morningstar prophetic bulletin-2004 by rick joyner

7/30/2019 MorningStar Prophetic Bulletin-2004 by Rick Joyner

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“ For whoever wishes to save his life shall lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake shall

find it.

The Lord began speaking to some of us twenty years ago, saying, “the cross will be popular again.”

He also said that when this happens, a new breed of leadership, a new breed of Christians, and aradically new church would arise. We have now come to that time. There is going to arise within the

church a renewal movement which truly deserves the name. It is going to be so radical and so

powerful, that it is going to make all things new. The present emerging generation has been called the

most selfish yet. Selfishness and arrogance have become increasingly powerful strongholds within it.

Even so, where sin increases, grace will increase even more (see Romans 5:20). The emerging

generation will produce the most selfless and self-sacrificing Christians seen since the first century.

This is going to result in a release of spiritual power and authority such as has not been seen since

the first century. True apostles are going to walk the earth again, and where they walk, true apostolic

churches will arise.

This new breed of Christians will be the most fearless people on earth because they will have already

died to this world, and it is impossible for the dead to fear. They will walk in unprecedented faith

because they will have learned the secret of not looking at themselves and who they are, but at the

Lord and who He is. They will not live by faith in their own abilities, but by faith in His strength. They

will walk in unprecedented power because they will have learned the secret: the cross “is the power

of God” (I Corinthians 1:18).

The Passion

As I wrote in a Special Report on Mel Gibson’s, The Passion of the Christ, which was posted on our

website on J anuary 14, 2004, the reason why this film is one of the most controversial of our times is

because it is one of the most anointed and powerful films produced in our times. It is the most

accurate, honest portrayal of the crucifixion ever screened. However, as powerful as it is, it still likely

falls short of depicting the kind of torture the Lord actually went through.

The Lord did not just die for us—He submitted Himself to the most cruel torture that human minds

could conceive. Evil vented its rage on Him with all of the power it could muster on that day. He took it

for all for us. There will never be a more powerful demonstration of the love and character of God than

was demonstrated in the last twelve hours of the Lord’s life on this earth as a man. This is why His

highest title in heaven, and the one the Scripture implies that He will be called forever, is “ the Lamb.”

Even though this movie is deeply touching to almost everyone who sees it, there is probably only a

very small percentage who really understand the message. However, if even one percent is changed

by it and devote themselves to a life of the cross, it will be enough to change Christianity as we knowit. And, Christianity as we know it desperately needs changing.

If just one percent of Christians begin to live the true Christian life, which is a life of self-sacrifice, not

self-fulfillment, then they will turn the world upside down again with the power of their witness. There

is no greater message, and no greater power than the cross. The cross will be preached again, and it

will be lived again by the most powerful church yet to have walked the earth. The power of the end

time church will exceed that of the first century church just as the Lord prophetically foretold that the

glory revealed in the latter house would be greater than that which was revealed in the former (see

Haggai 2:9). The Lord really has saved His best wine for last, and it is now being prepared.

I am thankful that The Passion is breaking so many attendance records. The true message of thecross is likewise going to draw the multitudes like no other message the church has brought forth. The





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message of self sacrifice is going to quickly eclipse the message of selfishness, just as the sun

overpowers the moon when it rises. This is preparation for the gospel of the kingdom to be preached

in the entire world. The message of the cross is not just the message of redemption and salvation.

The cross is the doorway to the kingdom, and the last message to be preached before the end of this

age is the gospel of the kingdom, not the gospel of salvation. The gospel of our redemption, the gift of

our salvation, and eternal life that was purchased for us at such a price, is so glorious and wonderful

that it is understandable so many Christians are seemingly unable to go beyond this great truth to see

the kingdom. But we must. It is the gospel of the kingdom that must be preached in all the earth

before the end can come (see Matthew 24:14).

The gospel of the kingdom is about more than redemption and restoration. The message of

redemption and restoration are the foundations of the kingdom, but these are still focused more on

man than on the Lord. The gospel of the kingdom is about Who He is and His authority. He is coming

back to rule. The gospel that is about to go forth is not going to be: “Come to J esus and He will bless

you and fix you,” but it will be “Bow the knee! The King is coming!” This is not to imply that when we

come to Him He will not bless us or fix us, but we are not receiving the true blessing or fixing until we

see His lordship.

Even so, the cross is the foundation of the kingdom, and the foundation of the ministries that will

preach it. A generation of Christian leaders is going to arise who will not try to build their ministries,

but rather every day put everything they have at the foot of the cross. They will live holding nothing

back. These will live as not having anything, but possessing all things. In all things they will seek to do

His will. They will become an irresistible force transforming the church, which will then begin to

transform the world. The true church by its very nature is a force for transformation. It is the salt that

makes every one thirsty. It is the light that exposes all darkness. We will see such a church begin to

arise. It will prepare the world for the age to come. The prayer that the Son of God gave us to pray, for

His kingdom to come, and His will to be done on earth as it is in heaven, will be answered (see

Matthew 6:10). The kingdom is coming. The messengers of the kingdom will soon be heard.

The Message

The message of the kingdom is the message of the King—who He is, and what He is going to do. His

will is going to be done on earth just as it is in heaven. The message of His kingdom will be preached

by those who live in the kingdom now, and who are submitted to His authority, living every day with

the simple devotion to do His will. His passion has been the passion of the greatest souls to have ever

walked this earth in any age. But at the end, there will be a church which lives by this passion like no

others have. The age that began at the cross is also going to end at the cross. It will be the power of

the cross that will build the bridge to the age to come so that mankind can cross over.

The most pure Christianity and the greatest Christians are found the closer they live to the cross. The

further the church has moved in time and in its message from the cross, the less spiritual power it has

had, and the more it has begun to rely on earthly power to build its influence. The more sanitized and

politically correct that men have tried to make the message of the cross, the less true spiritual power

the church has had. This avoidance of the cross has caused the church to resort to political and even

military power, to compensate for the lack of real, spiritual power that can only come from the cross.

This inevitably opened the door for some of the most un- Christlike things to be done in His name, by

those with the most un- Christlike character.

This is what the apostles and prophets to the early church foresaw, and prophesied clearly in the New

Testament. They saw the spirit of the antichrist actually taking its seat in “ the temple of God,” whichis the church, and displaying itself as being God (see II Thessalonians 2:4). Any honest student of





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history cannot help but to see that this has in fact happened, and that a spirit, which is fundamentally

contrary to the Spirit of Christ has dominated the church through much of the church age. Though this

antichrist spirit has been displaced from some of the church to a degree, much of it continues its

influence even in our own time. This, too, will soon be exposed.

I Corinthians 1:18 says, “ For the word of the cross is to those who are perishing foolishness,

but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” Because the cross is the power of God,

when the church embraces the cross it can be trusted with the power. As Paul also said in I

Corinthians 4:20, “ For the kingdom of God does not consist in words, but in power.” For the

church to preach the gospel of the kingdom at the end as we have been called to do, we must have

power. If we want to experience the power of God in our daily lives, we must take up the cross daily.

Great power is coming to Christians and to the church who embrace the cross. This will be a striking

contrast to the spirit that has dominated much of the church for most of the church age.

The Opposition

Even the philosopher Aristotle understood that if a truly righteous man ever walked the earth, he

would be persecuted, rejected, and ultimately impaled, which was the Greek equivalent of the

crucifixion. In this way, he accurately prophesied of the coming of Christ and the cross. He did not do

this as much by revelation, but by simply understanding the true nature of men, and why such a

Righteous One would be persecuted by them. The opposition to the movie, The Passion, was from

the same source that persecuted the Lord Himself. I am not talking about just the opposition from the

J ewish community. What happened to J esus would have happened in any nation on the earth that He

would have come to, just as Aristotle understood. What was manifested in the power that had seized

control of the J ewish nation at the time of J esus has also been manifested in almost every nation, and

even more devastatingly, in the church itself. We must understand this. It will rise in opposition to

every truly righteous person and every true message. It is the demonic religious spirit.

This spirit seeks to bring forth a religion of mostly human origin, fueled by human pride and self-

seeking, which is exactly contrary to the way of the cross. This same spirit is found as much in the

church today as it ever was in J udaism. This spirit rose up in the church to persecute the J ews. So,

for nearly a thousand years the J ewish people were under the greatest threat of annihilation from

those who claimed to be Christians, but were in fact the most un-Christlike people on earth at the

time.

The accusations thatThe Passion would release another wave of anti- Semitism are completely

unfounded. In fact, the opposite is true. Those who are anti-Semitic might use it that way, but they will

use anything that way. It was probably those who came out against the movie in the way they did who

fueled more anti-Semitism than anything else. Many began to perceive it was the same spirit thatpersecuted J esus, and it was. The extremist groups came across as having the very nature of the

J ewish leaders who were the villains in the movie and in history because they were of that spirit. The

extremist anti-Christian J ews probably represent less than one percent of the Jewish population

today, as well as during the first century. Likewise, those who were of the same spirit but claiming to

be Christians throughout history have likewise been a very small percentage of the whole of

Christianity. Yet the religious spirit is a power that can take a tiny percentage of people and influence

many others. It is the most basic nature of Satan, and the spirit that is the most fundamentally

opposed to the nature and power of the kingdom.

Recognizing this, we begin to understand that one of the worst deceptions which continues to bring

much destruction to mankind is our tendency to judge others or other people groups, by their mostextreme elements. Even though extremists are usually the most vocal, if we are going to walk in truth





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we must not let the extremists in any people group determine our perception of that people group—

unless that people group allows themselves to be ruled by the extremists.

Every German paid a terrible price for allowing Hitler and the Nazis to gain control of their country.

There were some brave and noble souls who discerned the profoundly evil nature of Nazism, andfought it as hard as they could, many paying for their resistance with their lives. Even so, just as all of

Germany suffered so much because of the Nazis, we will all pay a terrible price every time we allow

tyranny in any form, to gain control. History testifies resoundingly that religious tyranny is the most

deadly and ruthless kind of all, regardless of what group or faith it rises from. We must learn to

discern the true faith from the religious imposter or we will continue to pay a terrible and tragic price.

