Very interesting news indeed Gillan, especially in the light of prophetic words for 2013 about working with God ‘to restructure governmental and legislative structures’. Also, your concluding paragraphs mirror that prophet’s emphasis upon seeing issues from God’s perspective.
Thank you to my friend Revd Bill of Blandford for emailing me with news of Steve Hill’s message published in Charisma Magazine and its News Blog. I first heard him deliver it in March at the Revival Reunion of worship leaders, preachers and leaders who were in the Brownsville/Pensacola and Bay of The Holy Spirit revivals. So, it’s good to see it in print.
As with all Steve’s calls for repentance, it is deeply moving and the fact of his personal ‘resurrection’ brings a poignant emphasis to the urgency of this vitally important matter. It is essential for each of us to make sure we’re in right standing with the Almighty.
Steve refers to a raft of deceptive doctrine and errors severely affecting believers’ lives, especially in the United States, namely:
The full content of this message may be read here. It is directly connected with Steve’s warning given from a dread vision of a spiritual avalanche, covered earlier here.
Bill makes these observations:
Having spent a couple of weeks among believers of diverse backgrounds, it is easy to see whole areas of misunderstanding of the truths of scripture. How vital that we encourage all to focus on Jesus and allow the Holy Spirit to lead us into all truth.
[I’m grateful our church minister, Lindi Masters, is firmly against easy grace and taught in depth on grace and ensured familiarity with foundational teachings listed in Hebrews 6:1-3; The Peril of Not Progressing is NKJV’s very apt heading for these verses!]
To listen to Steve deliver his profoundly moving message click here and scroll forward to 2hr 16min. This commences with an introduction by Revd John Kilpatrick and Steve begins in acknowledging his spiritual heritage from mentors David Wilkerson and the English evangelist Leonard Ravenhill, whose mentors were A.W. Tozer and Smith-Wigglesworth.
Amen, and Lord may Your Holy Presence come and put the rising spirit of rebellion and anarchy under Your feet…Thank you to Gillan, for I believe this is more timely than we may conceive, and to Richard Parkhouse for your contribution too.
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:
9 Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him. 10 For 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. 11 Knowing, 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?”
“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”.
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.
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.
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!
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.
Related Posts:
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%.:
In 1989, Depeche Mode released their 23rd 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:
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.
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.
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.
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.
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).
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?
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.
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:
1. United Kingdom’s decrease of values
A few posts ago I referred to a careful critique of an item on the Conservative Party and Israel by the Telegraph’s chief political editor Peter Oborne. He has now done a further analysis of this governing party’s loss of its core values and which His Grace Cranmer rates as, “one of the most perceptive analyses of the contemporary Conservative Party in a very long time”. You may therefore like to read this review on Cranmer’s blog. (The cartoon refers to Her Majesty’s attendance at a Cabinet Meeting as part of her Diamond Jubilee celebrations.)
2. God’s Kingdom increase in China
If you’ve not yet read the very well written article to which the previous post linked then I would urge you to do so now. The underground church’s strategy for the Islamic bloc of nations and the Jews is most inspirational in view of the vision that blessed me in 1992 (as here). Also, the fact these marvellous things started after a Holy Spirit visitation in 1988, years before coming to Toronto and then to Brownsville was new to me.
In addition, this exceptional report reminded me of the extensive footage from China shown in The Finger of God dvd, as well as the true stories of Brother Yun and of the tremendous visions bestowed upon non-Christian orphans and street urchins in Yuman province. These may be read in The Heavenly Man and in Visions beyond the Veil, the details of which may be read below.:
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This exceptional account gives a glimpse of what the Christian church was like immediately after Jesus walked the earth. For Randy Clark it must have been like a trip in a time machine. We’ve been blessed to meet this most humble servant of God in Canada and UK several times. His website is www.globalawakening.com (Some miraculous healings he encountered of disappearing surgical metal parts may be seen here on this blog.) Thank you Tembisa.
Gillan Scott could have written this helpful post especially for those who, like myself, wish to be aware of developments within the CoE but who haven’t been able to do so. He is to be commended for having dug into reviews and and published an informative overview. More importantly, in answering his own question Gillan’s sound logic gives due regard to the perilous impact of likely legislative issues and, more appropriately, he closes to suggest major changes may be on the way – which wouldn’t be surprising in view of several prophecies for this year and the near future! [Details > Cooper, Morris, Meyer, Stone in Jan & Nov.] So I agree – Church of England: “Wake up and watch out!”
This is perhaps fitting for this blog’s 200th post…Wendy Alec wrote the following in an email I received on Thursday.:
“This is a short note from me to share what I’ve sense the Father put so strongly on my
heart concerning the recent elections in America. I have sensed this since the night of our live broadcast from Washington DC on election night, 2008.
“I sense that the Lord has been very grieved by the flow of criticism by the Church concerning Barack Obama these past four years. Instead of fervent prayers for the President of the United States, many times it has been criticism instead that has risen to His throne.
