Tag Archives: Prophecy

January 7, 2024 · 4:48 pm

In the recent spiritual and sexual abuse scandals, could the church leaders have avoided moral failure by undergoing deliverance? (Part 3)

Judson Cornwall (1924 – 2005) was a noted preacher, pastor and prolific author of over 50 books, some of which are considered classics today.

Cornwall was invited to be the main speaker for a graduation ceremony at Elim Bible Institute in Lima, New York. He concluded his speech by saying, “Let me offer you some advice. Don’t go directly from this ceremony into fulltime ministry or to being a church pastor. Take three or four or five years off. Get a job and work in the market place. Discover the problems normal people struggle with every day. You will learn how to better relate to your congregations and how to help them. And all the while, the Holy Spirit will change you. So, do your congregations a favor, get a job.”

The result of Cornwall’s wise advice was that Elim Bible Institute never invited him to speak again at their college.

*******

Four months after Vice President Mike Pence eulogized Ravi Zacharias as “the greatest apologist of this century,” Zacharias’ reputation began falling apart. Three women who worked at two spas he co-owned in the Atlanta area came forth, alleging sexual harassment and abuse by Zacharias.

Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (RZIM) hired a law firm to investigate Zacharias. Their 12-page report contained findings far worse than anyone could have ever imagined. Two hundred contacts of female massage therapists with photos, some in the nude, were on Zacharias’ cell phones. A trail of misuse of RZIM funds to fund his sexual escapades in the US, India, Thailand and Malaysia was uncovered.

The law firm’s best estimates were that Zacharias’ sexual escapades had happened over the ten-year period leading up to just a few months before his death.

One woman told the investigators that “after he arranged for his ministry to provide her with financial support, he required sex from her.” She called it rape.

She said Zacharias “made her pray with him to thank God for the ‘opportunity’ they both received” and, as with other victims, “called her his ‘reward’ for living a life of service to God,” the report says. Zacharias warned the woman—a fellow believer—if she ever spoke out against him, she would be responsible for millions of souls lost when his reputation was damaged.

More information can be read here and here.

******

Okay, here’s my supposition and like all opinions, it can be somewhat true or totally false. So, reader beware!

Zacharias was delivered from the kingdom of darkness and translated into the Kingdom of God when he was seventeen years old. He was saved.

But like me, he may still have had some iniquity intertwined with his personality by puppet strings leading to a demon. This demon may have been able to pull on his soul – mind, will and emotions – at various times throughout his life, tempting him toward his inner sexual lusts. His inner lusts may have slowly overcome his spiritual learning and fear of the Lord, until he finally fell into sin. And the sin eventually became full-grown so that he was completely dead to any conviction by the Holy Spirit.

Was Ravi Zacharias ever possessed by the demon? No, but he was heavily deceived.

Maybe if Ravi Zacharias’ path would have crossed with Judson Cornwall, maybe Zacharias would have listened to the wise advice. But this did not happen because Zacharias moved from high school graduation, to emigrating to Canada, to Bible school, to marriage, to studying for his Masters of Divinity and then working in fulltime ministry. He never worked a normal job.

Thus, no friends talked with him after a church service, asking to pray for him so that he could be delivered from the demon.

Why have I mentioned Zacharias not having a normal job? Is this really that important?

Once Zacharias stepped into a pulpit of a traditional church, his gifting elevated him far above the people sitting in the pews before him. The congregation could no longer talk to him on an equal basis.

Can you imagine confronting Ravi Zacharias about his demon and his need for deliverance after a pulpit appearance? I can’t imagine that ending well, can you?

The biggest chasm in the traditional church system is between the pulpit and the pews. Seldom is there a bridge between the two.

I’ve used Ravi Zacharias in my article for a few reasons. One, he is dead; and two, there is so much info available about him.

But I have done some checking on other sexual abuse scandals, almost every pastor and leader has followed Zacharias’ example. Could these scandals have been avoided by deliverance from a demon at an earlier age? Maybe.