The Blessing

The Lord promised Abraham that his seed would be a blessing to all of the families on the face of the

earth (see Genesis 22:18). The J ewish people have fulfilled this—they have been the greatest

blessing to every nation, people, and culture. Even so, their ultimate destiny, which is clear in the

Scriptures, is even greater than their history. The J ewish people will arise again as some of the

greatest heroes of truth and righteousness. Also, if we are going to walk in truth we must be delivered

from another great source of deception—the tendency to receive our understanding from the secular

media instead of seeing by and through the Holy Spirit. We must be discerning enough to recognize

that when something becomes controversial, it is often because it is something of great importance

from God.

The devil operates through fear, innuendo, and hearsay. The Lord has more class than to use

devious methods to gain influence. When you see such controversy as was stirred up against The

Passion, it is often because there is something very important from God that the devil is trying to turn

us away from. When we learn to discern the spirit that is behind such things, the true spiritual

warriors, who are warriors for the truth, will run to the sound of the battle, not away from it.

Again, let us not think that what arose in a few Jewish activists against The Passion is especially

embedded in the J ewish people. There are some J ewish extremists who are still subject to this, just

as there are many Christians who are. Let us never forget that God came to us as a J ew! Not only

was Christ Himself J ewish, the apostles, prophets, and everyone who wrote that which is now Canon

Scripture were J ewish—the greatest heroes in human history. We all owe the J ewish people more

than we owe any other race, culture, or people group on the planet.

We also need to know that the J ewish people have been even more persecuted by Christians than

any other religion. Beginning with Peter the Hermit, who led the first crusade and formulated the

diabolical doctrine that the J ews should be killed to atone for Christ’s death, for nearly a thousandyears they were under a continuous threat of annihilation from those who called themselves

Christians. They had their children and their property taken from them, were forcibly baptized, and if

they refused, were killed by those who called themselves Christians. Many credit some of the anti-

Semitic doctrines of Martin Luther for the holocaust they experienced under the Nazis.

For this reason it is understandable that the J ewish people would have a knee jerk reaction to

anything Christian, and especially anything that might again in any way incite the kind of persecution

which they had suffered under for nearly a thousand years. What Christians did to the J ews in the

Middle Ages was far worse than the threats they now suffer from Islam, and in many ways worse than

even what happened to them under the Nazis.





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However, even though there is a need for understanding and repentance on the part of Christians for

the way the J ewish people have been treated in the past by Christians, we cannot allow our own

devotion to our faith to be controlled by this. What rose up in the church during those times was not

Christian, but in fact antichrist.

J esus Himself warned in Matthew 24:5: “ For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the

Christ,’ and will mislead many.” Some have interpreted this as meaning, many would come

claiming to be the Christ, but that is not what the Lord said here. He said that many would come

claiming that He, J esus, was indeed the Christ, but they would still be deceivers who deceive many.

This is exactly what happened, and is still happening.

Many J ewish leaders also understand that their best friends, now and throughout the Middle Ages,

were Christians who were of a different spirit. They know, but seldom fully understand, that these

Christians were not Christians because of their association with an institution, but because of a deep,

personal devotion to Christ. Those who have had a pure devotion to Christ have also always had a

deep love for the J ewish people through whom their Savior came.

Building Bridges

Many who have been true friends of the J ewish people have been offended by the J ewish response

to The Passion. Others are raising questions about the J ewish control of Hollywood, the news media,

and other such things that seem to be used to attack Mel Gibson, and this movie. Again, we must not

let the reaction of the extremists on either side drive a greater wedge between Christians and J ews.

Our goal should be to overcome evil with good. There are some practical ways that we can do this.

One way is to contact the J ewish people in your community and express your appreciation for them,

and the great blessing the J ewish people have been to all of mankind. In spite of the terrible way they

have often been treated in the nations where they sojourned, they have tended to be the best citizens

and neighbors. I think it would be appropriate to even send them a gift, or send an offering to the local

synagogue. If you have the opportunity, tell them that you are sorry for the way they have been

treated by those who called themselves Christians. I have done this with remarkable results.

We also need to understand that the same spirit, which sought to destroy Christ, is intent on

destroying the J ewish people. He knows the destiny of the Jewish people at the end is not only to

embrace Christ, but help to usher in the kingdom of God that will destroy the devil’s kingdom. This will

happen when the J ewish people and the true church unite to become the “ one new man” also

prophesied in the New Testament to come forth (see Ephesians 2:1).

It is because it is the same spirit persecuting both true Christians and J ews that some estimates

indicate just as many Christians died at the hands of the Nazis as did J ews. We do have the sameenemy! For this reason, the enemy’s greatest victory is to turn Christians against J ews, or J ews

against Christians. Let us determine that regardless of what the enemy tries to do, we will not let this

happen. Every time the devil tries to stir up such controversy and division, let us resolve to counter it

with good.

As we proceed toward the end of this age, there will be more and more things arising, which will try to

divide Christians and Jews. The devil is trying to use the movie, The Passion, this way. But its

ultimate result is actually going to give Christians a far greater appreciation of the J ewish heroes of

humanity, and the J ews a far greater understanding of true Christians. It will also show how those are

different from those who were truly of the religious spirit but claimed to be Christian.





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Let us learn to not be controlled by the extremists on either side. The Christians who are trying to use

this present controversy to illuminate “J ewish control” of the media is the same voice speaking

through some of the J ewish extremists, both trying to cause a greater division. You may reason that if

the devil is doing this, then he is a house divided that cannot stand. That is in fact the truth. A demon

of hate will hate other demons as much as they hate us. The powers of darkness often do rise up

against each other, and men get carried away by them on both sides.

Let us resolve to know Christ and follow Him only, not issues. Let us show our J ewish neighbors the

true nature of Christ, who loved both them and us so much that He went to the cross for us all. That is

how the true disciples will always be recognized.

“ By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John

13:35).

What we are doing on this earth is not about us—it is about the Lord. The earth and all that it contains

is His. We were made for His pleasure. We have been purchased with a price, the greatest price that

could have ever been paid—the life of the Son of God. We are not our own. We cannot go on living

for ourselves, but our lives must be centered around, and motivated by, the Lord and His purposes.

We must behold the cross, and the price He paid that demonstrates like nothing else ever could, how

much He loves us, and how much sin cost Him. The movie, The Passion, is anointed to help bring

this reality back to our lives, and our message. There is no greater message than the cross. It is the

foundation that everything else must be built on, and if it is not built on it rightly then it is a weak

foundation at best.

Summary

The kingdom is coming. In preparation for it there are two great events now going on. The

messengers of the kingdom are currently being prepared. The generation now arising is called to fulfill

the Great Commission. The second great event that is coming in preparation for the kingdom is a

tremendous unity which will come among Christians and J ews. Neither the church nor Israel can

accomplish their full purpose without the other. For this reason great spiritual awakenings are coming

to both.

There will be great, cataclysmic changes coming to the church, Israel, and the world to prepare the

way for the kingdom. These will come to shake everything that can be shaken, until we are walking in

truth on the path of life.

This is the path that leads to the most glorious kingdom that this world has ever known. However, to

find it we must be of “a different spirit” than has been found in the church in general, for nearly two

thousand years. As the Lord J esus Himself made clear in Matthew 16:24-25:

If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and fo llow Me.

For whoever wishes to save his life shall lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake shall

find it.

There will be an increasing distinction between those who claim to follow the Lord, and those who

really do by taking up their crosses. J ust as it gets the darkest and the coldest before the dawn, there

are going to be great times of trouble and darkness ahead, but the light will surely rise, and it willsurely prevail over all darkness.





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There are many confusing and conflicting voices who claim to come in the name of Christ, but are in

fact antichrist in nature. The antichrist will rarely come attacking the message of Christ directly, but

rather trying to replace it, and thereby take the seat of Christ in His own temple. This spirit will

become increasingly clear to those who are truly following Christ. The Word of God from the mouth of

the Lord Himself will slay this spirit.

We will always discern the true Spirit of Christ, and those who truly follow Him are the ones who walk

in the way of the cross. They will live to sacrifice and lay down their own lives for others, never using

others for their own selfish interests. This is the nature of true spiritual authority, and the true kingdom

that is surely coming. We can help prepare the way for it by determining to take up our crosses daily,

resolving to do all things for the sake of the gospel.

It is also time to recognize those “temples” that have another spirit in them, and depart from them.

Selfishness and sacrifice are the two most fundamentally defining characteristics of the kingdom of

darkness and the kingdom of God. Regardless of how much one may claim to come in the name of

the Lord, we must discern the basic nature of the messengers, and determine to follow, not just truths,

but the Truth Himself.

Source URL: http://www.morningstarministries.org/resources/prophetic-bulletins/2004/new-breed





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A Prophetic Worldview

Mo rningStar Prop he tic Bulletin No . 60 (2004)

Rick Joy ner

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The New American Standard Bible (NASB).

We are well into some of the most interesting, challenging, and dangerous times in human history,

and will continue to experience them daily. In order to survive, much less prevail in the times ahead,

we must start to perceive the future more clearly, and take proactive steps to be prepared.

The church must also take more proactive steps to engage in what is unfolding if we are to be the

light and salt that we are called to be in our times. The gospel has made the greatest advances in itshistory in the last two decades, but in the West and many other countries, it has been pushed to the

very fringes of existence, and can retreat no further. Indeed, it will not retreat any further. The

recapturing of lost territory will begin now, and we will see many great spiritual victories in America,

Europe, and the Middle East.

To be the salt and light that we are called to be, we must understand the times, and the darkness and

corruption that we are called to confront. After reviewing a few of the basic principles of what is now

unfolding, we will address some specific principles of what we must do. We can know in great detail

what is happening, and what is going to happen, and still be overcome by the times if we do not apply

the faith and truth that we have been entrusted with.

