Posted in Musings

A few months ago a cyber-friend (a missionary in Brazil) sent us a book. Out of the blue it came. I don't know why she sent it. She said she just felt led of God to do so. I thought she meant it for my husband to read.  It was laying on the ottoman in the bedroom with the envelope in which it came and other various and sundry things. I picked it up during the evening to see what it was that she had sent. It was morning before I put it back down, finished. I've never done that before- literally pick up a book and not put it down until I'd read the whole thing in one sitting.

The book was "The Final Quest" by Rick Joyner. I'd never heard of him before. Turns out he's a pastor in South Carolina who has had some extraordinary dreams- prophetic visions you might call them. This book is basically a written description of one of his prophetic visions, or dreams. Kinda like what the apostle John wrote down in the book of Revelation. I'm a bit sceptical when it comes to  visions people have- so many are what I believe to be, well, not of God. However, I have to admit that what I read here has really helped to change my life.

I'm not going to get into the whole subject of visions and dreams. I just want to share one part of the book that moved me- pretty much knocked me out between the eyes, so to speak. It's found in the part one of the book which is called "The Hordes of Hell are Marching" and is a description of the enemy that we fight spiritually. It is this description that I found moving because it is so accurate of what goes on and is what we have found upon our return to Ecuador.

I am going to just quote part of it. He says it so much better than I can describe to you. I put into bold print things that especially spoke to me.

"The demonic army was so large that it stretched as far as I could see. It was separated into divisions marched under the banners of Pride, Self-Righteousness, Respectability, Selfish Ambition, Unrighteous Judgment, and Jealousy. There were many more of these evil divisions beyond my scope of vision, but those in the vanguard of this terrible horde from hell seemed to be the most powerful. The leader of this army was the Accuser of the Brethren himself.....

The weapons carried by this horde were also named. The swords were named Intimidation; the spears were named Treachery. and the arrows were named Accusation, Gossip, Slander, and Faultfinding. Scouts and smaller companies of demons with such names as Rejection, Bitterness, Impatience, Unforgiveness, and Lust were sent in advance of this army to prepare for the main attack.....

All of this was to prepare for the great horde of evil which followed....

Although this army was marching specifically against the church, it also was attacking anyone else that it could. I knew it was seeking to preempt a coming move of God, which was destined to sweep great numbers of people into the church......

The primary strategy of this army was to cause division on every possible level of relationship - churches with each other, congregations with their pastors, husbands and wives, children and parents, and even children with each other....Through these openings would pour demonic influences that completely overwhelmed their victims.....

The most shocking part of this vision was that this horde was not riding on horses, but primarily on Christians! Most of them were well-dressed, respectable....these people professed Christian truths in order to appease their consciences, they lived their lives in agreement with the powers of darkness....

I noted that the demons were riding on these Christians, but were not in them as was the case with non-Christians. It was obvious that these believers had only to stop agreeing with their demons in order to get free of them.....

The power of the demons was clearly rooted almost entirely in the power of deception, but they had deceived these Christians to the point where they could use them and the Christians would think they were being used by God....

As I looked far to the rear of this army, I saw the entourage of the Accuser himself. I began to understand his strategy, and I was amazed that it was so simple. He knew that a house divided could not stand, and his army represented an attempt to bring such division to the church that she would be powerless and ineffective....."

I don't know about you, but I see a great deal of division within the church. This is particularly true of the church here in Ecuador. It has caused us to weep to hear and read of the things that are going on between believers in the church here. Some of it is almost unbelievable. How blind we can be to truth!