The comedian Flip Wilson used to joke, “The devil made me do it!”

Yet, pastors and leaders can’t use that for an excuse because the man with 2,000 demons ran up to Jesus, bowed down and worshipped Him.

It still all comes down to having humility and a godly character

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Tagged as Bible, Christianity, Christmas, Church, Faith, Prayer, Prophecy

January 3, 2024 · 3:12 pm

In the recent spiritual and sexual abuse scandals, could the church leaders have avoided moral failure by undergoing deliverance? (Part 2)

In the early months of 2020, I learned that one of my heroes of the faith, Ravi Zacharias, was suffering from a rare cancer – sarcoma. The article asked for prayers for him because without divine intervention, he was only expected to live a couple of weeks.

I prayed for Zacharias and even tried to negotiate with God. “Lord, I am willing to take Ravi’s sickness in my body so that he can be healed and live to touch millions more people.”

My negotiations and prayers were not heeded because Ravi Zacharias died on May 19, 2020. He was seventy-four years old when he died which was my age also. (I was born in February and he was born in March.)

A few months later, I was shocked to learn that Zacharias was not the man of God I thought he was.

******

Ravi Zacharias was born on March 26, 1946, in Madras, India. He grew up in the Delhi area and was fluent in both English and Hindi.

His parents were Anglican, but he remained a skeptic until a failed suicided attempt landed him in the hospital when he was seventeen years old. A Christian worker brought him a Bible and asked his mother to read John Chapter 14 to Ravi.

“Because I live, you will live also” were the words that sliced through Ravi’s skepticism. Ravi committed his life to Christ and prayed, “Jesus if you are the One who gives life as it is meant to be, I want it. Please get me out of this hospital bed well, and I promise I will leave no stone unturned in my pursuit of truth.”

Soon after, Ravi and his parents emigrated to Toronto, Canada, where he received his undergraduate degree from Ontario Bible College (now Tyndale University) in 1972. He furthered his education with a Masters of Divinity from Trinity International University and also studied in Cambridge, England, at a Church of England theological school.

Ravi first evangelized U. S. soldiers and Viet Cong prisoners in Vietnam and the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia. Then, he packed his bags and traveled the globe. In August, 1984, he founded Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (RZIM) in Toronto, with his goal to be a “classical evangelist in the arena of the intellectually resistant.” The ministry was later moved to the suburbs of Atlanta, Georgia.

As an apologist for Christianity, Ravi argued that a coherent worldview must be able to satisfactorily answer four questions: that of origin, meaning of life, morality and destiny. He said that while every major religion makes exclusive claims about truth, the Christian faith is unique in its ability to answer all four of these questions.

Ravi wrote more than thirty books and hosted two radio programs, all while traveling the world to fulfill his calling. He touched millions of people through his ministry, including mine.

Vice President Mike Pence called Ravi “the greatest apologist of this century” at his funeral which was watched live by 1.2 million people. Tim Tebow and other luminaries spoke of their admiration for Ravi. Whitehouse spokesman, Kayleigh McEnany, summed up what many felt about Ravi: “He made us feel that we didn’t need to check our brains at the door to be a
Christian.”

And yet, he had a secret life which exploded onto the public scene only weeks after his death.

(Continued in Part 3)

The Dividing Line for the End Times

Let no one deceive you by any means; for the Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition (2 Thessalonians 2:3)

Most scholars think that the Apostle Paul wrote his second letter to the church in Thessalonica soon after he wrote his first letter. He probably wrote the second one because in the first, he wrote: “But concerning the times and seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write you.”

As one scholar wrote: “Paul’s letters are like listening to a phone conversation and hearing only one side of the conversation. You have to guess what the other side is saying from the info you have received.”

From reading 2 Thessalonians Chapter 2, I figure Paul received some questions from the Thessalonian church concerning the timing of the Lord’s return. A few must have worried that the Lord had already returned and they had missed the rapture. This means they were not so sure about the times and the seasons as Paul had originally thought when he wrote 1 Thessalonians.

