December 26 2006
The gospel is a
revolutionary message. Yeshua the Messiah of Israel was branded seditious
by the religious and political authorities of His day (John 12:19; also chapters
18-19). His followers were labeled as notorious international troublemakers and
instigators of riots (Acts 17:6; 24:5). Crucifixion, stoning, torture,
imprisonment, beheading – these were the ways that the Messiah and His first
followers ended their lives. The yoke-shattering power of signs and wonders came
in the context of the power of Yeshua’s cross and in the fellowship of sharing
in His sufferings (Phil. 3:10).
Today to a large
extent the revolutionary message of the cross has been watered down and sapped
of its power. The gospel is equated with social status, with middle class
values, with unquestioning obedience to governments. The world has concluded
that many believers and fellowships are boring, irrelevant, and unreal. For them
the gospel doesn’t present any real spiritual challenge, offer real passion or
pose a revolutionary threat.
Our brother Mike
Bickle has said that God is about to change the understanding and expression of
the Messianic faith (he would use the term ‘Christianity’) in the whole earth in
one generation. He is speaking of the radical reality and life of the risen King
of Israel reverberating in the lives and prayers of His revolutionary
followers. This type of demonstrated faith is evidence that demands a
verdict. This is the gospel of passion which the apostles offered to the ancient
world. It is the incarnated challenge of Yeshua’s
message.
“Do not suppose that I have come to
bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For
I have come to turn ‘a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a
daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law – a man's enemies will be the members
of his own household’” (Matt. 10:34-36 quoting Micah
7:5-6).
As the world nudges
ever closer to the return of the Lion of Bethlehem, we know (because the
Scriptures tell us) that ‘business as usual’ will become less and less
usual. We know that there will be wars and rumors of war, earthquakes in
diverse places, and nations in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing
of the sea (Luke 21:25). We know that Israel will be gathered back to her own
promised land, and that many nations will attempt to shrink her borders and
annihilate her (Zech.13:8-14:2; Joel 3:1-2; Ezek. 38:10-12; Psalm 83). We
know that worldwide persecution will break out against the Jewish people (Rev.
12:13; Jer. 16:14-18) and against all who believe in Yeshua (Rev. 6:9-11;
12:17).
Yet some days it
seems like such a jump from ‘here’ to ‘there.’ Won’t we be able to read
all about these things in the daily papers, or watch Yeshua descend from the
skies on CNN or BBC? Won’t it be like in the movie ‘
Clash of the
Titans
Ever since the
rebellion of Satan (Isa. 14:12 ff; Ezek. 28:12ff) spiritual warfare has been a
reality in heaven and on earth. The sometimes open, sometimes hidden warfare
between YHVH and Heylel Ben-Shachar (Satan’s original name in Hebrew) can be
charted from the dawn of history, when the world’s first communities were
built. Satan strategically influenced the lives (and thus the spiritual
underpinnings) of the engineers of the original great urban centers. The
foundations of the first city in the Bible were laid by Cain the murderer (Gen.
4:17), while the founder of
The world’s first
civilization grew mighty, but it did not find favor in YHVH’s eyes. In
fact, in the entire world God could only find one man and his family who were
pleasing to Him! God’s report card gave failing grades to the world
system, the world leaders and the world structures. They were full of
violence and evil (Gen. 6:5-13). Satan had thoroughly infected and
infested the peoples of the world and their governments. When YHVH judged
the situation to be totally unredeemable, He brought “floodwaters on the earth
to destroy all life under the heavens … and everything on earth perish[ed]”
(Gen. 6:17).
Yeshua encourages us
to draw parallels between Noah’s day and our day. He even prophesies that
in the last days people will be unprepared and in spiritual blindness – just as
in Noah’s day. “As it was in the days
of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of
United we
fall
The planet received
a second chance, a brand new start, under Noah. But what sprouted up was
again evil, the
In every age Satan
has attempted to regather men into a rebel unity. He has expended great
effort trying to harness men’s hearts into false worship, sinful pride and evil
machinations. In every age the Holy Spirit continues to block and thwart
these demonic preparations with plans of His own.
“For this purpose
the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil” (1
John 3:8). “If Satan is divided against himself, how can his kingdom
stand? … But if I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the
Spiritual wickedness in the
heavenlies
The prophets who
wrote the Scriptures occasionally allow us to peer into Heaven’s
perspective. They describe “rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms”
–
spiritual powers
(whether angelic or demonic, the passage does not specify) that exercise
spiritual authority in heavenly realms. These spiritual powers gain
understanding as they meditate upon what God is doing through the gospel (Eph.
3:11).
We are told that
there are spiritual thrones, powers, rulers and authorities which are invisible
– invisible, that is, to the naked eye. These spiritual beings were all created
by Yeshua who Himself is God (Col. 1:15-17).