“In fact beloved, I sensed that the Father said that our words as Christians have in fact somewhat imprisoned President Obama….”
To read the full text of this important word and promises of transformation click on Obama Prophecy and Prayer.
Amen, and thank you for this rebuke Lord.
Note: Wendy and her husband Rory are founders of God TV and her earlier works were published in The Journal of The Unknown Prophet – see also About Wendy Alec.
ALSO, see next post which covers an interesting development on this same day.
PS: read further developments in February 2013 by clicking here, a reference in March here and the shift in US policy during Obama’s Jerusalem visit here. See also Joel Rosenberg’s report on their post-UNGA meeting at The White House 1 Oct 2014.
UPDATE Mar 2015: Obama prophecy fulfilled? Netanyahu speech to Congress.
Joel provides a useful analysis of the US election results with interesting observations. No 6 doesn’t surprise me but is nevertheless shameful regarding non-existent Biblical convictions in voters. Regretfully, it’s confirmed by comments about the elections from some UK believers who seem somewhat clueless about the spiritual dynamics.
Last Sunday, Maryland’s Rev Harry Jackson stressed, “Vote Vertical Values!” But USA now continues with a man who professed that his decision on gay-marriage was based upon his family’s discussion, NOT upon prayer and submission to his Saviour. Hence, my reservations about his personal faith – we can but pray for a Damascene revelation and obedience to the Living Lord God Almighty. Amen
[CORRECTED VERSION: In the first version of this column, I incorrectly reported a figure of 25 million evangelicals voting for Obama in 2012. The actual number, as now noted below, is about 6.4 million. Please forgive my error.]
As the smoke clears from the wreckage of the Romney defeat on Tuesday, some intriguing yet disturbing facts are coming to light.
* Fewer people overall voted in 2012 (about 117 million) compared to 2008 (about 125 million).
* President Obama received some 6.6 million fewer votes in 2012 than he did in 2008 (60,217,329 in 2012 votes compared to 66,882,230 votes in 2008).
* One would think that such a dynamic would have helped Romney win — clearly it did not.
* Incredibly, Governor Romney received nearly 1 million fewer votes in 2012 than Sen. John McCain received in 2008. (In 2008, McCain won 58,343,671 votes. In 2012, Romney…
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The following transcript is offered for use as a prayer and declaration over our nations:
“…We come that we may seek Your face, Lord. We are not here by accident but You have ordained it…we stand and we wait for You. Come in all Thy Glory – we are bold enough to say, “Show us Oh Lord, show us Your glory! – show us Your glory! God send Your glory”…The nations are joining us because all around the world people are crying out in this hour, “God, send Your glory, we need You Lord…we need You God to save a generation…to get a hold on our sons that are in rebellion…our daughters that are lost”. [Amen]
“I want to tell you Church” continued Nathan, “That we’ve been silent too long…we’ve been silent too long. While hell is seeking to encamp around America, the Church has been silent too long!
“Send Your glory and The Holy Ghost…AND FIRE…my God, my God…something’s happening right now! You may not like this, but the Church without fire is impotent. When the fire of God, the fire of the Holy Ghost falls as it did in that upper room…falls upon the Church, then we are a nightmare to the enemy!!…Oh God, send the Fire!
“Now, we’re too civilised…we want to put The Holy Ghost in a box!…the glory in a box!! I want to tell you the glory of my God once dwelt between the cherubim on a box and He isn’t going back there again. NOW, He dwells in the hearts of men who hunger and thirst after Him!… Send the fire, send the fire…
“Jesus, what are you doing right now Lord…I feel the power of God starting to break through…people say I shout, but I’m telling you, for the hour in which we’re living in, somebody needs to shout, to shout it from the rooftops that:
“the blood of Jesus has lost NONE of its power!! Oh the blood…the blood has lost NONE of its power!”
Thus petitoned and proclaimed English evangelist Nathan Morris to thousands assembled 9 miles south of the White House and Capitol Hill in Washington D.C. on Thursday 19th July. And then he goes into usual power-preaching mode.:
“When the fire of God fell on me it wasn’t in a church building but on my own on a living room floor. I shook for three hours under the glory of God [he then speaks about the start of his vocation]…I’m tired of this wishy-washy Gospel that says we can come to God any old how, we can do what we want Monday to Friday and Sunday we put on our ‘best’ and come like we’re a saint.
“My God…I want to tell you, there’s a call to holiness. The fire of God will NOT dwell in wishy-washy preaching. The Church doesn’t need wishy-washy ministers…
“We need to preach the blood, the cross, the Holy Ghost fire, repentance, holiness. The day that God sees there are men and women that reverence this place is the day that He will return to the pulpit again…”
[Nathan briefly tells how this brought many healings in Africa, even to the dying.]
“But oh, if we would get back to the Gospel Jesus preached, if we would get back to our knees again…God still heals, He still saves, He still delivers [alleluyah!]