So, Paul emphatically answered their questions by stating that two events had to occur before the Lord returned: (1) the great falling away or apostasy and (2) the revealing of the Antichrist.

Where did Paul get his information about the two events? Although the books of Matthew, Mark and Luke had not been written as yet, the story lines would have been passed on to him by Peter, Luke and the other disciples. You see, it was Jesus Himself who first spoke about believers falling away and the revealing of the Antichrist.

Okay, many have felt that the falling away has already taken place. They point out the many pastors and leaders who have left Christianity as examples of the “falling away.” But these are only a few drips compared to what Paul experienced when “all of Asia turned away from Him and his gospel.”

And yet, Paul did not state that the turning away of Phygellus, Hermogenes, Demas and all of Asia fulfilled his words about the “great falling away.” Instead, he encouraged Timothy to continue preaching the word!

A few years ago, I felt the Lord say to my heart: “Fifty to seventy percent of American believers could fall away in the great apostasy. Warn your children and grandchildren and others to prepare themselves for this upcoming time period.”

Don’t envy sinners, but always continue to fear the Lord. You will be rewarded for this; your hope will not be disappointed. ((Proverbs 23:17-18)

How can we prepare ourselves for this chaotic upcoming event?

As I wrote in my last blog post, I believe the fear of the Lord will be the dividing line between those who fall away and those who continue to walk with the Lord.

Thus, we can pray for ourselves, our loved ones and others the following prayer:

Father, in Jesus’ name, help us to keep our tongues from evil and our lips from speaking deceit, help us to depart from evil and do good, help us to seek Your peace and pursue it all the days of our lives. And help us to never envy sinners and also to be zealous for the fear of the Lord. (Based on Psalm 34:13-14 and Proverbs 23:17)

Remember: Jesus and Paul gave us advance warnings to help us through this event. We do not have to become a part of the falling away. We can set our hearts to fear the Lord all of our days here on earth.

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October 29, 2023 · 2:53 pm

A Return to the Fear of the Lord

On an afternoon in 1995, I sat alone in my apartment, reading a biography about the healing and faith pioneer, John G. Lake. As I turned the pages and read how God continually provided for Lake’s needs, it dawned on me — “My life really sucks right now! Where was the God who was supposed to be my Provider?”

At the time, I owed thousands of dollars to numerous creditors, most of my friends had dropped me like a hot potato, the woman who I thought would be my wife didn’t want to see me and my kitchen cupboard was bare. I was lonely, broke, hungry and angry.

I laid the book down and stood up. “God if You’re such a big God,” I said, “how come You can’t help me with my problems right now? Maybe Your arm is not as strong as it was a hundred years ago. Is that Your problem?”

I sat down, quite satisfied with the way I confronted God. I picked up the book to continue my reading.

Then, all of a sudden, the Holy Spirit burst into the room in His holiness and power. His fearful Presence blanketed me. I dropped the book and fell on my knees. “O Lord, don’t kill me! Don’t kill me! Forgive me! Forgive me! Please don’t kill me!” I said over and over again.

In the midst of my plea bargaining, the Holy Spirit spoke to my heart. “If I wanted to, I could deliver you from all of your problems in one day.”

“O Lord,” I whispered, “I believe You and will never doubt You again.”

The Holy Spirit’s heavy presence eventually lifted off me.

By mercy and love, truth and fidelity [to God and man—not by sacrificial offerings], iniquity is purged out of the heart, and by the reverent, worshipful fear of the Lord men depart from and avoid evil. (Proverbs 16:6 AMP)

A coworker used to say about certain job situations: “That will put the fear of the Lord into you.” Then, he would laugh.

In his mind, the fear of the Lord was always fearful and life threatening.