Paul adds that all
believers are engaged in spiritual warfare, in struggle “against the rulers,
against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the
spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Eph. 6:11-12). His words
hearken back to the Book of Daniel, where the prophet is told by an powerful
angel about evil demonic princes who influence and have spiritual authority over
world empires, whether ancient or modern (including Persia and Greece – Dan.
10:13, 20).
One specific demonic
spirit, Satan, is called “the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is
now at work in those who are disobedient” (Eph. 2:1-2). His tactics
include stirring up rebellion to and hatred of God’s ways, His people and His
body. Paul adds that demons and spiritual powers want to separate
believers from the love of God that is in Messiah Yeshua our Lord (Rom.
8:38-39). The good news of the gospel is that these demonic powers can never
separate us from God’s love! Paul adds that Yeshua through His atoning
death disarmed powers and authorities, making a public spectacle of them and
triumphing over them by the cross (Col. 2:13-15).
So the Bible teaches
that there are godly angelic authorities, and there are also ungodly demonic
authorities. The clash between these forces (over the hearts and lives of
men and women) is part of the secret war which takes place ‘behind the scenes’
in our lives! This war also takes place behind the scenes in our
governments, in international relations and among world power brokers.
Hostile
Takeovers
Godly kings bring
stability, security and righteousness to a nation (Prov. 14:34; 25:5; 29:4, 14),
for when authority and purity are matched, the result is blessed
government. Yet waiting in the wings the enemy is crouching, desiring to
have mastery over the next king’s heart (à la Gen. 4:7) – and so expand the
kingdom of darkness. The history of mankind can be seen as the struggle
between righteous government and hostile satanic
takeovers.
Believers are called
to submit to authority, since God has established governing authorities
(
When a satanic
takeover occurs in a government, believers are still called to respect authority
(Exod. 22:28; Acts 23:1-7). However, when obedience to the state requires
disobedience to God, we are to follow Yeshua’s example and render unto Caesar
accordingly (Matt. 22:21; Acts 4:19-21).
The Scriptures tell
us that God will sometimes raise up evil empires to
judge His own people (see Haggai 1). YHVH has used cruel conquerors to
bring
Evil human
government is eventually brought to an end by God. His word is the last
word. In the Book of Judges YHVH raised up military generals called
judges. Their calling was to destroy
Toward the end of
the age, it is prophesied that an international conspiracy of Gentile nations
will come against
Kosher prophets vs. non-kosher
kings
The Hebrew prophets
were no strangers to clashing kingdoms. They took their lives in their
hands (1 Kings 20:35-36) when they approached kings and rulers. Micaiah
the prophet publicly called on witnesses and bystanders at court (as he was
dragged off to prison) to free him from his chains if his prophecy came to pass
(2 Chron. 18:27). The nameless Judean prophet (1 Kings 13:4) found himself
seconds away from death at the hands of the king’s bodyguards – until God
stretched forth His hand to do signs and wonders. Queen Jezebel had
hundreds of the prophets put to death because they were challenging
Jewish prophets
often challenged governments and kings, and often paid the price for speaking
the truth:
“YHVH, the God of
their fathers, sent word to them through His messengers again and again, because
He had pity on His people and on His dwelling place. But they mocked God's
messengers, despised His words and scoffed at His prophets until the wrath of
YHVH was aroused against His people and there was no remedy” (2 Chron.
36:15-16).
“But they were
disobedient and rebelled against You; they put Your teaching behind their
backs. They killed Your prophets, who had admonished them in order to turn
them back to You . . . Stubbornly they turned their backs on you, became
stiff-necked and refused to listen. For many years You were patient with
them. By Your Spirit You admonished them through Your prophets. Yet they
paid no attention…” (Neh. 9:26, 29, 30).
What was it like to
bring a word of rebuke to the king of
Confronting the princes of this
world
A prophet delights
when his words result in building or planting (Jer. 1:10a; 31:26), in
encouragement and edification (Eph. 4:12-16). But at least as often, due
to the sinfulness and hardheartedness of man, the prophetic message involves
uprooting, tearing down, destroying and overthrowing (Jer. 1:10b; Hos. 6:5).
The Hebrew prophets
and the Jewish apostles all had to confront maverick authorities in their day
who had placed themselves in opposition to God’s ways and character (Isa. 1:20;
Ezek. 2:8; Zech. 7:12; Acts 3:13-18; 4:8-20). The bold preaching of God’s
heart would lead many prophets to their death. Their spilled blood would
serve as further testimony of their divine message (2 Kings 9:7; Matt. 23:30,
34-37; Rev. 18:20-24).