Our Battle

As the Lord said in Matthew 13:39, "the harvest is the end of the age..." The harvest is the

maturing and reaping of what has been sown in the hearts of mankind. This includes both the good

and the evil. All the seeds that have been sown in man are now coming to full maturity. As these

mature, the battle between them will rage from one end of the earth to the other. Understanding this

most basic conflict will be necessary to understanding the world in the times ahead.

We must also understand that there are other ways to deal with conflict than to fight them head on.

There is a way to actually win some fights by refusing to fight, at least until the time is most

advantageous for us. Every general knows that choosing the battlefield can give the greatest

advantage in any battle. Many of the great military victories in history were won by generals who

repeatedly refused to be drawn into a conflict until the battlefield suited their strengths, or magnified

their enemy's weaknesses. This is something that Christians must learn.

Too many needless defeats have come because Christians have allowed themselves to be drawn into

conflicts on the basis of issues rather than by a true leading from the Lord of hosts," or "the Lord of

armies." Most of the ground that has been lost by the church was lost because the devil was allowed

to choose the battlefield, and/or the timing of the battle, and God's people ran ahead of Him to engage

in it.

Of course, the Lord and one faithful person is an overwhelming majority against the entire host of the

enemy, but we must understand that for the Lord to fight for us we must be in obedience to Him. He

insists on being the Commander of the host. Any army that is not disciplined, or under the authority of





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its commander, is not likely to win any battles. We have lost too many battles with this kind of

foolishness, and cannot afford to lose any more. We must, above all things, learn to be submissive to

the Head.

A More Powerful Weapon

We must also understand the most basic spiritual truth Paul wrote about in Philippians 4:7, "And the

peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in

Christ Jesus." Because of the increasing conflict and fears that are spreading throughout the world,

it is more important than ever for us to find, and abide in, the peace of God. Christians, who serve the

One who is above all rule, authority, and dominion, should have a profound peace in the midst of any

circumstance.

This is one of the foremost characteristics of one who is truly abiding in Christ. They will have a peace

that is beyond human understanding. This peace will increasingly give Christians a great advantage

in the coming times. It will cause them to become a marvel and calm in the midst of the storms that

will turn multitudes to the Prince of Peace.

We are told in Romans 16:20 that "...the God of peace will soon crush Satan under your

feet." This is very interesting since the title that the Lord uses for Himself more than ten times as that

of other titles is "Lord of hosts," or "Lord of armies." He is a martial Leader, but what crushes Satan is

not His martial power, but His peace!

We know that if God just wanted to destroy the devil, He could do so with the blink of His eye. The

Lord J esus could have destroyed the devil immediately after His resurrection. However, He did not do

this for our sakes. Conflict is one of the greatest tests of character and what works maturity in us

faster than anything else. The Lord does not want it to be easy for us, or He would have made it much

easier. What He is seeking is for us to learn and grow from every conflict we face.

We must not waste our trials. Those who waste trials by not responding in faith or growing in the

peace of God through them, will be increasingly overcome by the times. Those who use their trials to

grow in faith and the peace of God will increasingly stand out as overcomers, and the world will turn to

them for light to see through the darkness. The peace of God is one of the most powerful weapons we

have been given, and to prevail in the times ahead, this must be understood and lived.

The Battlefield

We abide in the kingdom of God by abiding in the Spirit of God. When we abide in the Spirit of God,

we will obviously manifest the fruit of the Spirit. The "peace of God" (see Philippians 4:7) is the

linchpin fruit of the Spirit. By this I mean that if we lose the peace of God, we will quickly lose our

patience, love, etc. When we lose our peace, we lose our footing in the Spirit, and begin to slide into

the grip of the evil that is called "the works of the flesh" such as fear, anger, jealousy, etc. When we

fall to these, we not only lose our own battle, but the devil has succeeded in getting us to change

sides, fighting for his purposes. Instead of calming the storms of conflict in the world, which is the

spirit of death's ultimate purpose, we add to it.

This is why almost every attack of the devil against us is first intended to rob us of our peace. J esus is

the Prince of Peace. If we are under His authority, we will not lose our peace. If we lose our peace, at

best we will be drawn into fighting battles on the devil's turf, and on his terms. It is likely to get even

worse so that the devil actually has us fighting his battles for him. His turf and his terms are basically





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to start fighting in the flesh, abandoning our "divinely powerful weapons" which will always defeat the

devil.

We are told in Ephesians 6:12, "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the

rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritualforces of wickedness in the heavenly places." To summarize, when we lose our understanding of

the spiritual nature of the conflict, we lose both the battlefield that we can win on, and the weapons

with which we can win.

The obvious strategy of terrorism is to sow fear throughout the world, robbing the world of its peace of

mind, and peace in general. The devil uses fear to bring people into bondage to do his will just as the

Lord uses faith to set us free to do His will. These are basic counter-powers in the ultimate battle for

the souls of men. That is why the peace of God, which guards our own hearts and minds, is what we

must guard above all. This peace is rooted in our trust in God, His love for us, and His power to use

all things to work together for our good (see Romans 8:28).

As fear continues to rise in the world, the kingdom of God will also grow stronger as His peace grows

within His people. Again, it is fundamental to the coming conflict that we guard the peace of God

which guards our hearts and minds in Christ J esus. DO NOT LET ANYTHING STEAL YOUR PEACE.

Regardless of how bad and confusing things get in the world, we can be sitting in the heavenly places

in Christ J esus. From that place we will never lose sight of the fact that no matter how it may

sometimes seem, we will win! We are already assured of ultimate victory. In the end, it will be proven

that truth is stronger than any lie, and that the righteousness and justice of God are the guiding

principles that true wisdom seeks.

So, the first battle will almost always be the devil's attempt to get us on his turf, or in the flesh, having

departed from our position in the Spirit of God, which is maintained by abiding in the peace of God.

Again, do not let anything steal your peace.

The Present Battle Array

I have given so much attention to the importance of abiding in the peace of God because of some of

the things that I am about to share. If we become overly focused on these situations, instead of

keeping our focus on the Lord and His ultimate victory, we will become gripped and controlled by fear.

By that, the devil will at least win a victory over us personally, and that does not have to happen.

However, if we do not understand the devil's schemes and learn how to effectively fight them, he will

win far more than he should in this growing conflict.

Isaiah 30:25-33 seems to directly address the attack on the World Trade Center. Every verse is

worthy of an in-depth examination, which would require a book instead of a bulletin. For now I ask you

to read it carefully. We will examine a few of the more pertinent highlights in more depth, with my

remarks being in parentheses after each verse:

And on every lo fty mountain and on every h igh h il l there wi ll be streams running with water on

the day of the great slaughter, when the towers fall (emphasis mine).

(The great slaughter was more than just those killed in New York and Washington on September 11,

but it began a time of great slaughter in the world. Even so, there will be streams of water on every

lofty mountain and high hill. Mountains and hills often represent governments in Scripture, and water





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often represents the Word of God in Scripture (see Ephesians 5:26). This is the day when God's Word

will be flowing to governments everywhere.)

And the l ight of the moon wil l be as the l ight of the sun, and the l ight of the sun wil l be seven

times brighter, like the light of seven days, on the day the Lord binds up the fracture of Hispeople and heals the bruise He has inflicted.

(The light and healing power of the Lord will be multiplied during this time.)

Behold, the name of the Lord comes from a remote place; burning is His anger, and dense is

His smoke; His lips are filled with indignation, and His tongue is like a consuming f ire;

(This is the time when the world will begin to experience the wrath of the Lord, and His words will be

burning like fire.)

And His breath is li ke an overf lowing torrent, which reaches to the neck, to shake the nationsback and forth in a sieve, and to put in the jaws of the peoples the bridle which leads to ruin.

(This is the beginning of the shaking of the nations that is spoken of in Hebrews 12.)

You will have songs as in the night when you keep the festival; and gladness of heart as when

one marches to the sound of the flute, to go to the mountain of the Lord, to the Rock of Israel.

(At the same time rejoicing will be known by God's people so that it will even seem like a festival in

the midst of what is happening. Many will turn to the Lord as a result of this.)

And the Lord wil l cause His voice of authori ty to be heard. And the descending of His arm tobe seen in fierce anger, and in the flame of a consuming fire, in cloudburst, downpour, and

hailstones.

(Prophetic authority will greatly increase in His people. Usually the fulfillment of "the arm of the

Lord"(see Isaiah 51:9) in biblical prophecy comes in the form of human armies. He does at times use

natural events such as earthquakes, storms, etc., but it is most often armies.)

For at the voice of the Lord Assyria will be terrified, when He strikes wi th the rod.

(Biblical Assyria includes the territory from present day Iraq to Sinai.)

And every blow of the rod of punishment, which the Lord wil l lay on him, wil l be with

tambourines and lyres; and in battles, brandishing weapons, He will fight them.

(Islam does not have inspirational music, and music will become a powerful weapon in this battle.)

For Topheth has long been ready, indeed, it has been prepared for the king. He has made it

deep and large, a pyre of fire with plenty of wood; the breath of the Lord, like a torrent of

brimstone, sets it afire.

(We will see fire consume many in this battle.)

War in Heaven, and on the Earth





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God has established two types of government on the earth. One is civil government, and the other is

His spiritual government. It is imperative that we understand the realms of authority that He has given

to both of these, their distinctions, and their relationship to one another. In Romans 13:1-4, Paul

addresses the purpose of civil authority: Let every person be in subjection to the governing

authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God.

Therefore he who resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have

opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves.

For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of

authority? Do what is good, and you wil l have praise from the same;

for it is a minister of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not

bear the sword for nothing;

for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings w rath upon the one who practices evil.

I have heard Christians say that America and other nations should not retaliate against their enemies

when attacked because of the Lord's exhortation to turn the other cheek when struck. We need to

understand that civil governments have a different mandate than the one He gave to His church.