And to be honest, the fear of the Lord does contain dread and a terrible fear within it, but that is only in part. Because the fear of the Lord also contains within it a deep reverence and awe for our majestic Creator. A reverence so strong that one would never, ever want to offend God.

Recently, the Lord spoke to my heart: “In the End-Times, the fear of the Lord will be the dividing line between those who fall away and those who continue to walk with the Lord.”

Here’s my prayer:

Father, in Jesus’ name, help us to keep our tongues from evil and our lips from speaking deceit, help us to depart from evil and do good, help us to seek Your peace and pursue it all the days of our lives. And help us to never envy sinners and to be zealous for the fear of the Lord. (Based on Psalm 34:13-14 and Proverbs 23:17)

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October 22, 2023 · 12:18 pm

Baptism in the Holy Spirit: Déjà vu All Over Again

The Charismatic Revival of the 1960s and 70s had its beginning on Sunday, April 3, 1960, when Rector Dennis Bennett announced to his St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Van Nuys, California, about his being baptized in the Holy Spirit. Newsweek and Time magazines featured articles on Bennett’s experiences,

The resultant controversy and press coverage spread the Holy Spirit fire from the Episcopal Church to the Lutherans, Presbyterians, Catholics, Methodists and most other denominations.

The end result is that at its highpoint one-quarter of American Christians were tongue-talking, spiritual-gift using believers.

But sadly, the charismatic fires have been dying out over the last ten years, but I feel the Holy Spirit is about to change this:

Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away (apostasy) comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition. (2 Thessalonians 2:3 NKJ)

The Apostle Paul just echoed the words of Jesus when our Lord said – “many will fall away and will betray one another and will hate one another.”

Several years ago, I felt the Lord say to me: “If believers are not warned and prepared for the End-Times, 50 – 70% of American believers may fall away.”

Why so many?

Because the End-Times will be so tough and the deceit will be so mind-boggling for any American believers who are lukewarm and who live their spiritual lives under the influence of the Laodicean spirit, which is the prevalent spirit over most American churches right now.

Thus, because the Lord is gracious and merciful, I feel He will soon send a second Charismatic Revival to stir up us American Christians. There will be an extreme emphasis on talking in tongues, prophetic words, discernment and healing.

We absolutely need these gifts for the days ahead!

P.S. I believe whole churches who are a part of the Reform tradition will be changed in a blink of an eye by the Holy Spirit to tongue-talking, prophetic churches.

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August 5, 2023 · 11:57 am

When and Where Does the Marriage Supper of the Lamb Take Place?

If you are a Pre-Trib zealot and believe the Church will be raptured just before the Tribulation, then your answer concerning the when and where of the Marriage Supper of the Lamb is really quite simple. It will take place when the Church is raptured and will occur in heaven, continuing for the seven years that the Tribulation is being carried out on earth.

Now, most Pre-Trib enthusiasts believe the seven-year Marriage Supper is modeled after the Jewish wedding celebration where the feasting and partying can last up to seven days or one week. In the End-Times’ case, the celebration will take place in heaven and last for a week of years rather than a week of days – or seven years, right?

Ah, but there are some chinks in the logic here!

Why would the Father overlook the greatest addition of new Jewish believers ever to the Body of Christ, especially since it’s a Jewish wedding celebration?

What Jewish believers will be missing at the Wedding Supper of the Lamb if the Marriage Supper is held in heaven while the Tribulation is carried out on earth?

1. All of Israel will be saved. (Romans 11.26). This could amount to a few million new Jewish believers.

2. The one hundred and forty-four thousand sealed martyrs slain during the Tribulation (Revelation 7:4-8)

3. The two witnesses – possibly Moses and Elijah. (Revelation 11:3)

Plus, in Isaiah 54:1-8 and Isaiah 62:1-5, the Father promises to marry Israel. If so, does this mean there could be a marriage supper in heaven for the Church and then a marriage supper for Israel on earth?

No, absolutely not!