David, one of the
greatest kings who ever lived, paints a last days picture of a rebel
confederacy, a counterfeit international “Great Powers” conspiracy opposed to
God and to His Son. In Psalm 2 he describes these leaders as kings, rulers
and judges (melachim, roznim and shoftim – vv. 2, 10). Esteemed world
leaders, lawmakers and presidents lead the charge in rebelling against God (v.
2). They see God’s ways and His word as prison chains and fetters, to be
broken off in revolt. They gather their armies together in military
formation (yityatzvu, v.2) and
take counsel/strategize (nosdu
yachad, v. 2) against YHVH Himself and against His
Messiah.
It is important to
emphasize that these world leaders leading their revolt against God and His
Messiah, are under the influence and control of “the prince of the power of the
air” (Eph. 2:2). Their attack against
The tale of the
dog
Jill Austin (a
friend with an accurate prophetic gifting) recently told us about an open vision
she had this past summer. Part of it involved a casino room where world
rulers and global players sat around a conference table smoking expensive
cigars, drunk on whiskey. These men’s heads were actually dog’s heads.
They wore thick dog collars with heavy spikes and in their hands were puppet
strings which went out to the ends of the earth – controlling governments,
presidents, world economies etc. The evil was tremendous, and they were
gambling between themselves over the world’s
resources.
We
believers need to discern the times in which we live (Matt. 16:2-3). Many
world dignitaries seem to be honorable men who care only for the good of the
globe. But some of these men and women are conspiring to establish an
ungodly ‘new world order’ akin to rebuilding the
The
united efforts of ambitious politicians, pragmatic intelligence directors and
greedy oil multinationals are leading the Western world down the path to weaken
and ultimately to abandon
God’s Secret Weapon –
It looks like this
‘international Gentile conspiracy’ is outgunning and outflanking both
“He who is the Portion of Jacob is
not like these, for He is the Maker of all things, including the tribe of His
inheritance – YHVH Almighty is His name. You are My war club, My weapon for
battle – with you I shatter nations, with you I destroy kingdoms . . .
with you I shatter governors and officials. Before your eyes I will
repay
(Jer.
51:19-24).
The dogs of
war
In the Bible dogs
are considered unclean,
unholy
and violent. They
are also symbolic of spiritual uncleanness, theological
evil and destructiveness.
“You are to be my
holy people. So do not eat the meat of an animal torn by wild beasts; throw it
to the dogs” (Exod. 22:31).
“Do not give
dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may
trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces” (Matt.
7:6).
“I am the Alpha and
the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. Blessed are
those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and
may go through the gates into the city. Outside are the dogs, those who
practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and
everyone who loves and practices falsehood” (Rev.
22:13-15).
“Watch out for those
dogs, those men who do evil, those mutilators of the flesh” (Phil.
3:2).
“I will send four
kinds of destroyers against them,” declares YHVH, “the sword to kill and the
dogs to drag away and the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth to devour
and destroy” (Jer. 15:3).
Dogs are also
symbolic of evil and bloodthirsty leaders of nations – fierce enemies of the
Jewish people, who conspire against them, snarling and
prowling
“Dogs have
surrounded me; a band of evil men has encircled me, they have pierced my hands
and my feet . . . Deliver my life from the sword, my precious life from the
power of the dogs” (Ps. 22:16, 20).
“Deliver me from my
enemies, O God; protect me from those who rise up against me. Deliver me
from evildoers and save me from bloodthirsty men. See how they lie in wait
for me! Fierce men conspire against me . . . they are ready to attack
me. Arise to help me; look on my plight! YHVH God Almighty, the God
of Israel, rouse Yourself to punish all the nations; show no mercy to wicked
traitors. Selah. They return at evening, snarling like dogs, and prowl
about the city” (Ps. 59:1-6).
The destruction of the dogs of
war
YHVH promises to
destroy the dog-like world leaders who would create a false Babel-like unity,
who would crush
The seventh angel sounded his
trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said: “The kingdom of the
world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Messiah, and He will reign
for ever and ever.” And the twenty-four elders, who were seated on their
thrones before God, fell on their faces and worshiped God, saying: “We give
thanks to You, Lord God Almighty, the One who is and who was, because You have
taken Your great power and have begun to reign. The nations were angry;
and Your wrath has come. The time has come for judging the dead, and
for rewarding Your servants the prophets and Your saints and those who
reverence Your name, both small and great – and for destroying those who
destroy the earth” (Rev. 11:15-18).
At this season,
let us pray for God’s light to come especially to Israel’s rulers and to world
leaders; for His prophetic word to break and shatter hard and proud hearts; for
His angels to block and thwart the strategies of the evil one; and for a deep
revelation of Yeshua to come with priority to Israel, and also to all the
nations of the earth.
Blessings to you in
Yeshua, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and the glory of God’s people
Avner Boskey (for
Rachel, Daniel, David, Asaph and Elisha)
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