Confusing these two mandates has brought considerable confusion through the centuries, and

continues to do so. The Lord is preparing His church for ruling in the age to come, but we are not

called to rule in this present age. That mandate has been given to civil governments until the Lord

sets up His kingdom on the earth. Civil governments are "a minister of God" that "does not bear

the sword for nothing," but is "an avenger who brings wrath upon the one who practices evil." Since

we are commanded to pray for our governments, we should pray for them to be able to fulfill this

mandate effectively, avenging evil, and bringing wrath upon those who practice evil.

Verse 29 speaks of there being songs and gladness of heart when the wrath of God is seen, so it is

right to rejoice and celebrate the victories of good over evil. If we are in unity with the Lord, we will do

this. It is a shame, and a tragedy the way that even our own news media has so focused on the

negative aspects of the conflict in Iraq, giving almost no coverage to the good that has been

accomplished. When good news is not celebrated, and bad news is, it should make it very clear which

spirit is presently in control of the media. Do we even want to receive our information from such a

source?

Right now, great victories for truth, righteousness, and justice are being accomplished by our armies,

and it is right to celebrate them. There are problems, and everything is not being done perfectly.

However, only the foolish or naive should expect them to be done perfectly on earth. In this presentage, even the best solution to a problem is often only a little better than the worse solution, and both

will be messy.

Even so, the ultimate result of the Lord bringing His judgments on the earth is rejoicing, and that is

being done now by those who have understanding. It will increase as read in Psalm 98:1-9.

O sing to the Lord a new song, for He has done wonderful things, His right hand and His holy

arm have gained the victory fo r Him.

The Lord has made known His salvation; He has revealed His righteousness in the sight o f the

nations.





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He has remembered His loving-kindness and His faithfulness to the house of Israel; all the

ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.

Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth; break forth and sing for joy and sing praises.

Sing praises to the Lord with the lyre; with the lyre and the sound of melody.

With trumpets and the sound of the horn shout joyfully before the King, the Lord.

Let the sea roar and all it contains, the world and those who dwell in it.

Let the rivers clap their hands; let the mountains sing together for joy before the Lord;

for He is coming to judge the earth; He will judge the world with righteousness, and the

peoples with equity.

Rejoicing in the Lord is fundamental to those who understand Him, His ways, and His acts. God is

working mightily through current events even if much of the media is trying to make it look like the

devil is winning. Great doors for truth, righteousness, and justice are being opened in a part of the

world which has known so little of these for so long.

Iraq really will begin to know truth, righteousness, and justice, and become a pillar of strength for its

neighbors. Because the real war is not against "flesh and blood" (see Ephesians 6:12), but one of

the strongest of all principalities in the spiritual realm, the war does need to be fought in prayer more

than in the natural realm now. We must pray for our leaders and our soldiers, celebrating what they

have accomplished, but not expecting them to accomplish that which is our part.the battle in the

heavenly realm.

The Iraqi people, and indeed the Arab people, are some of the Lord's choice people, and will give us

some of the greatest apostles and prophets in the last days. We must pray for truth, righteousness,

and justice to be established over biblical Assyria. The ultimate result of present events will be the

fulfillment of Isaiah 19:19-25:

In that day there will be an altar to the Lord in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a pillar to the

Lord near its border.

And it wil l become a s ign and a witness to the Lord of hosts in the land of Egypt; for they w il l

cry to the Lord because of oppressors, and He will send them a Savior and a Champion, and

He will deliver them.

Thus the Lord will make Himself known to Egypt, and the Egyptians will know the Lord in that

day. They will even worship with sacrifice and offering, and will make a vow to the Lord and

perform it.

And the Lord w il l st rike Egypt, str ik ing but healing; so they wi ll return to the Lord, and He wil l

respond to them and will heal them.

In that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria, and the Assyrians will come into

Egypt and the Egyptians into Assyria, and the Egyptians will worship wi th the Assyrians.





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In that day Israel will be the third party with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing in the midst of the

earth, whom the Lord of hosts has blessed, saying, "Blessed is Egypt My people, and Assyria

the work of My hands, and Israel My inheri tance."

The Big Reversal

For a time, it may look like the opposite is happening in the Middle East, but truth, righteousness, and

justice will prevail there. The Lord deeply cares about all of the people of the Middle East. At the same

time, many of the nations that have taken their freedoms for granted, that have turned from God as

the only true Source, peace, and freedom, will see them swiftly eroding before being lost altogether.

Europe is very close to suffering a future of more oppression and even more destruction than it

suffered in the last century. Her leaders have been taking her down the path to a terrible future that

will be far different from the one that they have promoted.

However, this dark future is not inevitable and can still be changed. Europe has learned very little

from the conflicts of the last century and is still basically headed in the same direction that caused the

previous devastation. Anyone who sounds the alarm is called an "alarmist," and is ridiculed and

shunned. It is a good thing that America is now distancing itself from the general direction that Europe

is taking.

American politicians that cow-tow to European leaders and want to lead America toward a closer

alliance with her "traditional allies" would lead America to a likewise terrible future. Contrary to what

these are promoting, the "Old World" is not the "traditional" ally of the New World. The New World

should not try to follow the old. This is not to imply that we should not have any relations with Europe

or align ourselves in the things that we do have a common interest in, but Americans should not be

overly concerned when most European countries prove not to be true friends of America. Again,

Europe is headed for a terrible future if it does not make a radical change to its present direction.

The EU and the Antichrist

Many Christians around the world view the European Union (EU) as the platform upon which the

antichrist will seek world dominance. The EU is a godless, and blatantly anti-Christian, organization.

However, when viewing much of Europe's "Christian" history, it is understandable why so many

Europeans want nothing to do with anything Christian again. Their history with Christianity is very

different from that which is found in the United States, and other "new world," and even "third world"

nations, yet they fail to make these distinctions.

Without question, some of the greatest souls to have walked the earth over the last two thousand

years were European Christians. It was also European Christianity that gave birth to the greatest

systems of government and justice in the world, which set the stage for the incredible advancement of

civilization that the world has benefited from since. It is also true that some of the most evil,

oppressive tyrants in history were also Christian leaders in Europe. These are likewise remembered

not only by the general population of Europe, but by J ews and Muslims as well.

However, it is a fact that the strongest, most stable, and most free and prosperous nations on earth

are almost entirely founded on the Protestant and Evangelical Christianity that was born in Europe.

The reason for this is that the Reformation made salvation personal instead of corporate, the result of

being a member of an institution. This focused on the importance and value of individual faith, instead

of just membership in an institution, and gave infinite, eternal value to the individual, which gave birthto governments and systems of justice that upheld this view. This freed the creativity and initiative that





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has benefited the world. European statesmen likewise gave much to advance the civilization of the

entire world. For these things we should be grateful, and it is right for us to honor our "fathers and

mothers." Even so, the present generation of European leaders are not our fathers and mothers, and

the other nations of the world would be very foolish to follow them in the way in which they are

headed.

Much of Europe is in danger of an Islamic takeover much sooner than anyone has considered. Most

European nations not only have large Muslim populations now, but traditional Europeans are aborting

their children at such a rate that most now have negative growth rates. At the same time, Muslims are

having very large families. By this attrition alone, many European nations will have a Muslim majority

in a short time. However, there is another factor that will speed this up even more. When Turkey joins

the EU, the floodgates to Muslim immigration in Europe will be thrown wide open, because there are

open borders between all EU nations.

The pattern for Islamic takeover of a country has been seen repeatedly in Africa. The Muslim

population remains very docile and compliant until a majority is reached. Then they become ruthless

in their subjugation of the rest of the population. Anyone who does not understand the basic purpose

of world dominion by Islam does not really understand Islam. Europe is their next main, natural target,

and it is very likely that they will succeed to a great degree.

Germany and Britain - the Salvation of Europe

Germany, the nation that brought so much destruction to Europe in the last century, is the main hope

for the salvation of Europe in this one. The European Union has been built on the back of the German

economic strength, and the Germans have been willing to pay a very high price for inclusion into the

European community. This is mostly the result of the continued guilt many Germans feel because of

the Nazi regime, which other European leaders have learned how to manipulate. However, the price

that the German people have to pay to carry this heavy burden for the rest of Europe is far more than

their leaders told them, and the benefits are far less than they were promised. The German people

will soon realize this. The awakening of Germany and all of Europe to what is happening to them by

the EU, by opening the door wide for Islam, will be one of the ultimate sources of salvation for Europe.

The German people have a "martial gift." They are going to understand "the Lord of hosts," and they

will follow Him. Germany will help stop Islam in Europe, and help save Israel, ultimately becoming one

of Israel's best friends in the world. At least for a time Germany, Britain, and America will form a

genuine alliance, and a much more natural one, and become pillars that uphold freedom and

democracy in the world, along with many other partners.

What the enemy was able to use to bring so much destruction to Europe in the last century, conflictbetween Germany and Britain, may be the salvation of Europe in this century. Britain and Germany

are natural allies, and together they can save Europe. We must pray for Europe, and especially these

two countries. Both must cast off the guilt of the past, not forgetting its lessons, but moving ahead and

using them as a moral compass. The British Empire accomplished far more good for the world than

bad, and the same is true for Germany.

Africa and the New Breed

There is a new breed of leadership that will soon arise in Africa that is principled, and decisive. Africa

will begin to unite, and through this unity it will prosper. It will also find ways to combine the best of

both the European cultures and influences in its heritage with the best of Africa, forming a dynamicnew engine of progress. This too is from the Lord.





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Missionaries from Africa to Europe will also help lay a foundation for the Lord's deliverance for

Europe. These are "bread upon the waters" that returned from the many great missionaries sent forth

from Europe. These will have a moral clarity that many Europeans have lost. These missionaries from

Africa may be viewed by many as "simple," because their education is different in many ways, but

they will have the wisdom of the Queen of Sheba to know how to find true wisdom.

As Africa unites, it will become a powerful economic, political, and military force in the world.

Reformation and Evangelical Christianity will reach new heights in Africa, and so will the democracies

founded through them. There will be a mighty struggle for their birth and survival, but this too is a part

of the process they must go through. It is Africa's time.