And also, Jesus, Israel and the Church are interwoven together through –

1. Jesus is the Head of the Church (Ephesians 5:23), Bridegroom to the Church (Ephesians 5:22-33) and Husband to the bride who is named New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:2). But Jesus is also the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David (Revelation 5:5) and the Son of David. (Matthew 21:9).

2. The twelve apostles are the foundation of the Church (Ephesians 2:20) and will sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel ((Matthew 19:28) and the twelve apostles will be honored by having their names inscribed on the walls of the holy Jerusalem. (Revelation 21:14)

3. Jewish believers and Gentile believers are recreated into “one new man,” making peace between the two. (Ephesians 2:15)

Let us rejoice and be glad and give glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride had made herself ready…Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb. (Revelation 19:7, 9)

I just can’t see the Lord Jesus pouring a huge blessing on the basically Gentile side of the Church, while ignoring the Jewish believers. This is certainly not the way to make peace!

Studying the End-Times helps us understand the period better, but it also opens up new questions for us. But I believe I can make this one statement:

The marriage supper of the Lamb will not be happening in heaven while the Tribulation is being carried out on earth.

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July 30, 2023 · 1:23 pm

Who is Restraining the Antichrist?

There are so many ridiculous End-Time prophecies circulating on the internet that many of our brains are ready to explode. Let’s search Scripture for some answers, okay?

The Apostle Paul wrote;

Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son on perdition (2 Thessalonians 2:3 NKJV)

Frank Viola states that reading Paul’s epistles is like listening to one side of a phone call, and yes, we miss the other side of the conversation. Thus, we have to assume that Paul was answering questions that had been communicated to him by the various churches.

In Chapter 2, Paul was explaining to the Thessalonian Church that they had not missed the Lord’s return and the Rapture because two events needed to happen first:

1. The falling away (or apostasy).

2. The Antichrist is revealed.

Now, if you’re thinking Paul just pulled these two events out of thin air. He hadn’t! He was actually quoting what Jesus said in Matthew 24:

And at that time, many will fall away and will betray one another and will hate one another (Matthew 24:10 NASB)

Therefore, when you see the “abomination of desolation,” which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand (Matthew 24:15 NASB)

Have both of these events happened yet? No. Maybe a few preachers and others have fallen away from the faith, but it is not what anyone would refer to as “many.” And as far as the Antichrist’s identity? We have no clue as yet.

So, what’s holding back that Day?

And do you know what restrains the Antichrist now, so that in his time he will be revealed. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way. Then that lawless one will be revealed… (2 Thessalonians 2:6-8 NASB)

Who is restraining or holding back the Antichrist from appearing right now?

For the answer to this question, let’s look at Jesus’ first coming, okay?

But when the fullness of time came, God sent forth His Son… (Galatians 4:4)

What determined the fullness of time for Jesus’ first coming? Over 300 Old Testament prophecies had to be fulfilled in Jesus’ birth, life, ministry, death and resurrection. With one of the toughest ones being:

Therefore, the Lord Himself will give you a sign: “Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel (Isaiah 7:14)

Not only did the woman have to be a virgin, but also, her freewill could not be violated. Only a wonderful woman like Mary could fulfill this prophecy:

And Mary said, “Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word…” (Luke 1:38)

Then, if you consider all of the prophecies for Jesus’ supporting cast, such as Judah, John the Baptist, Simeon and others, the fullness of time had to be determined by all of the Old Testament’s prophetic words coming to pass in their perfect timing.

Okay, did you realize that there are more prophetic words for Jesus’ second coming than there are for Jesus’ first coming?

Over 150 chapters in the Bible are devoted to His second coming. That’s more chapters than are in the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John combined!

So, we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts. (2 Peter 1:19 NASB)

…For the testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of prophecy. (Revelation 19:10 NASB)

Some scholars believe the Church is the one who restrains the Antichrist. Others believe it’s the Holy Spirit. Still others suggest different ideas.

