in our possession even though it belongs to us. The title to the earth was put in Jesus’ name immediately after the cross. He just has not come to claim His possession yet in order to allow the conditions on the earth to help prepare His bride, the church, to rule with Him.

The bride of the first Adam lived in the most perfect conditions yet chose to disobey. The bride of the last Adam, Christ, will have lived in the most difficult conditions, and against the onslaught of all the powers of darkness, she will chose to obey. No other creation of God will have endured what she will have endured, and yet she will be faithful. This will be a witness to even the principalities and powers that their time is up over the earth. Even the angels will marvel at her and consider her worthy to be their judges. She will be a worthy bride and joint heir for the Son of God.

God does not tempt us with evil, but as stated in Jeremiah 20:12 and other places, He does allow us to be tested. A test is different from a temptation, though a temptation can be a test just as it was for Adam and Eve. We are tested by the Lord to help us grow and to qualify us for advancement, just as we took tests in school to see if we could be promoted to the next grade. Advancement in the Lord includes more authority. (RB’s emphasis)

As Francis Frangipane likes to say, “You never fail one of God’s tests; you just keep taking them until you pass.” That is basically true. Israel kept going in circles for forty years in the wilderness because they could not pass certain tests that were required before they could enter their Promised Land. Many Christians do the same thing and keep going in circles in their spiritual life because they keep failing the same tests. It is now time to pass the tests and go on to possess our Promised Land.

Links:

Archive: Rick Joyner’s Word for the Week
Website: Rick Joyner’s Morning Star Ministries

“Having an enemy is a fundamental requirement” – Dr Sharon Stone

Posted on Tuesday, 5 February, 2013 by Richard Barker

Lionheart – Richard Coeur de Lion! The above image spoke about my boyhood hero as soon as I espied it. Alone, it lay amidst paintings by James Nesbit at Dr Sharon Stone’s Mentoring Day last weekend. Whilst sipping a quick coffee after arrival, I saw the vendor getting her goods ready. “It’s mine!” I exclaimed and explained why. The meeting was just about to start and so the lady kindly put it aside for me.

This painting complemented several personal impressions and words over the last few years, as well as more recent words brought by prophetical folk (eg. my remarks about HMS Warrior here). But little did I know how it would plug straight into what Sharon was going to say, and into a few things recently happening as well as some destined for the following week! (See previous two postings and comments.)

Below are my notes, hastily scribbled in keeping up with Sharon as she delivered her message entitled.:

Having an enemy is a fundamental requirement!

This season suits God’s prophetic people better than any I’ve known, because we were made for seasons of conflict when people need to hear us and what God is saying. That is, it’s not so much a time for the ministries of apostle, pastor, teacher, evangelist as it is for the prophet.

More than at any other period, we now need to be on time with prophetic words.

Critics say spiritual warfare is no longer required as we can function from a position of ‘rest’. That’s deceptive because our use of weapons needs to be updated from ‘hand-to-hand’ to our enforcing Jesus’ victory by means of decrees from the ‘heavenly courts’. Our enemy – ‘that worm’ – is to be kept underfoot!

We’re at a new level of time. One where we become warriors and overcomers. So having an enemy is a fundamental requirement to achieving that goal !!

We can’t find and move into our destiny without having and overcoming an enemy. King David’s enemy Goliath defined him.
God changed his life as a result of killing that giant. Shepherd boy David moved from obscurity into notoriety as a national hero.
God’s ‘suddenlies’ do occur but we need to deal with our personal giant and not live under its shadow.
God promotes us when we deal with giants.
We never go back to the same defeated giant!

The spiritual enemy signals the part of our life (eg family/generational issues) in which he’s afraid of us because, were we single-minded in it, he would be overcome. That is, issues are not our weakness but our unrecognised strength – we just need to keep up the m o m e n t u m!

The present season is going to show who are heroes and who are cowards!

THIS SEASON IS WHEN THE WORLD AND CHURCH WILL SEE WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A CHRISTIAN AS OUR FAITH GOES ON TRIAL – AND GOD IS WATCHING HOW WE RESPOND AND STAND.