China and the Far East

China will also continue to rise until it becomes one of the most powerful economic, political, and

military forces in the world. China will become increasingly desperate for Middle Eastern oil, devising

a long range plan for controlling it. To do this, it must weaken America, and it is doing so by

supporting the terrorism that is causing so much instability in the rest of the world. When it perceives

that America is weak enough, China will march on the Middle East with the pretense of bringing

stability to the region. However, their real purpose is to gain control of the oil. The Chinese will give no

quarter to Islam, and will ruthlessly seek to wipe it out, along with Israel. It will be Israel, with God's

help, that turns back China, which will ultimately result in the joining together of Israel, Assyria, and

Egypt that is written about in Isaiah 19.

Russia

Russia is destined to have many struggles as it rebuilds after communism, but it will experience the

greatest revival in history. Russia will likewise have a great conflict with China, and it will be

devastating to both nations. However, Russia will become the source of some of the greatest moves

of God in the last days. The Russian people will be blessed with great joy and spiritual prosperity from

the Lord. Russia will become very rich in all of the true treasures, and in many ways the marvel and

envy of the world.

The Collapse of the Present Energy System

Few are now talking about it, but before the end of this decade the world will have used more than

half of its fossil fuels. This is a well known fact that no one seems willing to face. At the same time,

consumption continues to climb at an increasing rate. One of the downsides to democracy is that they

seldom face problems until they are at crisis level. This energy crisis becomes bigger every day that it

is not faced, and when it cannot be avoided any longer, facing it will have devastating consequencesto the world economy. Gasoline prices will multiply in a matter of months to over $20.00 a gallon in

the United States and much higher in Europe and Asia.

At the rate the energy prices multiply, the standard of living will be falling. We are still a few years

from this, and there are answers to this problem in alternative sources of energy, but these

alternatives are not being developed at the rate that they should, and we are already quite far behind

the curve. Solar power, wind power, hydraulic power, and nuclear power could already be reducing

our need for fossil fuels by over 50 percent.

It is not likely that the world will start facing this problem as it should for another five to ten years, but

when it does the changes will be rapid. If we are wise, we will begin planning for them now. Christiansshould be on the forefront of conservation, thinking fuel efficiency in all of our planning.





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At the present rate of consumption, over half of the world's fossil fuel energy reserves will have been

consumed in less than a single century. Think about how selfish we will have been to use up the

world's energy like that! Christians who reverse their own consumption of energy will be doing the

right thing, and this is how the wealth of the wicked will be given to the righteous.

If we stop running to the store for every single item, instead making lists and disciplining ourselves to

go only once or at most twice a week, if we will carpool, buy efficient vehicles, and use public

transportation whenever we can, we will begin to save a substantial amount right now. We should set

a goal of reducing our own energy use by a substantial percentage each year, and use the savings to

get out of debt. The ones who do this will be the ones who will have the financial reserves to buy

when the world starts selling at bargain prices.

Our Great Need

In this age we can only "prophesy in part," and what I have presented here are a few brief scenarios

that are obviously just a small part of the whole picture. I believe some of what I have shared here is

fixed, and will certainly come to pass. I think some of the directions that some nations are heading

can be changed by prayer, repentance, and/or revival. Presently, we are in desperate need of leaders

who serve world leaders like Daniel did without compromising their beliefs, without defiling

themselves with the world's food, who have the spirit of divine wisdom and revelation to understand

the mysteries that the Lord is revealing, and a devotion to the Scriptures and biblical prophecy,

interceding to see it fulfilled.

The world's problems are becoming increasingly complicated and dangerous. However, the answers

to the world's problems are very simple. Man was created to rule over the earth, but to do so in

fellowship with God. Without God we will inevitably come to a tragic end in anything that we seek to

do. By the end of this age, all of mankind will have learned this lesson we cannot make it without God.

We are in need of strong, wise, decisive leadership qualities that are only found by those who have

built their lives upon the true wisdom of the fear of the Lord.

Many Christians, because of the numerous teachings and prophecies about the nature of the coming

antichrist, have tended to shy away from any kind of strong, decisive leadership. Even if these

teachings and prophecies about the nature of the coming antichrist are accurate, to shy away from

strong, decisive leadership is the worst possible response to them. This only makes the vacuum

bigger and easier for evil leaders to fill. Christians, who are followers of "the King of kings," and are

supposed to be becoming like Him, should therefore be the strongest, wisest, and most decisive

leaders on earth. This is stated in Daniel 11:31-32:

"And forces from him w ill arise, desecrate the sanctuary fort ress, and do away with the regular sacrifice. And they will set up the abomination of desolation. And by smooth words he will turn

to godlessness those who act wickedly toward the covenant, but the people who know their

God will d isplay strength and take action."

We see here that at the very time the "abomination of desolation" is being set up, the people who

know their God are displaying strength and taking action. There has never been a more important

time for strength and action by Christians. This is, in fact, the nature of true Christians. To be the "salt

of the earth," or "the light of the world," one cannot be passive.

The New Leaders





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A new breed of Christian leaders is beginning to emerge that is not seeking to build their own

kingdom, but rather the kingdom of God. They are not seeking to use the people for their own

interests, but are expending themselves for the sake of the people. They are not professionals or

hirelings, who flee from trouble or confrontation, but they will be ready and willing to risk even their

own lives for the people and the sphere of authority that has been entrusted to their care. They will

not cower in fear at even the greatest threats of the enemy, but will walk in a manner worthy of their

calling.in faith, courage, and integrity, standing for truth, righteousness, and justice without

compromise or wavering.

As the world's problems are becoming so complex and dangerous, moral clarity is one of the greatest

gifts that a leader can have. Because of the erosion of basic morality and integrity in much of the

world, world leaders have become much more prone to choose the path of least resistance rather

than seeking to do what is right because it is right. Therefore, when a leader does arise with basic and

simple moral clarity, they will be hated and feared by a majority of the world's confused, opportunistic,

and politically motivated leaders. Even so, the greatest leaders understand this, and will be willing to

take the pressure to do what is right.

Because the world's problems are becoming increasingly complex, simple and honest solutions are

almost always going to be the right answer to them, despite the ridicule and even rage they tend to

generate in those who do not live by a clear moral compass. In the coming times, we will be given

many choices between the morally wise and those who seem to be more worldly wise. We must start

viewing moral clarity as the most important characteristic of any leader that we follow.

Ronald Reagan was a good example of this, and what can be accomplished in this fallen world. He

was a relatively simple man, but his greatest strength was his moral compass. He saw right and

wrong in black and white and he was devoted to doing what he perceived to be the right thing. It was

this kind of moral clarity that started the cracks in the Iron Curtain and the collapse of communism one

of the most diabolical and deadly evils to come upon the world. Communism was born through thephilosophy of humanism combined with relativism. Such ultimate tyranny will always be the ultimate

result of these.

Moral clarity and moral resolve will always push the darkness back. Martin Luther is one of the great

examples of this in history. He was but a monk, living in a small village in a nation that at the time was

broken and obscure. However, when Martin Luther took his stand on his convictions and refused to

compromise them regardless of the consequences, the whole world changed. No conqueror in history

changed the political landscape of the world as much as that one monk did by taking his stand for the

truth as he saw it. Even though he was not right about everything, and even had some very bad

theology mixed into his beliefs, he did have moral clarity in a time when very few others did. Such will

set the course of history just like he did. Such people are desperately needed in these times.

The Trouble Gate

The Lord made it clear that the end of this age would see the greatest times of trouble the world has

ever known. However, this was not meant to be discouraging, but encouraging. We are told

concerning the apostle Paul that he went about "strengthening the souls of the disciples,

encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying, ‘Through many tribulations we must

enter the kingdom of God'" (Acts 14:22).Note that it does not say Paul went around discouraging

the saints by talking about tribulations, but rather "encouraging them." Many today are bringing far

more ultimate discouragement to the church by not addressing tribulations or troubles. The end of this

age will know the greatest troubles because it will be entering the kingdom age. Troubles shouldalways be viewed by Christians as a gateway to the kingdom an opportunity.





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As we are told in Hebrews 12, everything that can be shaken will be shaken. Everything that is not

built on kingdom principles will not survive the shaking that is coming upon the world. However, it is

encouraging to know that everything which has been built on kingdom principles will survive, and

become the bridge into that age. Some governments will qualify and some nations will not experience

a complete collapse.

We must keep in mind that "the great time of trouble" that is the end of this age is the result of man

trying to run this world that God created without God. The ultimate lesson that mankind will learn from

this entire age is our desperate need for God. His fellowship, His leadership, His wisdom, His mercy,

and His grace. Even so, many Christians have foolishly swung to the extreme of thinking that doing

anything is futile. For Christians not to do anything because of a fatalistic view that nothing can be

changed anyway is one of the most tragic delusions of our times. We are here to be the "salt of the

earth," and "the light of the world." This means Christians should have the solutions to the world's

ultimate problems.

However, without exception, the solution to every human problem is the Cross and acknowledgment

of the Lordship of J esus Christ. Regardless of how complicated the human predicament becomes, we

must not allow ourselves to be beguiled from the purity and simplicity of devotion to Christ (see II

Corinthians 11:3). This is the ultimate truth that we must never compromise or our salt will have lost

its saltiness, and our light will go out.

As the most wise human leader that ever lived once wrote, "But the path of the righteous is like

the light of dawn, that shines brighter and brighter until the full day. The way of the wicked is

like darkness; they do not know over what they stumble" (Proverbs 4:18-19). So if we are

walking on the path of the righteous, which is the path of doing what is right, we should have

increasing clarity and light until we are walking in the very fullness of the light. If this is not a basic

characteristic of our personal lives, then we have somehow departed from the path. If this is not the

basic characteristic of our church life, then we have somehow departed from the right path as achurch. The same is true of a nation.

We most often get distracted from the right path by departing from the simplicity of devotion to Christ.

Complication is the path that leads to darkness, and stumbling over what you cannot even see. The

worldly wise are the most foolish human beings on the earth, but to the immature or undiscerning,

they come across as wise and learned because of their comprehension of the complex. The truly wise

may seem to overly simplify things at times, but they are the ones who see, and they are the ones

who will enter the gate into the kingdom. Follow moral clarity above all things.