But I believe it’s all of the prophetic words (or the Word) in the Bible that restrains the Antichrist so that he’s revealed in his time.

Hey! The prophetic words ushered Jesus into His first coming and I believe this will be true for His second coming, too.

My suggestion is that we study the 150 chapters and know His word so that we are not deceived.

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February 4, 2023 · 12:54 pm

What’s Wrong with the Parable of the Fig Tree Prophecy?

³²“Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. ³³So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near—at the doors! ³⁴Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place. ³⁵Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away. (Matthew 24:32-35 NKJ)

Numerous Bible teachers, including Chuck Smith, founder of the Calvary Chapel Church network, and Hal Lindsey, author of The Late Great Planet Earth, have interpreted Jesus’ words of Matthew 24:32-34 as a prophecy about Israel.

Their collective prophetic teachings state that the budding of the fig tree in verse 32 refers to Israel becoming a nation in 1948. The people born in 1948 and the years afterward would then be the generation that would see the return of the Lord. Each teacher figured a generation was forty years.

Thus, 1988 was the projected year of Jesus’ return, but alas, Jesus did not return as prophesied.

Rather than admitting their error, Smith, Lindsey and most of the other Bible teachers stated that their mistake was not in their premise about Israel, but rather in their assuming a generation was forty years long. They decided a Biblical generation was really seventy years. 2018 was supposed to be the new predicted year for the return of Jesus.

And when Jesus did not return in 2018, these teachers doubled down again and stated a Biblical generation was eighty years. Therefore, these teachers are betting 2028 is the year when Jesus will return.

Will a hundred years be the next guess for these teachers?

Okay! Let’s do some checking for ourselves.

²⁹Then He spoke to them a parable: “Look at the fig tree, and all the trees.³⁰When they are already budding, you see and know for yourselves that summer is now near. ³¹So you also, when you see these things happening, know that the kingdom of God is near. ³²Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all things take place. ³³Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away. (Luke 21:29-33 NKJ)

The fig tree parable is presented in Matthew 24:32-35, Mark 13:28-31 and Luke 21:29-33. All three are similar except Luke states, “Look at the fig tree, and all of the trees.”

By adding the words – and all of the trees – Luke removed the emphasis on fig trees and placed it on the rest of the words Jesus spoke in the four verses. And what was Jesus referring to in the four verses? All of the prophetic words He spoke in Matthew 24:4-31.

The Apostle Paul had a similar problem with the Church in Thessalonica in that they were confused about when the Lord would return. He answered their fears by writing:

Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition (2 Thessalonians 2:3 NKJ)

Paul listed two things had to happen before Jesus returned:

1. Christians falling away from their faith (the great apostasy).

2. The antichrist is revealed to everyone.

Did Jesus mention the falling away of believers and the revealing of the antichrist in His Matthew 24 discourse?

And at that time many [believers] will fall away, and they will betray one another and hate one another. (Matthew 24:10 NASB)

Therefore when you see the abomination of desolation [antichrist] which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place—let the reader understand (Matthew 24:15)

The Apostle Paul’s words agree with the prophetic words spoken by Jesus in Matthew 24.

So, it looks to me like we need to lay our easy-peasy formulas down and follow what Jesus said:

Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. (Matthew 24:42 NKJ)

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March 12, 2022 · 10:39 am

Jesus, Baseball and a Bat

All new Christians need an inner desire to be the best believers they can be for our King and the Kingdom of God. This must be a part of our spiritual makeup. The driving force for our desires must be the Holy Spirit. As far as our natural bodies, they will resist all efforts by the Holy Spirit and attempt to weave fleshly attitudes and pride into our spiritual makeups, thereby weakening them.

One of the Holy Spirit’s main jobs in our lives is to separate the chaff in us from thew spiritual wheat as we walk with the Lord.

In a perfect vacuum, the Holy Spirit would successfully guide and help us put down all of our fleshly desires, especially pride and lust. We would be overcomers in every situation. Yet, none of us live in a perfect vacuum, we live on earth, which is controlled by the god of this world − Satan.

