Prepare and Arise (eBook)

Chapter 2

Spiritual Confrontations

Elijah the prophet had walked a specific road of preparation for addressing one of the main problems he faced with his nation Israel - Jezebel’s demonic wickedness, religious deception, and evil economic control. These problems are still very much prevalent, even today. The new millennium will see these apostolic and prophetic days come into fullness, where the spiritual anointing of governance is in the Church of Jesus to affect whole cities and nations like Elijah did. It has often been prophesied in song, ‘these are the days of Elijah.’ David said, ‘the Lord shall send the rod of your strength out of Zion (the Church). Rule in the midst of your enemies!’ Psalm 110:2.

Since the early nineties in particular, we have seen a rising, a maturing, and a momentum of restoration of the role and office of the prophet and the prophetic anointing on the Church. This anointing and ministry gift also exposes spiritual strongholds, like the principality of Jezebel - in cities, nations, and in churches. It ‘roots out… pulls down… destroys… throws down… to build and to plant’ Jeremiah 1:10, to make ready for mature building and planting of the Church.

Spiritual confrontations are sometimes strategic, understood and then executed, resulting in great breakthroughs. At other times confrontations can be naively executed in the emerging maturing of the gifts, and in the natural outworking of day to day ministry and life. In whatever way, the devil is fully aware of the restorations that are happening in the Church, and has unleashed strategies to try and control, dilute, and massacre the lives and families of those called by the Lord to bring the breakthroughs.

Worship and music from the House of God that has been nurtured in a restorative apostolic and prophetic atmosphere, is a major tool that God will use in the spiritual confrontations against the devil and his hordes. Sound - opening up the heavens over churches, regions, cities and nations. David declared, ‘O enemy, destructions are finished forever! And you have destroyed cities; even their memory has perished. But the Lord shall endure forever; He has prepared His throne for judgement’ Psalm 9:6-7.

John the Baptist

John was the forerunner prophet who prepared the way for Jesus full manifestation of ministry on earth. John’s appearance brought confrontation in the spirit like the prophetic has in these days in preparing the way for the apostolic. Jesus said of him, ‘and from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force’ Matthew 11:12.

Jesus went on to say, ‘and if you are willing to receive it, he is Elijah who is to come. He who has an ear to hear let him hear’ Matthew 11:14-15. This is a picture of the days we are in now, where the spirit of Elijah is upon the Church to confront the powers of darkness, and release the nations to God; just as the real Elijah did with Jezebel and Israel.

When John came on the scene, the spirit of Jezebel was violently stirred up, along with everything the devil is with all his principalities. Things were so stirred against John that the spirit of Jezebel manifested through Herod’s wife Herodias, who had John beheaded - to silence his voice! Beheading is a manifestation of this evil spirit.

In this current generation, the growing restoration of prophetic ministry and spirit - that has been a forerunner of the apostolic - has stirred up the powers of darkness resisting God’s work. Even so, this generation is still not quite ready for all the fullness that is ahead.

To What shall we liken this Generation?

Jesus said of his generation, ‘but to what shall I liken this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their companions, and saying, “We played the flute for you, and you did not dance, we mourned to you and you did not lament”’ Matthew 11:16-17.

Jesus spoke this metaphor to his disciples reflecting the religious hypocrisy and powerlessness of the Pharisees, who were not receiving His word, and even calling Him demon possessed! This story is also a prophetic picture of today. In terms of music, Jesus is saying that when we should be spiritually grown up, we can still be playing music to one another in various marketplaces, not having the full spiritual impact that we should have. The flute here represents a warring instrument that the Lord fights with in ‘battles of brandishing’ Isaiah 30:29-32.

The irony here is, God’s children were playing music with instruments capable of very strong spiritual warfare, but there was no power for the genuine spiritual dance of forward movement, or a heartfelt prayerful lament for change. Yet, like little children many still do not understand this today, and are content to just play ‘church gigs’ in the merchandised markets and systems, as if that is all there is. Consequently, the real dance and cry of heaven is not in us. The governing sounds of heaven are then not released, when there are major spiritual confrontations, and great contentions happening throughout the nations of the earth for people to come to God; as we have seen escalate in very recent years.

Jesus was an historic apostolic move of God, living right in the midst of the people as a great light to push back the darkness. ‘The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death Light has dawned’ Matthew 4:16. Religion was blind and spiritually ineffective and they did not see that light. Jesus said, ‘Let them alone. They are blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall in a ditch’ Matthew 15:14.

They also just accused John, and Jesus the Son of God, of having demons, ‘For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say “He has a demon.”’ Matthew 11:18. “This fellow (Jesus) does not cast out demons except by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons” Matthew 12:24b! Their blindness was amazing! Diametrically opposed to the truth. ‘Beelzebub has a devil put aside for me, for me, for me!’ Lyrics, Queen, Bohemian Rhapsody 1975. Hah! but not for Jesus or John!

‘… consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, Christ Jesus’ Hebrews 3:1b. The great Light of our apostolic Jesus, dawned for a people in His regions who were in great darkness - even the ‘shadow of death’ Matthew 4:16. Many didn’t see it, except those who believed.

Chronic sickness, spiritual darkness, and demonic oppression abounded at a very high level in Jesus time. Isaiah the prophet tells us that in the last days, gross darkness will cover the earth, like it was in Jesus day. ‘For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people; but the Lord will arise over you, and His glory will be seen upon you’ Isaiah 60:2. In the midst of all the darkness, Jesus continued to fulfill the prophetic message of John’s preaching, ‘repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand’ Matthew 4:17b.

In our day, the Church will arise as a great light in the nations; carrying and releasing the glory of God in power. Not just one Jesus, as of old, but His Body the Church, full of millions of people. The spirit of Jezebel, and the onslaughts of the ‘depths of Satan’ Revelation 2:24b, will be bound and pushed back. ‘And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven’ Matthew 16:19. The apostolic church is a spiritually warring church, and the power of music in her will be the same.

Jezebel

The global rise of the Church in this millennium, to win cities and nations, will not be without contention in the spirit realm, as many will testify. The late Dr Lester Sumrall, an inspiring man of great faith, who was in ministry over 60 years and walked with Smith Wigglesworth, spoke of some of the greatest spiritual wrestles we will see in these last days - the unleashing of the Jezebel spirit by the powers of darkness against the Church.

This principality has wicked vicious spirits of control, manipulation, religiosity old or new, violence, and much more - finding any foothold it can, however subtle. This spirit can be easily missed without the discernment of it.

The demonic activity of Jezebel will want to try and shut down the greatest harvesting revival move of God to come on the earth in history, just like in the days of Elijah, with the mass killing of God’s true prophets. ‘Was it not reported to my lord (Elijah) what I did when...