Summary

These are the times that the prophets of old desired to see, and we have been chosen to live in them.

For all of eternity it will be a great honor to have been one of the saints to live in the last days. The

Lord has saved His best wine for last. It will be one of the greatest of all human mistakes to be

spiritually asleep through these times. For this reason, He is graciously sending another "Great

Awakening" to wake up His people to the times that we are in. This awakening is already spreading

across whole continents and has by no means finished its course.

We are about to awaken to the truth that true Christianity is the greatest adventure and the most

fulfilling life that one can have on the earth. It is also the most difficult. Christianity is not for the faint of

heart. As the times grow more intense, it will require increasing courage, faith, resolve, and

endurance to continue in the faith. Even more than these, it will require increasing love for God, and





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an increasing love for one another. For this reason, those who stand through the times that are upon

us will be numbered among the greatest saints who ever lived.

Recent church history reveals a pattern of great in-gatherings followed by great pruning, followed by

even greater in-gatherings, etc. Like birth pangs, these cycles are becoming more frequent and moreintense as we get closer to the birth of the new age. This is the age in which J esus will reign over the

earth with His faithful who have stood true when tested.

The earth has also been experiencing its own birth pangs and the entire world is about to tremble with

the struggle to give birth to the coming age. For this reason we will know the truth of Hebrews 12:26-

29:

And His voice shook the earth then, but now He has promised, saying, And "Yet once more I

will shake not only the earth, but also the heaven." this expression, " Yet once more," denotes

the removing of those things which can be shaken, as of created things, in order that those

things which cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which

cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service

with reverence and awe; for our God is a consuming fire.

It is not wrong for us to love our countries and to seek to serve them, but we are entering a time when

even the most trusted institutions created by man will be shaken. Only those that were born in the

heart of God and have a foundation in Him, will remain. Even so, that which was added to them that

was not from Him will be stripped away by the shaking. Again, that which was not born of God,

regardless of how good it may seem, will not survive the shaking that is coming. We must build our

lives and put our hope only on the kingdom of God that cannot be shaken.

The kingdom of God is coming to the earth and the Lord's will is going to be done on the earth just as

it is in heaven. Regardless of how much we have been blessed, living in great places, having great

jobs and lifestyles, if our hope is not rightly placed in the kingdom of God and our devotion focused on

the kingdom above all things, we will soon prove to have been some of the greatest fools in history.

Good can be the worst enemy of best and we must not allow our devotion to be to any other good but

the kingdom of God.

A wise saying for the world at this time is, "If you do not change your direction you will end up where

you are headed." Without major changes in direction, many of even the most stable countries in the

world are soon going to experience unprecedented catastrophes. We must heed the warning of

Psalm 32:6:

Therefore, let everyone who is godly pray to You in a time when You may be found. Surely in a

flood of great waters they will not reach him.

This means that we should not wait for the floods to come to start building our houses upon the Rock.

When the floods come, it is too late. Seek every day to sink your roots deeper into the truth that alone

can make you free and seek every day to get closer to the Lord. He alone is our Rock.

Source URL: http://www.morningstarministries.org/resources/prophetic-bulletins/2004/prophetic-

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Seize the Day

Mo rningStar Prop he tic Bulletin No . 61 (2004)

Rick Joy ner

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The New American Standard Bible (NASB).

If we are going to have a message that is relevant to our times, we must understand the times. For

this reason we need to evaluate the significant events of our times, such as the recent elections from

a spiritual perspective. They were, in many ways, a barometer of the spiritual condition of the nation

at this time, as well as a precursor of the direction in which we are headed.

It was said by many that these elections were the most important in their lifetime, which was not anexaggeration. However, we can expect every election from this time on to be the most important in

our lifetime. This is because the times are going to become increasingly challenging and dangerous.

Therefore, our decision on such crucial issues and who will lead us through them will become

increasingly critical.

Even so, this evaluation is not about politics, it is about how the world is in the midst of a great

turning that is presenting some of the greatest opportunities for the gospel in history. We will examine

the politics because as we are told in I Corinthians 15:46: “ However, the spiritual is not f irst, but

the natural; then the spiritual.” We need to understand the lessons from the recent elections and

the world political situation as a basis for understanding the developing spiritual trends.

The Condition of the Church in America

Over the last few weeks before the election, I was continually asked what the Lord had shown me

about the election. My answer was that He was telling me to vote! Obviously this is what many of His

people heard, and did, as the significant increase in Christians voting this time made the difference in

this election. One thing that the now much maligned exit polls did show very clearly was that morality

and values were the most important issues in this election, even trumping the economy and the war in

Iraq. Christians mobilizing to vote also revealed that the church is in fact mobilizing in America.

There is a moral and spiritual awakening now taking place in America. Christians are starting to flex

their political muscles again to the degree that the White House will probably not be won again by a

candidate that does not appeal to Christians. This is the greatest fear to much of the old news media,

the old movie industry, the old music industry, and the old Democratic Party. However, it has been

anticipated by the new media, the new movie industry, a new generation of musicians and artists, and

a new Democratic Party.

This is not to say that the old media, the old entertainment industries, or the old Democratic Party are

totally dead yet, but they have been severely wounded and may very well die. There is a very definite

and growing trend toward conservative morality and integrity. The old cannot see this or understand it

because those who live in darkness cannot see.

If you listened to the evaluations of the old order Democrats as to why they lost this past election

(which they lost from the Presidency on down), few if any even came close to understanding what

was happening. This is why they lost and will continue to lose. If it had not been for the Iraq War and





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the continual stream of bad news from Iraq that the news media kept parading in front of the public,

Bush would have probably won this election by the greatest landslide in history. But what does this

mean?

The Foundation of Justice

Psalm 89:14 states that righteousness and justice are the foundation of the Lord’s throne. That

means His authority will be both right and just. What this election means is that the Lord is

establishing His authority in America, which has been the prayer of many for decades. There is not

just a turning to the right, but a turning to righteousness. With this, we can also expect a turning to

righteous judges.

By these righteous judges, I am not just speaking of judges sitting on benches in courtrooms, though

that is important too. However, possibly the most powerful judges in our nation now, and in much of

the world, are journalists. Though the old school journalists have lost their grip on America’s thinking

and have fallen even lower than televangelists and lawyers on the trust scale in America, those who

really are “fair and balanced” are ascending and reclaiming integrity in journalism.

J ournalists claim to not judge or interpret the news, but just report it. No longer do they deceive

anyone by their real intent anymore. They judge by what they cover, how they cover it, and the timing

in which they cover it. The “unrighteous judges” in the media, or those who were wrong in their

judgment and deceptive in their coverage, probably lost more in this election than anyone else. An

estimated 80 percent of the media coverage was pro-Kerry or anti-Bush, and the people obviously did

not listen to the coverage because they no longer believe them. The American people are now very

aware of the manipulative schemes of the media. It did not work in this election, and it will not work

again with the present generation.

However, the news media is a very important element in any free society. Even though the news

media’s reputation is now severely damaged, a new news media is arising that will be truly fair and

balanced, both right and just, and they will win the day. J ust as the more fair and balanced Fox News

won viewers over the old-line liberal CBS News by an estimated seven to one, this trend will continue

throughout the news media. Expect a very healthy competition to emerge in the news media between

the old-line liberals and the new emerging conservatives, which will continue down to small-town

newspapers.

What’s Next?

Because every election from this time on will be increasingly important, it is even more important that

those who care about righteousness and justice mobilize and do their duty as citizens and vote inevery place and at every time that they have this privilege. Voting is a right and it is also a

responsibility. As exhausted as many were after this election, it is not the time to rest. It is time to start

looking ahead and planning, not only for the coming elections, but for any way we can have a positive

influence on the important issues of our time.

I expressed months ago that I thought Bush would be re-elected, mostly because he had not yet

done many of the things that he was called to do. Since I expected Bush’s re-election, my primary

concern was that he have a congress with whom he could work to accomplish these things. We also

need officials at every level of government who are fundamentally devoted to morality, integrity, and

justice for all. Christians need to get even more involved in the governing of their nations right on

down to the local level.





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From the County Court to the Supreme Court

One of the most important domestic issues for America has to do with the justices appointed, not only

to the Supreme Court, but throughout the land. There is an opportunity now to establish righteous

judgment on a level greater than we have ever known before. This includes everything from protectingthe rights of the innocent, the helpless, and the minorities, to reining in frivolous lawsuits that threaten

not only our healthcare system, but the foundational strength of the nation. It is also time to rein in

activist judges who determine to make the law instead of interpret it. If this can be done, it will pave

the way for many more years of American advancement and prosperity, as well as for the rest of the

world. This time is needed to prepare for the coming millennial reign of Christ, and this turning to

righteousness is indeed a preparation for this.

In His parable of the Sheep and Goats, the Lord said that when He returned He would divide the

nations into those that were “sheep” and those that were “goats” (see Matthew 25:32). We are right

now in the time when it is being determined which nations are “sheep” and which are “goats.”

Therefore, it behooves every Christian to care about the direction that their communities and their

nations are going. We must become the light and salt that we are called to be.

Leadership vs. Politi cs

There can be a big difference between a great politician and a great leader. Our President is not a

great politician, but he is a leader and may prove to be one of our greatest. It was good politically for

the President to be generous in his victory to his opponents, commending the strong campaign that

was waged by Kerry and Edwards. It was good politically to use the mandate that he had with this

election to reach across party lines to bring unity. However, it can be a tragic mistake to let the

euphoria of victory cause one to be too generous in victory. Many generals have won great battles

only to ultimately lose the war because they failed to follow-up their victories and press their

advantages when they had them.

Even J oshua, who led Israel into the Promised Land, made this mistake and formed an unrighteous

alliance with the Gibeonites that would cost Israel for generations to come. Because the Gibeonites

came with stale bread and old wineskins, J oshua assumed that they were from far away, so that it

would not really make any difference if he made an alliance with them (see J oshua 9). The moral of

that story is that all alliances are important, and we should be very careful in making them, especially

those who come with “stale bread and old wineskins.” It would be a tragic mistake for the new order to

make an alliance with the old order.