I had a simple dream as a young believer, which should have helped me in understanding my walk with the Lord.

In it, I stood outside a major league baseball stadium, but all of the entrance gates were locked shut. The crowd inside the stadium roared for its favorite teams. The excitement stirred me to hunger for being a part of the action.

I banged on the gate with both hands. The gate finally opened and I entered, not to sit in the grandstands with the crowd, but instead, I was escorted onto the playing field to be a member of Jesus’ team.

There I stood in the outfield, wearing a new white home team uniform with a baseball hat on my head and a glove on my left hand. I looked around at the beautiful green grass, the reddish infield dirt and the gigantic stadium. It was such an exhilarating feeling, knowing I was a member of the team.

Then, like a little boy, I took off running around the outfield. Here and there, helter-skelter, I didn’t care what others thought and ran around the outfield in my excitement, kicking up my heels. I noticed numerous other players in the outfield, doing much the same thing. We all ran around, waving our hands in the air and yelling like a bunch of sugar intoxicated kids.

Now, mind you, the game was going on.

A baseball would fly or bounce into the outfield every so often, but because we were all just aimlessly running around, we couldn’t catch any of them. The best we could do was chase after a ball and wait for it to stop rolling. One of us would pick it up and toss it back toward the infield to a waiting infielder. We outfielders then reverted back to aimlessly running around.

The team somehow promoted me into the dugout to be used for offensive purposes. I was no longer dressed in a glorious white uniform, but instead, I was a wooden baseball bat, hanging on a bat rack with numerous other ones.

A bat, I thought. I’m just a bat! All of my preparation and training has prepared me to be just a wooden bat. How can this be important?

With two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning and the score tied, Jesus readied Himself to bat. He walked over to the rack and chose me as His bat. He walked up to the plate with me in His hands.

The pitcher, Satan, threw a hundred miles per hour fastball on the first pitch to Jesus. The Lord timed the pitch perfectly and smashed it high over the center field fence. He hit a walk-off, game winning home run.

Jesus headed for first base on His home run trot and tossed me − His bat − into the dirt. The crowd stood, cheering and praising Jesus for the victory, but as for me, I laid there, doing nothing and saying nothing.

A batboy came, picked me up and placed me back on the bat rack, waiting to be used sometime in the future by Jesus again.

This simple dream reveals a game within a game whereby we believers move from immaturity to maturity, ending in deaths to our own selfish desires. We are then used by the Lord Jesus to defeat the purposes of Satan.

I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me. (Galatians 2:20)

(Excerpt from my memoir, The Hunt for Larry Who, an Amazon eBook.

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February 26, 2022 · 9:57 am

Wolfgang’s Views on Russia-Ukraine Conflict

Wolfgang Simson posted the following on Facebook:

RUSSIA’s APPETITE FOR THE UKRAINE IN KINGDOM PERSPECTIVE

Tell a bear to stop eating meat and become vegan, because it is “in and green.” What would that bear do? Probably have you for breakfast…

The biggest challenge for anyone trying to grasp what is going on around the globe has always been this: If you don’t understand God, you won’t understand the world. Most of the Western media outlets trying to report on “Bloody Putin” versus “Oh So Holy NATO” entirely miss this. Same is true for the Russian-controlled press, just the other way around.

A prophetic friend of mine, John Mulinde of Uganda, once said – and I call that Kingdom truth # 1: “God preaches through geography.”

In his insightful book, “Prisoners of Geography“, journalist Tim Marshall describes Russia as a prisoner of its own vast – and vulnerable – geography. He portrays Putin as someone who goes to bed praying: “Why, God, did you not put some mountains into Ukraine?!” Russia has always been most vulnerable towards the Western flatlands – and will forever try to protect its imperial interests there.