“America, nations of the world, there is a God of eternity who rules and reigns with power…of His dominion and of His Kingdom there is no end…
“I want to tell you and I say this with all reverence, and it doesn’t matter who is in the White House, let me tell you one thing:
“When the Church of Jesus Christ stand under the glory of God there is no leader, no power, no government, that will shake what God says to a nation – it SHALL come to pass!!
“Do you think Delia Knox coming out of a wheelchair was a problem to God? It didn’t even flinch him! What a mighty God we serve!…” (For her healing, see video clips.)
====
[It’s interesting that Christen Forster mentioned this kind of preaching during his summary of the listening prayer-time in Westminster – see here. ALSO, one of a number of thoughtful posts in Life’s Little Slices emphasises this topic.]
Earlier Rev John Kilpatrick was greeted and honoured by a local bishop and leaders at the National Church of God at Fort Washington, MD. Two had previously invited the rivalist team to Silver Spring on the north side of Washington. That was in the days leading into US’ National Prayer Day on 5th May – AND it goes without saying that first evening of repentance by thousands was very different to politically convened events.
To be stirred and blessed, run this video and listen to Nathan speaking as above at 2hrs into the meeting AND what Bishop Harry Jackson says at 1hr8min about events related to that earlier conference in DC is, in my humble opinion, important for the USA.:
Bay Revival July 19, 2012 from Bay Revival on Vimeo.
Yet again – right place, right time. Some may think it ‘spooky’ – but please, it’s definitely not some sort of boast. Maybe, it’s just that I’m alert to these kind of things, or perhaps it’s a gift of discernment. Whatever it is, it’s far too frequent to be my imagination, especially as actual physical events are involved. My last few postings considered a strange series of serendipity which ended up being validated by yet another ‘coincidence’! So, would you bear with me once again?
Last Saturday 
I attended a day’s teaching led by Christen Forster, senior leader of River Church in Maidenhead, at The Emmanuel Centre, Marsham Street, Westminster. He spoke about authority, power and control in the Church and in the world.
I was particularly interested to learn the outcome of a recent gathering of about 90 senior leaders from church, commerce, culture and politics who met in St Mary’s Undercroft directly beneath the House of Commons. They’d listened to Jesus in silence for an hour and then fedback what they felt He was saying to the nation.
As Christen reports in his blog:
This was a historic event and at the same time a single step in a flow of developments putting the Word and Presence of God back into the Foundation of the United Kingdom. On the floor in the middle of the corridor that divides the House of Commons from the House of Lords there is a Latin inscription. In translation it read…
“Lest the Lord builds the house, those who labour do so in vain…”Words that remind us that despite the Godless direction of so much policy conceived and enacted at Westminster today, the roots of authority in the UK are in the word and presence of God.
(click on Listening to Jesus in the Palace of Westminster.)
He said that the listening-prayer time under Parliament was unique and it had started and closed with the ringing of a bell – where’ve we heard about that before? (here and here). Yet even more remarkable was the consistency of the spirit and themes. There was weight and authority in what God is saying yet, being nationally-relevant, it is quite broad. Even so, some points could be applied to us as individuals.
Of the many points I was impressed with the recognition that the nation is reaping the consequences of our moral collapse. Also, divisions and death in the nation have reflected those between/within the body of Christ. The church must, therefore, be changed, improved and rebuilt and not hold back in proclaiming the Gospel. As a nation we should recall and build upon the former solid foundations of Christianity. The whole report will verified, signed and published in due course. (Initial overview now available here.)
Next week, there will be a follow-up evening of prophetic prayer for Parliament and government at The Emmanuel Centre (see Kingdom Come).
NOW, I was surprised that Christen briefly referred to two other matters for they are relevant to this blog’s recent posts.:
[This last from my notes was reserved but is added for cross-referencing here! – 25/7.]
Where did we last encounter a Godly reference to Windsor? – the previous post. And the next day at a church we’d been invited to, this royal town on the river Thames cropped up in the pastor’s conversation about the vision for starting that church! So, serendipity strikes yet again!! Therefore, it really must be of God.
But there’s much more. Here’s what I talked about with Dr Sharon Stone during a conference in February:
After talking about her class in Windsor an image of its Castle’s famous round tower came to mind. This was followed by the notion that its crenellated battlements looked like the teeth of a giant cogwheel which could fit into some sort of invisible socket where earth could get plugged into heaven.
It’s a little hard to explain but then the thought dropped into mind that such engagement would enable the heavenly kingdom to ‘wind up’ our earthly kingdom – or ‘queen-dom’ – for the Lord’s purposes (eg. revival) – rather like putting a key into and winding up a clockwork toy.
Windsor Castle, courtesy CopyrightFreePhotos
Combine all that with this unique photo Alan May took (original link removed as demand crashed website but see copy here) during Garter Day on Monday 13 June 2011 at the Castle..:
WOW, WOW, WOW !!
Richard's Watch 