The President and the new leadership may need to reach across party lines, but to the new

Democrats, not the old. The old order in this case will not die gracefully, but will continue to fomentdivision. The new order and the new Democrats will see that it is a new day with new challenges and

new possibilities. There is an excellent opportunity right now for great accomplishments, but it will not

last long.

Again, the great danger of victory is euphoria. It can make one too generous to the vanquished,

which was the mistake that cost King Saul his kingdom, passing it on to a leader who would fight until

the enemies of righteousness were completely vanquished. Victory must be followed up decisively. I

do not think there is much doubt that this is the President’s plan because he is a leader more than a

politician and he is a part of the new breed of leadership that we can expect to soon emerge in every

major realm of influence.

The Old World vs. the New World





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It was interesting to watch the international evaluation of our elections. As I travel quite extensively, I

try to learn all that I can about the people I am visiting. One way I have learned to do this is by

listening to what they think about America and Americans. It seems that every publication has articles

or editorials about us. They often contain brilliant deductions and are full of glib insights, but in

general, could not be more wrong about us. They are consistently based on using the most extreme

elements by which to judge the whole. That is one of the most deceptive tactics which the father of

lies has used from the beginning to keep people in conflict with each other.

In my opinion, having read what they say about others and even themselves, they tend to be wrong

there as well, though certainly more generous. I have concluded that the media in general has lost the

ability to make honest and truthful evaluations, even when they are trying to be positive. However, in

most countries there is a similar and growing skepticism about the media such as we have here. This

is definitely a good thing in the present circumstances.

It does seem that most nations were seriously disappointed with our election results because they do

not like Bush. We should realize the reason that they do not like Bush is because Bush will not cow-

tow to their own interests at the expense of American interests. The United States is the leading

nation in the world right now, and few nations will like us at all unless they can dictate our policy,

which will be at our expense and their gain. If America was to do what pleases the Old World, it would

be doing the things that would not only lead to our own demise, but theirs as well.

The Old World and the New World really do have a very different worldview and a very different

agenda. They are not “traditional allies” as many promote. With but a few exceptions, they have very

different interests that are often exactly counter to ours. Many of our “traditional allies” will simply not

be content until America is no longer a world power. These same ones do not seem to have a clue as

to the disaster that is impending in their own future, as the dark clouds of a most terrible war and

oppression are again gathering over Europe.

Old World politics have been a resounding disaster. It was by following the very same mentality that

still dominates Old World thinking now that led to both World War I and II. It appears that many

leading European nations have not learned one thing from these greatest of human tragedies, though

some of the smaller European nations there are beginning to sound the alarm. One definition of

insanity is to keep doing the same thing but expect different results. That makes present European

politics insane, and we are just as crazy if we cow-tow to them.

The Hardened Heart

However, we do not want to over-generalize either, or judge the whole by the extreme elements.

There are many nations in Europe that are breaking away from the Old World mentality, and a newgeneration of leaders is starting to emerge in Europe that appears to be breaking away from this as

well. Even so, we should be seriously alarmed if we are doing things that will please the Old World in

general.

It is interesting that the way the Lord hardened the heart of the selfish and rebellious Israelites in the

wilderness was to give them what they demanded in abundance. They demanded meat, so He gave it

to them until it ran out of their ears. If you give a demanding, selfish child what he or she is

demanding you are not helping them, you are hardening their heart in their selfishness.

As an employer, I learned long ago that no amount of generosity on my part would appease selfishly

demanding employees. The more I gave to them, the more they demanded. When this mentalitytakes over a company, it becomes the cancer that will eventually kill the company. Cancer is basically





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self-centered cells that consume for themselves without regard to the rest of the body. When this

mentality takes over a nation, the nation is doomed. Socialism feeds this mentality in a nation.

France has some of the most generous, self-sacrificing, noble souls on earth. However, in general,

this demanding and ultimately selfish mentality has been taking over that great nation. It is now anextreme version of the Old World politics that sees itself as the center of the world, and the master

who should dictate policy in the rest of the world. We should not judge all of Europe on the behavior of

France. We also need to learn from this because we, America, can fall to the same traps very easily.

Thousands of Americans have died in the last two world wars to come to the aid of France. Then

America, under the Marshall plan, for a period of time gave more of its gross national product to help

rebuild the nations devastated by the war than we were using at home for ourselves. Yet Americans

are consistently treated more rudely in France than any other people. At the same time, France gave

Yasser Arafat, the father of modern terrorism and probably the one who is responsible the most for

countless women and children having been killed, their highest military and state honors when he

died. This does say volumes about the present leadership of France.

When our politicians talk about “traditional allies,” they are usually referring to France in particular.

France was a traditional ally of the United States to some degree when it served France’s interests.

However, France has become an enemy in recent years. France no longer tries to just undercut

American interests— they try to sabotage them. Americans should never be alarmed when France

disagrees with us—we should be alarmed when they agree.

We can also expect France to be as quickly and easily subdued by Islam as they were by the Nazis

in World War II. The ones who should have learned the most about how counter-productive the policy

of appeasement is when dealing with the kind of mentality that both the Nazis and the radical Islamic

extremists have, obviously did not learn a thing and are falling into the same trap again.

Politicians cow-tow to public opinion. Leaders lead, doing what they think is the right thing, regard-

less of which way the fickle winds of public opinion may be blowing that day. We should be thankful to

have a leader who is leading at this critical time.

Having traveled the world to the degree that I have, I would not trust any candidate very much that

most of the nations of the world are pulling for. This should be a red flag to Americans, not a positive

indication.

I am not saying this from an isolationist point of view. The great battle for dominance of the world is

between the selfish and the self-sacrificing. Presently, the fastest way for any nation to become

prosperous is to start a war with the United States and to lose. No nation in history has treated itsvanquished foes with the kind of generosity that the United States has. No nation has treated its

wounded allies with the kind of sacrifice that America has, even when they not only failed to

acknowledge the generosity, but became even more demanding.

When America subdued Iraq, it not only resisted seizing its oil and oil revenues, but continued to pay

full retail for its oil, gave billions in aid, and forgave more than a hundred billion in debt. America

continues to make sacrifices of its own soldiers, some of its finest young men and women, to help

establish the authority of a stable government that will not likely even show us much gratitude when

we leave. This may be revolting to some, but any nation that remains this noble in character when

being so poorly treated by the ones that it helps will remain a great and strong nation. True, lasting

power is founded on sacrifice, not selfishness.





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A New Alliance

One thing the media has been right about is that the nation seems to be more divided than ever

politically and ideologically. This does not mean they are equally divided in numbers—those devoted

to traditional morality and values outnumber those who oppose and seek to undermine these by alarge and increasing margin.

It is also likely that this margin grew even more after this past election by the calloused way that the

old order Democrats offended the majority of Americans by calling everyone who voted for Bush

either stupid or ignorant. Many commentators also especially targeted Christians as being stupid and

ignorant. This may have finally been enough to offend and wake up their base of African-American

voters to the way that they are being used and taken for granted by the old order Democratic Party.

Most of the African-American voters are Christians.

I know that most white Christians have a hard time understanding how any Christian could vote for a

pro-abortion, pro-gay agenda platform. However, there are other factors that all Christians should

understand. To begin to understand someone else we need to do what the word implies, which is to

“stand under” their situation. Presidents Kennedy and J ohnson did more to bring righteousness and

justice for African-Americans than any President since Abraham Lincoln. There is an amazing

devotion to loyalty in the African- American community. It took them a long time to switch from the

Republican Party to the Democratic Party, and it will take them a long time to switch back, but they

will. That is another trend which is inevitable. However, the Republican Party needs to earn their trust.

President Bush has done a great deal in this regard that will help future Republicans. No President

has done more for minorities, especially African-Americans, since Kennedy and J ohnson as Bush

has. He did much more than give empty promises to them—he gave them real positions of power and

influence. He did not seem to do this in a way of a token either, which minorities discern very quickly,

but rather he chose the people who he thought were the best qualified for those positions. This is the

mentality of the new Republican Party, which will aggressively seek minority allegiance and do it with

real promotion of the interests of minorities.

Leadership in the Moral Civil War

The Republican Party that held the course and saved the nation during the Civil War will also be the

party that holds the course and saves the nation during the present moral civil war. Even so, at home

President Bush is despised by many in the same way that Abraham Lincoln, who was the last great

reformer of the Republican Party. Few realize that Lincoln was probably the most hated and ridiculed

American President ever. However, the moment he died he was quickly elevated to being one the

most beloved and honored of any of our Presidents.

No one, even those in Lincoln’s own party, seemed able to realize how great he had been until they

were challenged by his death to really look at his life. Then the whole nation was astonished at his

incredible leadership and accomplishments in the most difficult and confusing of times. Likewise,

President Bush will be one of our most highly regarded Presidents after he is no longer President.

Even so, he is not likely to be well understood or appreciated while he is in power.

Lincoln was not a perfect leader and made many mistakes. Bush is not a perfect leader either; there

is not one on the earth at this time. However, Bush has also led the nation through its most difficult

trial, possibly better than anyone else could have done. Lincoln was a great leader because he had

such a strong moral compass, and he refused to deviate from the course it directed him to take. Inthis way, President Bush is the same kind of leader that Abraham Lincoln was. We can also expect





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his strong moral compasses to make him the greatest threat, and therefore the most despised and

feared by those who do not have their own moral compass. Even so, this will enable Bush to seize the

day because America is returning to traditional values, and those who do not see this trend will be

swept away by it. The extreme immoralists have gone too far and driven even those who were once

neutral to reaction.

The Anti-war Movement

We can expect there to be a rising anti-war movement in America, but it will not gain the kind of

influence that it did during the Vietnam War. We can expect the liberal media to fan the flames, but no

one listens to them like they once did. However, Kerry and Edwards and the Democratic Party in

general sowed many seeds of discontent in the recent campaigns that will have to be reaped. In this I

am not talking about the moral civil war, but the War on Terror.