On a mundane level, the cultural West often conveniently “forgets” to mention that, as the Soviet Union went bust in 1989, they made a deal with NATO to completely withdraw from East-Germany against the NATO-promise that they will not extend NATO eastwards. Russia kept that deal, NATO absolutely did not. So, Russia – no choirboy in that matter itself – has been betrayed and is agitated.

And if you come too close to a dangerous and hungry bear, setting up a tent right in front of its lair, what will be the outcome? Peace and cozying up? No way, Norway, a country trapped right in between a rock and a hard place.

The Kingdom truth # 2 is: Russia is a prisoner of an imperial spirit placed in it by God himself.

The world has seen its sequence of “Age of Empire” -Jesus calls it the “Kairos of Nations” (in Lk 21:24). Daniel 2 and 7 introduces four creatures that are the hallmark or Totems of four empires that will come and rule on the earth: The “lion with wings like an Eagle”, Babylon; the bear, Medo-Persia; the leopard, Greece; and a mutant-monster chimera, Rome.

These empires are given a time window to be imperial as a corrective and pedagogic measure of God, after his own people had rejected his rule over them (1 Sam 8:7). God simply said: You, my own people, reject me to be who I am, King of kings? OK, then as a homework for the next couple of thousand years, y’all learn what it is to be under the fist of global empires that will fill the God- & King-shaped void. Then you will say: Oh my God, we would have better submitted to you than those brute colonizers!

Kingdom truth #3: These empires still exist; their imperial spirit is still alive, although they are coming swiftly to an end in our very days. If you are just following the beasts, you will see that the first empire (Babylon), is still alive in the “Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation” with Henry the LION and the EAGLE as its original double-totem (yes, remember Hitler). It does not take much prophetic acumen to see “Russia the Bear” as an heir to the Medo-Persian bear-spirit. And, for the sake of completion, the British Empire, with originally a LEOPARD, not three lions, in its flag, is a continuation of Greece under Alex the Great. And what is left of the USA is nothing but a Roman Empire Spirit gone West – and now soon going South (as in: falling apart). Watch it.

Kingdom Truth #4 is that Russia, called names like Magog, Gog, Thogarma or Mesech (see Ez 38 + 39, and don’t forget Rev 20:6) has a gaff in its cheek, a hook, a leash placed there by God himself (Ez 38:4). The bear is God’s bear and will dance to God’s flute.

Kingdom truth #5: The bear was told by God: “Eat much meat!” (Dan 7:5). Just as every animal on our planet has a divine thought and intention that created it and gave it persona, God makes nations to do the same: To be vessels for good or bad, holy or unholy. Does the pot have the right to tell its potter: Why did you make me like this? No. But it has the right to ask: WHAT is my purpose? And God would answer: You are carrying a partial Kingdom truth as a narrative and message about a world that ran away from me. You are whom I made you to be. And a bear is not a pussycat!

Although most bears actually like being a bear, to be a voracious and devouring bear is not the prettiest and most romantic of animals. Remember that most of the current “Russian population” (in inverted commas because most “Russians” are actually not ethnic Russian) is probably fed up by Czar Putin and his bloody wars (like Afghanistan or Syria).

This is why many in Russia will now turn away from the empire mindset that traps a man like Putin – and start looking for a better framework for their future, a better allegiance than with Soviet Union 2.0. And this search mode will lead many to the discovery that yes, there is exactly such an empire – totally loving, benevolent, powerful and meaningful – under the wise rulership of a Czar of czars. And this empire is called The Kingdom of God, and it is ruled by Jesus the Christ.

Be ready, therefore, for a huge Kingdom harvest in Russia of many who are getting tired of PK – Putin & Kyrill, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, running in circles.

Now let’s land on earth again after all these Kingdom perspectives and remember the very earthly truth that what is Russia today actually started in Kiev, as a loose federation of Slavic States called “Kievan Rus,” along the Dnieper River in what is todays – Ukraine!

(Wolfgang Simson is the author of Houses That Change the World.)