He wants us to be vulnerable to Him and to being inspected by Him.
It’s our faith that refines us by fire and aligns us to our destiny.
All we have to do in this season is to be strong and courageous and to learn as we progress –

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.” [Josh 1:9]

[I’d already referred to the early verses in Joshua, which are highlighted in my Bible because they led into the personal prophetic words received in 1996 – as here]

THIS IS THE SEASON FOR THE CHURCH TO BE DEMONSTRATED IN THE WORLD LIKE IT’S NEVER BEEN SEEN BEFORE!

In what we’re not, in all aspects of being a warrior, then we are to be fearless because Jesus Christ is in us and fulfills all that we need; as in 1John 4:4

You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. ⁵They are of the world. Therefore they speak as of the world, and the world hears them. ⁶We are of God. He who knows God hears us; he who is not of God does not hear us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.

Also, ‘for a great effective door has been opened but there are many adversaries’ (1Cor 16:9).

Whenever an enemy pops up this signals that we’re moving from one season to another through a ‘new door’. [Note: the ‘open door’ again!]

Footnotes:

Waiting upon the Lord a few weeks ago I had a vision of the huge dark green side of a mountain bursting up through the ground in front of me and close to my feet. I believe this may indicate the time has arrived for the manifestation of an open vision I had for the UK. That first vision meant that, as society fell apart, the solid rock that is Jesus Christ would appear (see Comments upon collapse of society). Hence, the imperative need for believers to take a stand upon The Rock.

Readers may wish to read > In case anyone’s puzzled or got questions…

Posted on Tuesday, 5 February, 2013 by Richard Barker

Andy, I’m absolutely stunned by your including this particular illustration of armour with the word from Bobby. I printed a copy from Bobby’s site last week but several events prevented my reblogging it. BUT at the start of the weekend I bought the only copy of this picture at a meeting! After that I heard Dr Sharon Stone deliver a message on dealing with our enemy! My wife has now come into the room and her jaw dropped in amazement! Clearly, the LORD has a most important encouragement and instruction for 2013 – and there’s this inspirational video!!

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Richard's Watch

Looking for the signs of Jesus' return

Category Archives: Jesus

Is the ‘Petrus Romanus’ prophecy of God? – continued

Is the ‘Petrus Romanus’ prophecy of God?

Prophecies on ‘a new era for the Church’ – part 2

Prophecies on ‘a new era for the Church’ – part 1

Pope Francis and the Archbishop of Canterbury – God’s outsiders pointing to a new era for the church

Is Pope Francis the prophesied ‘Petrus Romanus’?

What’s God up to? Dr Sharon Stone answers my concerns.

Nathan Morris returns to Hull – June

Report of healing from H.O.T.S. in Bath

PURSUE LIGHT!

Isaiah 60:1

Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.

Footnote: Regular readers may not have had the opportunity yet to follow-up my recommendation to visit David and Emma Stark’s website and consider receiving their team’s daily word. Should you wish to do so, here’s the link for Lion Bites.

When we come together…the Body of Christ

5 reasons why Christians should not accept Jesus as their saviour

5 Reasons Why Christians Should Not Accept Jesus As Their Saviour

1. Christians Are Called To Follow, Not Accept

2. Christians Conform To Christ, Not Christ To Christians

3. Christians Are Called To Community, Not Isolation

4. Christians Are Called To Serve, Not Be Served

5. Christians Are Saved For More Than Just Themselves

Paws-4-thought: more encouragement

Forgiveness

Abiding in God’s Word

Are ‘Christians’ leading homosexuals to Hell?

Steve Hill WARNS – Stop Spiritual Avalanche!

In case anyone’s puzzled or got questions…

“Having an enemy is a fundamental requirement” – Dr Sharon Stone

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Isaiah 60:1

Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.

Footnote: Regular readers may not have had the opportunity yet to follow-up my recommendation to visit David and Emma Stark’s website and consider receiving their team’s daily word. Should you wish to do so, here’s the link for Lion Bites.

Share this:

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5 Reasons Why Christians Should Not Accept Jesus As Their Saviour

1. Christians Are Called To Follow, Not Accept

2. Christians Conform To Christ, Not Christ To Christians

3. Christians Are Called To Community, Not Isolation

4. Christians Are Called To Serve, Not Be Served

5. Christians Are Saved For More Than Just Themselves

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