Even so, we should consider that the biggest anti-war movement in our history was during the Civil

War. Lincoln had to fight even more deadly enemies to the cause in his rear than he did on the

battlefront. Even those who wanted the North to fight until it achieved victory only wanted one great

victory on the battlefield so the South could be given its independence from a position of strength and

preserve the nation’s honor. Lincoln resolutely kept his focus on the goal of preserving the Union, not

just winning a military victory, for which we should all be thankful.

Likewise, we must pray that President Bush resolutely keeps his focus on the defeat of America’s

most deadly enemies, which are also the most deadly enemies of civilization as we know it. We need

to consider that the North would have won the Civil War much faster and at a far smaller human and

material cost if there had been unity behind Lincoln’s leadership. As one historian put it, the North

fought the entire war with one hand tied behind its back. The fact that Lincoln was able to hold the

course until the victory was complete against the opposition that he had at home, and even in his own

party, was one of In many ways President Bush may be leading the nation in an even more difficult

time than Lincoln was. the greatest accomplishments in United States Presidential leadership. Bush

will need the same kind of resolve to keep the terrorists on their heels until they are defeated.

Kerry and Edwards ran a hard campaign. However, the nation needs to take a hard look at their

message and methods, which were deeply disturbing. Their challenges to the way the war in Iraq was

being conducted crossed the line that no candidate for any office or any American should ever cross

in a time of war. Their message and their methods encouraged our enemies and offended our true

friends in the world. That will cost American lives and make America less safe. It was understandable

that the American military voted over 80 percent in favor of Bush’s re-election.

This is not to imply that there should not be a debate on a war’s merits, policies, or theimplementation of strategy or tactics. However, there is a way in which this should be done that does

not threaten the conduct of the war, threaten the lives of Americans, or be unnecessarily offensive to

our allies. If anything should ever be considered “politically incorrect,” this should be when it is done

simply for political gain. Anyone who does this should be utterly rejected as unfit for any office.

Calling Victories Defeats and Defeats Victories

In many ways President Bush may be leading the nation in an even more difficult time than Lincoln

was. The enemy, a very real threat to our existence as a nation, is not as clearly defined and neither

is the battlefield. The victories achieved are not as clearly defined, and therefore not perceived or

understood by many. However, the Bush Administration’s victories in the War on Terror are possibly





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the greatest, most remarkable military victories in the history of warfare since biblical times. The

media’s failure to talk about this is just one more sure sign of just how blind or biased it is.

The Soviets fought in Afghanistan with one of the most powerful and modern armies on earth and

against one of the most primitive. After two decades and two hundred thousand Soviet casualties andas many as two million Afghan casualties, they finally gave up the fight, declaring that it was a war

that could not be won. Some of the most powerful empires in world history came to a similar

conclusion after trying to subdue that small, landlocked, and dirt poor nation. It was then that the U.S.

led coalition went in and decisively won the war that even our own media and their army of military

analysts claimed could not be won. If anything was more remarkable than this, they did it in just a

couple of months!

This astonishing victory was accomplished at such a low cost in men and materials that it bordered

on the miraculous. Yet the media, in what has to be one of the most ridiculous positions ever taken by

them, actually chided Administration leadership because some American lives were lost! This came

from those same ones who just weeks before were claiming thousands of Americans would die in a

war that could not be won! This commentary was made while the ruins of the World Trade Center

were still smoldering! One has to conclude by this that the liberal media was actually trying to commit

suicide.

Then this amazing victory in Afghanistan was followed up by the war to overthrow Saddam Hussein,

which was even more remarkable and was probably an even more brilliant military victory. The

assault on Iraq was begun with just a fraction of the forces that the coalition had in the first Gulf War,

and with the advance by troops on the ground actually preceding the air war to soften up the enemy.

The many generals that had become the media’s military experts lamented that this would result in

thousands of U.S. casualties, and some even believed that it would certainly result in our defeat in the

war. The victory was not only faster than even the greatest optimists had presumed possible, but will

most likely be considered the greatest military victory in U.S. history. This is not to in any way fail toacknowledge the contribution of our allies in this war, but the strategy and leadership was provided by

the U.S.

The war in Iraq was also unprecedented in history as a strategy devised that would be decisive while

at the same time the least costly to the enemy! In the first Gulf War, we bombed Iraq nearly back to

the Middle Ages by attacking its infrastructure long and hard before sending the ground troops in.

That may have been necessary at the time, and the war was also brilliantly led and executed.

However, this last war in Iraq was designed to move swiftly and decisively in a way that would

minimize the casualties and the destruction of the Iraqi infrastructure. Even the lights stayed on in

Baghdad almost throughout the war. It is unlikely that a war plan has ever been devised with such

motives of helping the country get back on its feet as fast as possible.

There have been mistakes made in Iraq, and there will be in every war. However, this war was

unique in the history of warfare, and possibly the most brilliantly led and executed in history, both

before, during, and after. General Tommy Franks was not portrayed by the media as nearly the

charismatic leader that others have been, but he deserves to go down in history as possibly our

greatest military leader for what he accomplished in both Afghanistan and Iraq. Likewise, the Bush

Administration deserves credit as one of the most brilliant wartime administrations in our history.

A Victory in Character

All casualties are tragic. The cost to one family for one loss is heart-rending. I am thankful to live in acountry where the cost of the human life is considered to the degree that it is; I am thankful for a





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media that does as well. However, it was one of the greatest revelations of just how out of step with

reality that much of our media was when they chided the Bush Administration for the American

casualties in the war in Afghanistan at a time when there were only a handful. Not once did they seem

to even consider the tens of thousands that the Soviets had lost without even gaining a victory. For

the most part, they remained just as out of touch in their perspective on the war in Iraq and the

continued operations there.

I am very thankful to be a part of a nation that would go to work right after a war to help rebuild the

nations of our enemies as we did after World War II. After the recent war in Iraq we not only

immediately went to work rebuilding that nation, but funded it as well, forgiving their debt, and

lobbying other nations to do the same until they could get their feet back on the ground. Why does the

media never cover such truly noble, unselfish policies and acts? The world or our own liberal media

may never acknowledge it, but there has never been a more generous, honorable nation in history

than the United States.

Our Greatest Enemy?

More than 80 percent of the liberal media’s articles are negative on the war in Iraq, but one has to

ask how they miss the fact that since the War on Terror began, there has not been another major

terrorist attack on U.S. soil after 9/11? This is an absolutely incredible achievement considering the

highest priority that the terrorists gave to attacking us at home. Why hasn’t the media said anything

about this? Because of a profound bias that has led to blindness. The American media, in general, is

trying to deceive the American people. This election makes it abundantly clear that the American

people, in general, discern this and have much more understanding about world events than the

liberal media.

The Biggest Loser

I was amused, but not surprised, by how the liberal media could not seem to analyze the message

that this election sent. They could not comprehend that one of the most important messages of all

was that the country did not listen to them! From newspapers, to television networks, to college

professors, which were more than 80 percent pro-Kerry and anti-Bush, the nation refused to listen to

them. The people did win this election and the liberal media lost, and lost big.

CBS News, possibly the most liberal news network and the most shamelessly biased, has been

dying for years. It seems that in this election it finally committed suicide and a very sloppy one. First,

they shot themselves by using blatantly spurious National Guard documents to bring serious charges

against our Commander in Chief, which were supposedly the memos from a dead man no less. Even

the rest of the liberal media, to their credit, jumped on this shameless violation of basic integrity in journalism. CBS promised to fully investigate it, and within weeks, heads would roll. That did not

happen, indicating that they are not going to be honorable Samurai and fall on their own sword, but

will force the country to execute them.

Then maybe even more shocking than the National Guard document debacle, it became known that

CBS was waiting until the Sunday before the election to release the report about the explosives that

were supposedly not secured by advancing U.S. troops in the Iraqi War. The timing of the release of

this report in this way, (which it appears was in cahoots with the New York Times, with information

supplied by the U.N. in a blatant attempt to effect the U.S. elections), would not give Bush the time to

answer the charges, thereby causing the maximum damage to his campaign at the most critical time.

This plot was foiled and released early because it was leaked, forcing them to come out with their





stories, which again probably did more damage to the Kerry campaign and the liberal agenda as their

devious methods and deceitful reporting were exposed.

No question that the liberal media lost big in this election, as did liberal politicians from the top down.

They really do not understand that there is a great spiritual awakening now arising in the country, andthe whole nation is becoming much more conservative politically. However, liberal politics are not

dead and neither is the liberal media, nor should they be. Their present dishonesty has been clearly

revealed, which calls for a profound repentance, change, and a new leadership. The result will be that

a new liberal politician and media will emerge and will do so because it has integrity that will enable

them to become trustworthy again.

It takes two wings for an eagle to fly, both a left and a right one. There are some issues championed

by liberals that are more right or righteous than the positions generally taken by conservatives on

those issues. Some of these issues, if not faced, can be more devastating to our future than the

terrorists, but these are for a future bulletin.

Summary

There is a mandate for morality and values in America right now. There is a spiritual awakening going

on. Christian books have become the fastest growing segment of publishing, nearly doubling in

demand in just two years. The momentum is good for not only continued increase, but dramatic

increase. This is one of the most telltale barometers of spiritual hunger.

Conversions to Christ are also on the rise in America. Youth movements especially have gone from

gathering hundreds to gathering hundreds of thousands. The Passion of the Christ, to the absolute

shock of almost everyone, broke records for distribution, even though it was only shown in a relatively

small percentage of theaters. Studies on everything from business leadership to sports success have

clearly established that a strong moral foundation is the only foundation for true, lasting success.

An unprecedented opportunity for the gospel is upon us that we must seize. How do we do this? That

too will be for a future bulletin.

Source URL: http://www.morningstarministries.org/resources/prophetic-bulletins/2004/seize-day

morningstar prophetic bulletin-2004 by rick joyner

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